There are a lot of choices when it comes to selling handmade goods online.
Two of the most popular platforms are Big Cartel and Etsy.
Both platforms have their pros and cons, so which one is right for you? In this blog post, we will compare Big Cartel and Etsy and help you decide which platform is best for your business!
Before making comparisons and getting into the nooks and crannies of both these websites, let’s get an understanding of these websites!
To get this understanding, we will have to answer the questions “What is Big Cartel?” and “What is Etsy?”
In a nutshell, Etsy and Big Cartel are two e-commerce websites that allow retailers to sell their products. They create a direct interaction between sellers and buyers while not overlooking small businesses.
It is time to decide the parameters that will be considered while making this judgment of being better amongst each other.
Pricing, customer service, features, and timings are among many of the criteria that will be discussed comprehensively further in the blog!
Big Cartel Vs Etsy (Detailed Comparison)
Prices
The monthly subscription price of Etsy is $10, whereas Big Cartel notoriously kept its monthly subscription price at $ 9.99.
Etsy at first glance looks like the best website for a small business owner especially from the industry of crafts, vintage items, and handmade items. Though they do charge $0.20 for every listing.
Apart from that, Etsy takes a 5% transaction fee, along with a 4% payment processing charge, which amounts to nearly 10% of the overall item price.
The most premium monthly subscription of Big Cartel is $29.99. In this pack, a listing of about 300 items can be done. Meanwhile, the basic pack only allows 25 listings.
There are also limitations on the types of products that can be listed. The more expensive the subscription, the more types of items are allowed for listing.
Both of them provide offer a free subscription for their users!
Hence in terms of the subscription cost, both the websites notoriously charge us while making transactions.
We have done a detailed Etsy review and covered everything about the platform, check it out here.
Features
Big Cartel comes with a clean and minimal theme on the background and easy-to-understand features. It is aesthetically pleasing!
Big cartel comes with a bonus feature of having a full-time host from the website during the time of the entire transaction.
It is a few features including promotional tools and integration with social media platforms (such as Facebook and Instagram) rendering the customer not too perplexed with its simple tools.
While Etsy comes with more features. Lots of small retailers have a high turnover after registering on this website.
Both the websites are more or less easy to use with necessary features and most importantly connecting customers with small brands and even individual sellers (small scale) that would, otherwise, would never be able to make such amount of sales.
Themes
Big Cartel is a site for beginners in the coding world. It provides easily accessible key elements like font size, colors, layout, etc.
The theme library can hardly be called a library. It only contains 20 themes which are relatively very less than the number of themes expected from a commercial and popular website.
The coding changes are only limited to CSS and HTML which can be frustrating for a slightly more advanced user seeking to make more detailed changes.
Design flexibility and freedom are almost missing from Etsy. It has very limited designs to select from.
All of the templates have a similar look and only limited scope of customization.
Even the subscription package involves a handful of additional customization tools. It can make lives easier for people just starting with design but again, can be frustrating for even a little experienced person.
Also Read: Printful Vs Printify: Best Print-On-Demand Company? (2022)
Easy To Use
It is very important for any e-commerce website to be easy to use for the sellers as well as for the buyers. It is one of the crucial factors that attract customers to use the website.
The more obvious reason is, absolutely no one wants to struggle hard to sell or buy products. It is the opposite of why we engage in e-commerce!
Big Cartel is one of the easiest-to-use platforms on the market, and gives hyper-intuitive products like Weebly and Wix a run for their money.
Users are given an extensive step-by-step guide for them to use the features well. They even give out different themes on the dashboard.
Etsy has mastered the technique of making the usage of the most complex tools into a cakewalk!
Etsy makes monotonous tasks like creating lists and generating reports almost effortless.
Customer Service
There’s always a possibility of messing up orders, fake sellers, transactions, and many more possible errors on e-commerce websites. Hence, customer service is essential for the smooth sailing of orders.
Let’s take a look at how these websites solve people’s problems!
The only form of communication in Big Cartel is through emails. It is only operational during working hours i.e. Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM.
The speed and quality of help are reported to be great.
However, they do not provide customers with live chat or phone calls.
Meanwhile, Etsy provides amazing customer service. Regardless of the free package, they do not compromise their quality. The customer support will listen to your problems in depth via live chat or phone.
All support options are accessible from a tab in the seller dashboard, so assistance is easy to find when you need it.
Also Read: Redbubble Reviews, Is Redbubble Safe? (Shocking Reality)
Conclusion
In retrospect, both the forums can be beneficial to common people to make some extra bucks.
Big Cartel is one of the most interesting and unique e-commerce platforms for small-scale artists providing a tight-knit community with a similar goal.
Therefore if you have a limited number of products for listing, Big Cartel is the place to be!
Which platform should you choose? The answer depends on your needs and what you are selling.
If you are just starting out, Etsy is a great place to start because it has a large community of buyers.
However, if you are looking for more features and flexibility, then Big Cartel is the better choice.
Whichever platform you choose, make sure to do your research and choose one that meets your specific needs.
Thanks for reading! I hope this article was helpful in deciding which platform is right for you. Be sure to check out my other posts for more tips on starting an online business.
Hey there! I’m Rohit Lohia, a passionate SEO enthusiast and the proud founder of Branded Bucks. I’m all about helping small business owners achieve success online through my blog. Join me on this exciting journey as we explore ways to make money online and build a thriving digital presence.