Big Cartel

Big Cartel is a simple, affordable e-commerce platform built specifically for artists, makers, musicians, and small independent brands who want to sell their products online without complexity. Instead of the sprawling feature set of larger platforms, Big Cartel focuses on the essentials: an easy store builder, clean customizable themes, product listings, and a straightforward checkout — so creative sellers can launch a store quickly and start selling. Its creator-friendly ethos and low, flat pricing (including a genuinely free plan) have made it a long-standing favorite in the indie and creative community.

The platform keeps selling simple while covering the basics. You get customizable themes (all free), your own domain, product and inventory management, discount codes, and shipment tracking, plus a dashboard with basic stats and integrations for shipping and marketing. Crucially, Big Cartel charges 0% transaction fees on any plan and never takes a cut of sales — you keep your revenue (minus payment-processor fees). Plans differ mainly by how many products you can list, keeping pricing predictable and low for small sellers.

Big Cartel serves artists, makers, and small independent brands selling a modest catalog. It offers a free Gold plan (up to 5 products), a Platinum plan around $15/month ($12 annually, up to 50 products), and a Diamond plan around $30/month ($24 annually, up to 500 products), all with 0% transaction fees and unlimited revenue. It competes with Shopify, Sellfy, Ecwid, and Gumroad, differentiating on simplicity, creator focus, a free tier, and 0% fees.