Big Cartel to Squarespace Migration Guide

Log into your Big Cartel admin panel and navigate to the Products section. Click on 'Export Products' to download a CSV file containing all your product information including titles, descriptions, prices, and images. Big Cartel's CSV export includes product variants, inventory levels, and basic product details. Review the exported file to ensure all your products (up to your 50-variant limit) are included and properly formatted.

Using the image URLs from your Big Cartel CSV export, systematically download all product images to your local computer. Create organized folders matching your product names or SKUs to maintain structure. Since Big Cartel allows multiple images per product, ensure you capture all angles and variants. Rename files with descriptive names that will be easy to identify during the Squarespace upload process.

Create a new Squarespace account and select a Commerce plan (Basic Commerce or Advanced Commerce) that supports online selling features. The Commerce plans include unlimited products and up to 250 variants per product, significantly expanding your catalog capacity from Big Cartel's 50-variant limit. Complete the initial account setup including business information and basic store preferences. Choose your primary domain name during this process.

Browse Squarespace's template gallery and select a design that complements your brand and showcases your products effectively. Popular templates for content creators and photographers include Bedford, Pacific, and Forte which offer excellent product display capabilities. Begin customizing colors, fonts, and layout to match your existing brand identity. Configure the header, navigation menu, and footer to create a cohesive user experience.

Set up payment processing through Squarespace's integrated Stripe system or connect your existing payment processor. Navigate to Commerce > Payments in your Squarespace admin and enter your business banking information for payment deposits. Configure accepted payment methods including credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. Test the payment system with small transactions to ensure proper functionality before going live.

Access Commerce > Shipping in your Squarespace admin to configure shipping zones, rates, and methods. Create shipping profiles for different product types if needed, and set up flat rate, calculated, or free shipping options based on your business model. Configure shipping to multiple countries if you serve international customers, and integrate with shipping carriers for real-time rates. Set up shipping confirmation emails and tracking information sharing.

Begin manually adding products to your Squarespace store using the data from your Big Cartel CSV export. Navigate to Commerce > Inventory and click 'Add Product' for each item. Upload your organized product images, add detailed descriptions, set pricing, and configure variants within Squarespace's 250-variant limit per product. Set up product categories, tags, and SEO settings for each item to improve discoverability.

Set up tax collection through Commerce > Taxes in your Squarespace admin panel. Configure automatic tax calculation for your business location and any states or countries where you're required to collect sales tax. Enable Squarespace's integration with TaxJar for automated tax calculation and reporting if needed. Review tax-exempt product categories and set up any special tax rules for your specific product types.

Create essential pages for your Squarespace store including About, Contact, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Shipping & Returns pages. Copy content from your existing Big Cartel store and enhance it to take advantage of Squarespace's superior content management capabilities. Add any blog content or additional pages that support your brand story. Configure contact forms and ensure all legal pages are properly linked in your footer.

Configure 301 redirects from your Big Cartel URLs to corresponding Squarespace pages to preserve SEO value and ensure customers can find your products. Map out your old product URLs and create redirects in Squarespace's Settings > Advanced > URL Redirects section. Update your Google Search Console and Google Analytics to point to your new Squarespace domain. Optimize meta descriptions, titles, and alt tags for all products and pages.

Conduct comprehensive testing of your Squarespace store before going live. Test the complete customer journey from product browsing to checkout completion using various devices and browsers. Verify that payment processing, shipping calculations, tax collection, and email notifications are working correctly. Test mobile responsiveness and page loading speeds. Create test orders using different payment methods and shipping options to ensure everything functions properly.