Moderate 2-4 days 12 steps

Shopify to Big Cartel Migration Guide

Shopify

Big Cartel

Migrating from Shopify to Big Cartel can significantly reduce your ecommerce costs while providing a streamlined platform designed specifically for artists and makers. This guide covers the complete migration process and helps you transition smoothly.

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Shopify to Big Cartel Migration Guide

A step-by-step guide to migrate your online store from Shopify to Big Cartel's artist-friendly platform while preserving your essential business data.

Choose Your Big Cartel Plan and Set Up Account

Sign up for Big Cartel and select either the Gold plan ($9.99/mo for 50 products) or Platinum plan ($19.99/mo for 500 products) based on your inventory size. Complete your basic store setup including store name, description, and initial branding to prepare for data import.

Export Your Shopify Store Data

Use Shopify's built-in CSV export feature to download your products, customers, and order history from your admin dashboard. Navigate to each section (Products, Customers, Orders) and export the data, ensuring you have complete records before beginning the migration process.

Prepare Product Data for Big Cartel

Review your exported product CSV and ensure each product has fewer than Big Cartel's variant limits. Simplify complex product variants if necessary, as Big Cartel focuses on straightforward product structures ideal for artists and makers with simpler inventory needs.

Import Products and Configure Store Settings

Manually add your products to Big Cartel using the prepared data, uploading product images and descriptions. Configure your payment settings, shipping options, and tax settings to match your business requirements within Big Cartel's streamlined interface.

Set Up Domain and Design Your Store

Connect your custom domain to Big Cartel or choose a new subdomain for your store. Select and customize one of Big Cartel's artist-focused themes to showcase your products effectively, taking advantage of their clean, gallery-style layouts.

Test and Launch Your Big Cartel Store

Thoroughly test your store's functionality including product browsing, checkout process, and payment processing before going live. Update any existing marketing materials and social media links to point to your new Big Cartel store URL.

Complete Migration Guide: Shopify to Big Cartel

A comprehensive step-by-step process to migrate your online store from Shopify to Big Cartel, specifically designed for artists and makers seeking an extremely affordable e-commerce solution with simplified store management.

Export Data from Shopify

30-45 minutes

Access your Shopify admin panel and navigate to Settings > Data Export to download your store data. Export products, customers, and orders using Shopify's built-in CSV export functionality. Download each dataset separately and save them in organized folders for easy reference during the migration process.

Tips:

• Export data during low-traffic hours to ensure complete datasets
• Create separate folders for products, customers, and orders CSV files
• Take screenshots of your current Shopify settings for reference

Important:

• Shopify exports may not include all custom fields or metafields
• Large stores may experience timeout issues during export

Analyze Product Variants for Big Cartel Compatibility

1-2 hours

Review your exported product data to identify items with more than 50 variants, as Big Cartel's limit is 50 compared to Shopify's 100. Create a spreadsheet to track products that need variant consolidation or splitting into separate listings. This step is crucial for artists with multiple size, color, or material options.

Tips:

• Group similar variants together to stay under the 50-variant limit
• Consider creating separate products for drastically different variants
• Prioritize your best-selling variants if you need to reduce options

Important:

• Products exceeding 50 variants will need manual restructuring
• Some variant combinations may need to be eliminated

Set Up Big Cartel Account and Choose Plan

20-30 minutes

Create your Big Cartel account at bigcartel.com and select the appropriate plan based on your product count (Gold for up to 300 products is most common for migrating stores). Verify your email address and complete the basic store information including store name, description, and contact details. Big Cartel's artist-focused interface will feel different from Shopify's more complex dashboard.

Tips:

• Choose a plan with room for growth beyond your current product count
• Use the same store name to maintain brand consistency
• Set up your account with the same email used for your domain registrar

Important:

• Big Cartel has much stricter product limits compared to Shopify
• Downgrading plans later may require removing products

Select and Customize Your Big Cartel Theme

1-2 hours

Browse Big Cartel's theme gallery and select a design that complements your artistic brand and product photography style. Most themes are free and specifically designed for visual artists and makers. Customize colors, fonts, and layout options through the simple theme editor, keeping in mind that customization options are more limited than Shopify's theme system.

Tips:

• Choose themes optimized for your product type (art prints, handmade goods, etc.)
• Test theme appearance on mobile devices during selection
• Keep customizations simple as Big Cartel has limited theme flexibility

Important:

• Big Cartel themes have fewer customization options than Shopify
• Advanced theme modifications require HTML/CSS knowledge

Configure Domain and Basic Store Settings

45 minutes - 2 hours

Connect your existing domain to Big Cartel through the Admin > Settings > Domain section, or set up domain forwarding from your current provider. Configure basic store settings including currency, time zone, and store policies. Update your domain's DNS settings to point to Big Cartel's servers, which typically takes 24-48 hours to propagate fully.

Tips:

• Keep your Shopify store live until DNS propagation is complete
• Use Big Cartel's domain setup guide for your specific registrar
• Test the connection using Big Cartel's domain verification tool

Important:

• DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to take effect globally
• Incorrect DNS settings will make your store inaccessible

Import and Recreate Products

4-8 hours (depending on product count)

Manually add your products to Big Cartel using the restructured product data from step 2, as Big Cartel doesn't support direct CSV imports. Upload high-quality product images (up to 5 per product), write compelling descriptions, and set up your simplified variant structure. Focus on your best-selling items first to get your store operational quickly.

Tips:

• Start with your top 20% best-selling products for quick store launch
• Optimize product images for Big Cartel's display requirements
• Use consistent naming conventions for better organization

Important:

• Big Cartel requires manual product entry - no bulk import available
• Image upload can be time-consuming for large catalogs

Set Up Payment Processing

30-45 minutes

Configure payment methods through Big Cartel's integrated payment options including Stripe and PayPal. Big Cartel's payment setup is more streamlined than Shopify's, with fewer gateway options but simpler configuration. Connect your existing PayPal business account or create a new Stripe account specifically for Big Cartel transactions.

Tips:

• Use the same payment accounts from Shopify to maintain customer familiarity
• Test small transactions to verify payment processing works correctly
• Set up payment notifications to your primary email address

Important:

• Big Cartel has fewer payment gateway options than Shopify
• Some international payment methods may not be available

Configure Shipping Settings

1-1.5 hours

Set up shipping zones and rates in Big Cartel's simplified shipping interface, which is less complex than Shopify's system but covers essential needs for most artists. Create shipping profiles for different product types (prints, original artwork, merchandise) and configure calculated shipping rates or flat-rate options. Big Cartel integrates with major carriers for real-time shipping calculations.

Tips:

• Create separate shipping profiles for fragile items like original artwork
• Set up free shipping thresholds to encourage larger orders
• Test shipping calculations with various cart combinations

Important:

• Big Cartel's shipping options are more basic than Shopify's advanced features
• International shipping setup may require manual rate configuration

Import Customer Data and Set Up Communications

2-3 hours

Manually add your most important customer information to Big Cartel, focusing on your repeat customers and VIP buyers since bulk customer import isn't available. Set up email notifications for orders and create a simple email marketing strategy using Big Cartel's basic email tools or integrate with external services like Mailchimp for more advanced marketing automation.

Tips:

• Prioritize importing your top 10% of customers by order value
• Set up automated order confirmation and shipping notification emails
• Create a simple welcome email for new subscribers

Important:

• Customer import must be done manually in Big Cartel
• Email marketing features are basic compared to Shopify apps

Migrate Content and Set Up Basic SEO

2-3 hours

Recreate your essential pages (About, Shipping Policy, Return Policy) in Big Cartel's page editor, adapting content for the platform's simpler structure. Set up basic SEO elements including page titles, descriptions, and product alt tags. Big Cartel's SEO capabilities are more limited than Shopify's, so focus on essential optimization elements that will have the biggest impact.

Tips:

• Keep page content concise and focused on your artistic story
• Use relevant keywords in product titles and descriptions naturally
• Add alt text to all product images for better accessibility and SEO

Important:

• Big Cartel has limited SEO customization compared to Shopify
• Advanced SEO features may not be available

Set Up Redirects and URL Management

1-2 hours

Create a redirect plan for your most important Shopify URLs to prevent broken links and maintain SEO value. Use 301 redirects at the server level or through your domain provider to redirect old product and page URLs to their new Big Cartel equivalents. Focus on redirecting your highest-traffic pages and best-performing product URLs first.

Tips:

• Use Google Analytics to identify your most important URLs to redirect
• Create a simple redirect map spreadsheet for future reference
• Test redirects using multiple browsers and devices

Important:

• Big Cartel has limited built-in redirect functionality
• Some SEO value may be lost during the migration

Comprehensive Testing and Go-Live

2-4 hours

Conduct thorough testing of your Big Cartel store including product browsing, cart functionality, checkout process, and payment processing. Test on multiple devices and browsers to ensure consistent performance. Place test orders to verify the entire customer journey works smoothly, then announce your migration to customers via email and social media.

Tips:

• Create a testing checklist covering all store functions
• Test with different product combinations and shipping destinations
• Have friends or family members test the checkout process independently

Important:

• Don't shut down Shopify until you've confirmed everything works perfectly
• Monitor closely for the first week after launch for any issues

What will be migrated

products

Products, descriptions, SKUs, prices, images. Variants: Shopify supports 100 vs Big Cartel's 50.

customers

Customer contact info, addresses, marketing preferences transfer. Passwords must be reset for security.

orders

Order history for reference. Consider importing last 3-6 months for customer service.

Common challenges and solutions

Key questions and expert answers for migrating from Shopify to Big Cartel, covering data transfer, feature limitations, and cost savings for artists and small businesses.

How long does it typically take to migrate from Shopify to Big Cartel?

Migration usually takes 1-3 days for most small businesses. The process involves exporting your Shopify data via CSV, manually importing products to Big Cartel, and setting up your new store design. Since Big Cartel has simpler features, the setup is generally faster than other platforms.

Will I lose my search engine rankings when switching from Shopify to Big Cartel?

You'll likely experience some temporary SEO impact since your domain and URL structure will change. Set up 301 redirects from your old Shopify URLs to your new Big Cartel store, and submit a new sitemap to Google Search Console. Recovery typically takes 2-4 weeks with proper redirects.

Can I transfer my order history and customer data from Shopify to Big Cartel?

You can export customer data from Shopify via CSV, but Big Cartel doesn't have a direct import feature for customer accounts or order history. You'll need to manually manage this data or use it for email marketing purposes. Order history will remain accessible in your Shopify admin for record-keeping.

What Shopify apps and features won't be available on Big Cartel?

Big Cartel has very limited app integrations compared to Shopify's extensive app store. You'll lose advanced features like abandoned cart recovery, detailed analytics, multi-channel selling, and most third-party integrations. Big Cartel focuses on basic e-commerce functionality for small product catalogs.

How much money will I save by switching from Shopify to Big Cartel?

Significant savings are possible - you'll pay $9.99/month (Gold) or $19.99/month (Platinum) instead of Shopify's $39-399/month plans. For artists with under 50 products, you could save $348+ annually. However, consider the feature limitations before deciding based solely on cost.

Will there be any downtime during the migration process?

You can set up your Big Cartel store completely before switching domains, minimizing downtime to just the DNS propagation period (usually 24-48 hours). Keep your Shopify store active until the new store is fully functional and tested to ensure continuous sales.

How do I test my Big Cartel store before going live?

Big Cartel provides a preview mode where you can test all functionality before publishing. Set up your products, payment methods, and shipping settings, then place test orders to ensure everything works correctly. You can also share the preview link with trusted customers for feedback.

Are Big Cartel themes compatible with my current Shopify design?

Big Cartel themes are completely different from Shopify themes and aren't compatible. You'll need to choose from Big Cartel's limited theme selection or customize their basic templates. The design options are much more restricted, focusing on simplicity rather than advanced customization.

Will my customers need to create new accounts on Big Cartel?

Yes, customers will need to create new accounts since Big Cartel can't import Shopify customer passwords for security reasons. Consider sending an email announcement about the migration with instructions for account creation. You can export customer email lists from Shopify to maintain your marketing database.

Can I continue selling while migrating to Big Cartel?

Yes, keep your Shopify store running until Big Cartel is ready to launch. This ensures no lost sales during the transition period. Once Big Cartel is live, immediately redirect your domain and update all marketing materials to point to the new store.

What are the main limitations I should expect with Big Cartel compared to Shopify?

Big Cartel has strict product limits (50-500 depending on plan), no abandoned cart recovery, limited payment gateways, basic reporting, and minimal app integrations. It's designed for artists and makers with small inventories who prioritize simplicity and affordability over advanced features.

How do I migrate my customer reviews from Shopify to Big Cartel?

Big Cartel doesn't have a built-in review system, so you'll lose Shopify's native reviews during migration. Consider using a third-party review service like Google Reviews or Trustpilot, or manually add key testimonials as product descriptions. Export your Shopify reviews for reference before migrating.