Square Online to Big Cartel Migration Guide

Log into your Square Dashboard and navigate to Items & Orders > Items. Click the export button and select CSV format to download your complete product catalog. The CSV will include product names, descriptions, prices, SKUs, categories, and inventory levels. Review the exported file to understand the data structure and identify products that exceed Big Cartel's 50-variant limit per product.

Manually save all product images from your Square Online store since they're not included in the CSV export. Go through each product listing and download high-resolution images, keeping them organized in folders by product name or SKU. Also collect any additional media like videos, PDFs, or galleries that you want to transfer. Create a systematic naming convention to match images with their corresponding products in your CSV file.

Sign up at bigcartel.com and select the appropriate plan based on your product count (Free for up to 5 products, paid plans for more). Complete the account verification process and choose your store subdomain (yourstore.bigcartel.com). Big Cartel's pricing structure is particularly attractive for artists with smaller inventories, making it ideal for the cost-conscious migration from Square Online. Set up your basic store information including store name, description, and contact details.

Browse Big Cartel's theme library and select one that complements your artistic brand and product presentation style. Most themes are free, with some premium options available for enhanced functionality. Customize the theme's colors, fonts, and layout to match your previous Square Online branding as closely as possible. Big Cartel themes are specifically designed for creative businesses, offering clean, gallery-style layouts perfect for showcasing artistic work.

Modify your Square CSV export to match Big Cartel's simpler product structure and import requirements. Big Cartel uses a more streamlined approach with basic fields like title, price, description, and simple variants. Consolidate complex product variations from Square into Big Cartel's format, ensuring no single product exceeds the 50-variant limit. Create separate products if necessary to accommodate this limitation, and clean up any formatting issues in product descriptions.

Use Big Cartel's CSV import feature to upload your restructured product data, then manually add product images to each listing. The import process is straightforward but requires careful attention to ensure all data maps correctly. After importing, go through each product to add images, verify pricing, and confirm that descriptions display properly. Big Cartel's interface is designed for ease of use, making this process more intuitive than complex e-commerce platforms.

Export customer information from Square Dashboard (Customers section) as a CSV file containing names, emails, and purchase history. While Big Cartel doesn't have a direct customer import feature, you can use this data to create targeted email lists or manually add VIP customers. Focus on transferring your most valuable customer relationships and their contact information for future marketing efforts. Consider using the data to create a launch announcement for your new Big Cartel store.

Set up payment processing in Big Cartel using PayPal, Stripe, or their integrated payment options. Big Cartel offers simple payment setup that's particularly artist-friendly with competitive rates for small businesses. Configure your preferred payment methods and test the checkout process to ensure smooth transactions. The platform's streamlined approach to payments makes this process much simpler than Square's more complex payment ecosystem.

Configure Big Cartel's shipping settings to match your previous Square Online setup, including shipping zones, rates, and methods. Set up tax calculations for applicable regions, keeping in mind that Big Cartel's tax features are more basic than Square's advanced tax management. Create shipping profiles for different product types (prints, originals, digital downloads) that are common in artist stores. Big Cartel's shipping setup is designed for simplicity, perfect for makers who want straightforward logistics.

Recreate your essential store pages like About, FAQ, Shipping Policy, and Returns in Big Cartel's page editor. Copy content from your Square Online store and adapt it to Big Cartel's simpler page structure. Focus on the most important pages that help customers understand your artistic process and purchasing policies. Big Cartel's content management is streamlined, so complex page layouts may need to be simplified while maintaining your brand voice.

If you have a custom domain from Square Online, configure it to point to your new Big Cartel store through your domain registrar's DNS settings. Set up 301 redirects from your old Square URLs to corresponding Big Cartel pages to preserve SEO value and ensure customers can still find your products. Create a simple redirect plan for your most important product and category pages, understanding that Big Cartel's URL structure may be different from Square's.