E-commerce & Retail · head to head
Big Cartel vs Etsy
Big Cartel
E-commerce & Retail
Straightforward pricing, no surprises
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Etsy
E-commerce & Retail
Global marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique items
- From
- $0.2/per-listing
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Big Cartel custom domain support is not included on the free Gold plan; it is listed as a Platinum-tier feature; Etsy etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Big Cartel and Etsy actually diverge.
| Attribute | Big Cartel | Etsy |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $0.2/per-listing |
| Pricing model | subscription | transaction |
| Founded | Unknown | 2005 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Big Cartel
Nothing recorded that Etsy does not also cover.
Only in Etsy
- Shop setup
- Product listings
- Payment processing
- Shop customization
- Order management
- Shipping labels
- Reviews & ratings
- Shipping protection
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Big Cartel
- Custom domain support is not included on the free Gold plan; it is listed as a Platinum-tier feature
- Abandoned cart recovery, product drop scheduling and Zapier integration are restricted to the top Diamond tier at $30/month
- Platinum's paid billing starts automatically after a 7-day free trial rather than requiring an active opt-in to convert
Etsy
- Etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ
Pricing, plan by plan
Big Cartel
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Big Cartel review.
Etsy
$0.2/per-listing- Standard Shop$0.2/per-listing-plus-commission
- Listing fees
- Transaction fees
- Payment processing
Which should you pick?
Choose Big Cartel if
Nothing in the data separates Big Cartel from Etsy on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Big Cartel or Etsy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Big Cartel starts at On request and Etsy at $0.2/per-listing, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Big Cartel or Etsy?
- Big Cartel starts at On request and Etsy at $0.2/per-listing.
- Does Big Cartel or Etsy run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What can Big Cartel do that Etsy cannot?
- Etsy covers Shop setup, Product listings, Payment processing, Shop customization.