Big Cartel & Storenvy

So these following sites, Big Cartel & Storenvy, are for hand made goods and related items.

Starting with Big Cartel

I actually think their front page has a great summary of what they are. 

If it's too small to read: Big Cartel provides you with your own independent store to sell your stuff online. There are over 400,000 clothing designers, bands, record labels, jewelry makers, and other artists using this hosting site. They offer affordable (or free!) pricing plans to fit your needs and budget. They do not take a cut of your sales.

Big Cartel functions a lot like Shopify. 

Here are a few examples of sites hosted through Big Cartel:

Herriott Grace

Winter Cabin Collection

Check out their "tour" to get a better idea of what they offer:

How their pricing works:

So like it explains, Big Cartel really is for smaller shops. If you are a bigger business with over 300 products, sites like Shopify start making more sense. 

Next up is Storenvy!

Once again this is an online e-commerce platform. Storenvy, unlike Big Cartel or Shopify, have a bit more of an Etsy feel. There is a common market place where your listings get seen as well as having your own site. 

This as they describe, basically gives you two stores in one. You have your private site and your market place site. This gives you twice as many chances for sales.

The interesting this about this site is that it's actually free! So for those of you selling hand made goods, what's the harm in giving it a try?

When I read that it was free I myself was thinking there's got to be a catch but here is a quote from their site:

"It’s free! What’s the catch?

There is no catch! We believe that everyone should have access to an awesome online store to grow their business. After you open your store, you can choose to pay for a few Extras to enhance your store such as Custom Domain support and Super Discounts."

So if you are interested in having a custom domain it's only $5 a month! It's also only $5.00 to host a sale on your site. This is where the website makes its money. 

Both of these sites (and Shopify as well) are extremely easy to navigate so if you have any further questions, go to the sites and look around. I know that when I've had questions with Shopify, they have got back to me (by email) very quickly and have been nothing but polite! So don't hesitate to send off an email or two with any questions to the sites themselves as well.

Lastly, I will go over Ruby Lane for those of you who sell vintage and antique items!