Big Cartel Latest Updates

NEW: Digital Products

New
Paid plans only

Sell instantly. Ship nothing. Digital Products are now available in the new admin experience, giving creators a simple way to offer downloadable files directly through Big Cartel.

Note: This feature is available in the new admin experience. Still using the legacy admin? Click the orange banner at the top of your admin to switch.

What’s New:

  • Digital Product type - Create products specifically for downloadable files.

  • Automatic delivery - Buyers receive instant access by email and on their receipt page.

  • Multiple file support - Upload several files to one product, ideal for bundles and multi-part content.

  • Included storage - Generous storage for Platinum and Diamond plans with no buyer download limits.

Why This Matters

  • Expand your catalog with files like art, guides, templates, music, and more.

  • Skip the shipping with fully automated delivery.

  • Earn passively with products that never run out of stock.

  • Perfect for creators who want to sell digital content directly to their audience.

How It Works

Create a product in the new admin and choose Digital Product. Upload your files, set a price, and publish. We handle all delivery and hosting behind the scenes so you can focus on creating.

Pro tip: Combine multiple files to a zip file to offer bonus packs, resources, or add-on materials for your customers.

Digital Products are available now for Platinum and Diamond sellers at no extra cost.

On Gold? Upgrade to unlock Digital Products and start selling downloadable items today.

Ready to get started? View our help article: Selling Digital Products on Big Cartel

Questions? Our support team is here to help!

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NEW: Schedule Product Drops 📅

New
Diamond only

Turn your product launches into events! Schedule exact dates and times for your products to go live, and let Big Cartel handle the rest while you focus on building hype with your customers.

Note: This feature is available in the new admin experience. Still using the legacy admin? Click the link in the orange bar at the top of your admin to check it out now!

What's New:

  • Set launch dates and times - Schedule products to automatically go Active at the perfect moment

  • Bulk scheduling - Launch entire collections simultaneously with one click

  • Automatic notifications - Get alerts 24 hours before and at launch time

  • Flexible management - Change or remove schedules anytime without stress

Why This Matters:

  • Build anticipation - Promote your drop date and let customers mark their calendars

  • Launch on your terms - Go live at optimal times, even while you sleep

  • Coordinate marketing - Align releases with social posts, emails, and campaigns

  • Reduce stress - No more manual product flipping at the exact right moment

  • Perfect for creators - Ideal for batch makers who create products in collections

How It Works:

Set a launch date and time when creating or editing any product. Your product stays Hidden or Coming Soon until the scheduled moment, then automatically switches to Active. You'll get notified before and after launch to keep you in the loop.

Pro tip: Scheduled Drops works beautifully with Product Passwords (also in the same section!) to create VIP early access. Schedule your main launch, then give email subscribers or Patreon supporters early access with a password. It's the perfect combo for building community and creating FOMO around your releases.

Available Now for Diamond Members: This premium feature is exclusively available on the Diamond plan, giving you the professional tools you need to run strategic releases and turn launches into events.

Not on Diamond yet? Now's the perfect time to upgrade and take control of your product launches.

Ready to get started? Check out our help article: Schedule Product Drops

Questions? Our support team is here to help!

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The new shop admin got a glow up!

New

We've given the new shop admin a visual makeover! The new design brings a brighter, more modern feel to the dashboard while keeping everything exactly where you expect it.

What's new:

  • A cleaner, more spacious layout that's easier on the eyes

  • Pops of color with electric purple and lime green accents

  • Updated iconography throughout the platform

  • Playful illustrations that bring more personality to the experience

What hasn't changed: Everything works exactly the same way it always has. All your products, orders, settings, and features are in the same places—we've just made them nicer to look at.

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New Feature: 135 Currencies Now Supported! 🌍

New
All plans

Great news for international sellers! We've massively expanded our currency support from 20 to 135 currencies, making it easier than ever to sell to customers around the world.

What's New:

  • Display prices in the currency your buyers actually use—from Argentine Peso to South African Rand and everything in between

  • Switch between currencies anytime from your shop settings

  • Get paid in your preferred currency while showing prices in another (based on your payment provider settings)

Why This Matters:

  • Reduce buyer confusion and cart abandonment

  • Build trust with local pricing

  • Expand your reach to new markets

  • Let customers see exactly what they'll pay

Important Notes:

  • Some currencies are only available with specific payment providers (Stripe or PayPal)

  • You'll see a notification if your selected currency isn't compatible with your current payment setup

  • Your payout currency is managed through your payment provider—this update is about what your customers see on your storefront

Ready to update your shop's currency? Head to your Settings to select from our full list of supported currencies.

View complete currency list →

Questions? Our support team is here to help!

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New: Template Updates — Password Protection, Text Sizing, and More

All plans
Templates
New

We've just released a suite of template updates to give you more control over your shop's design and functionality. Here's what's new across all 12 templates:

Shop Sprinkles just got more festive

Shop Sprinkles was a hit last holiday season, and you asked for more control — so we've added new animation styles, sizing options, and even a "party mode" to help you create the perfect vibe for your shop. You’ll find these new settings in the Miscellaneous settings section in shop designer as soon as you upgrade your template to the latest version.

What's new:

  • Two new animation styles: Choose from “Orbit” (emojis spin in circles as they fall) or “Tumble” (emojis flip end over end), in addition to the original “Drift” style

  • Enhanced depth effect: All three animation styles now have a more polished, subtle 3D look

  • Size control: Make your emojis bigger or smaller to match your shop's aesthetic

  • Density options: Adjust how many emojis appear on screen, from subtle to full-on "party mode" — we automatically optimize the effect for desktop and mobile so it looks great everywhere

With all these combinations, you can fine-tune Shop Sprinkles to perfectly match your brand and style. Check out this video to see some of the possibilities:

Here’s another example showing how the effect can be fun and whimsical using the new orbit style with large emoji:

Password-protected product pricing (Diamond plan only)

In September, we added the ability for our Diamond plan sellers to add password protection to their products. A popular request was to add the option to hide prices for these types of products in the shop product grids as away to build exclusivity and keep details hidden until buyers unlock access. This joins our existing options to hide prices for sold out or coming soon products.

Fine-tune your shop’s text size

Want to adjust your text size without touching code? Now you can control typography across your entire shop with simple template settings. Scale all text at once, or customize specific sections like your header, footer, product grids, and product pages—perfect for dialing in the right look, especially with stylized fonts that run larger or smaller by default.

For example: one setting can scale your entire shop's text to 80% of its original size. Mix and match settings to get exactly the look you want, no CSS required.

Maintenance page images

Upload a custom image or logo for your maintenance page without writing any code. You can even hide your shop name if your image already includes it — perfect for keeping your branding consistent.

Scrolling announcement banners

Got a longer announcement or what to add a bit of flare? Set your banner message to scroll horizontally and loop continuously. You can even control the scrolling speed to get it just right.

Featured homepage text without products

Many sellers have requested the ability to still have featured homepage text without showing products or categories. It’s now possible so you can have a more minimal homepage, with a high impact feeling when it’s paired with a welcome/hero image.

Ready to use these updates? Head to your shop designer — many shops already have the latest template version waiting as a draft. Simply review your settings, make any adjustments you'd like, and hit Publish when you're ready. These features are available to all sellers on free and paid plans (except password-protected pricing, which requires our Diamond plan).

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Now available: Exclusive drops, social selling & SEO optimization

New

Password-protected products: create exclusive shopping experiences with password-protected products. Perfect for VIP drops, early access releases, or member-only items. Set a password in the Product access controls section of a product form. Available exclusively on Diamond plans.

Enhanced SEO fields: take control of your search visibility with expanded SEO customization options for your products and shop. Help buyers find your products faster and make quicker purchase decisions. More visibility means more sales—it’s that simple. Navigate to the Advanced settings section in a product form to add new SEO fields. Available on all plans.

Social selling: Connect your shop to Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops, and Google Shopping to sell where your customers already spend their time. Turn posts into purchases and expand your reach across multiple channels. Head over to the Marketing page to start connecting! Available exclusively on Platinum and Diamond plans.

Start using these features today to create more exclusive experiences and reach customers wherever they shop!

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Available only in the new shop admin: password-protected products, social selling & SEO optimization

All plans
New

Take your shop to the next level with three new features that are only available in our completely redesigned shop admin.

What's waiting for you:

  • Password-protected products: create exclusive shopping experiences with password-protected products. Perfect for VIP drops, early access releases, or member-only items. Set a password in the Product access controls section of a product form. Available exclusively on Diamond plans.

  • SEO fields: take control of your search visibility with expanded SEO customization options for your products and shop. Help buyers find your products faster and make quicker purchase decisions. More visibility means more sales—it’s that simple. Navigate to the Advanced settings section in a product form to add new SEO fields. Available on all plans.

  • Social selling: Connect your shop to Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops, and Google Shopping to sell where your customers already spend their time. Turn posts into purchases and expand your reach across multiple channels. Head over to the Marketing page to start connecting! Available exclusively on Platinum and Diamond plans.

Already have access to the new shop admin? These features are ready and waiting for you to explore and put to work! Check out this quick tutorial to learn how to set up each feature.

Don't have access to the new shop admin? Click on the button below to request access—it’s that easy!

Request access

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New: Shop Policies Builder 📋

All plans
New

Professional policies made simple! We've added a dedicated Shop Policies section to make creating essential legal pages effortless.

What's New:

  • New "Shop Policies" section in your shop settings

  • Four key policy types: Shipping & Delivery, Returns & Refunds, Privacy Policy, and Terms & Conditions

  • Available to all sellers immediately

  • Rich text formatting for professional-looking policies

How It Works: When you create a policy, we automatically generate a custom page and add it to your shop's footer. Your customers can easily find and review your policies without cluttering your main navigation.

Already Have Policy Pages? No problem! You can keep your existing custom policy pages or migrate the content to our new policies section and delete the old pages. The choice is yours – use what works best for your workflow.

Important Note: Make sure you're using an updated shop template for policy links to appear in your footer. Older templates won't display these links automatically.

Need Inspiration? We've included helpful guidance articles for each policy type with suggestions on what to include. No more staring at blank pages wondering where to start!

Full Control: Delete policies anytime – they'll be instantly removed from your site and footer links.

Ready to build trust with professional policies? Head to your shop settings and look for the new "Shop Policies" section!

Create your policies pages

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New: Featured categories with image collages

All plans
Templates
New

We've made featured categories even better! Four more of our popular templates now support featured categories on your homepage, and all 8 templates can now display eye-catching collages instead of just single product images.

What's new:

  • Featured categories added to: Sidecar, Luna, Lunch Break, and Roadie templates

  • Collage display options for all 8 templates: Choose from single product, grid collage, strip collage, or featured collage

  • Optional product counts: Show or hide the number of products next to category names

These updates are live in our 8 most popular templates: Cosmos, Ranger, Trace, Foundry, Sidecar, Luna, Lunch Break, and Roadie.

Here’s an example so you can see some of the new display options:

Ready to showcase your categories? Head to your shop designer and make sure you're using the latest version of one of these templates. Many shops already have the update waiting as a draft! Open your homepage template settings, add your featured categories (if newly available), choose your display style, and publish when you're ready.

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