# Big Cartel, Homestead, Shopify, Volusion - Which one is best???



## moneymark

Hello,

I'm looking to get my first online store off the ground shortly with up to 10 designs. As I have no experience in web design I've decided to go with the all in one ecommerce solution which offers the site, shopping cart etc..

I've whittled it down to the following company's offering these solutions and wondered if anyone has tried and tested them. Which ones offer the best options, best value, reliability, good design templates for t-shirt stores and flexibility etc...?

If any one has any reccomendations or expierince with one or any of these I'd love to know

*Big Cartel
Homestead
Shopify
Volusion
Yahoo Stores*

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Many thanks


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## Rodney

It's unlikely that someone has tried all of those solutions, so it's going to be hard to say which is best.

There are t-shirt stores using all of those systems, so you just have to figure out which one fits your specific needs the best.


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## TimeWithoutTheE

big cartel
i tried 3 already and bigcartel seems to do good
plus alota other stores use it so people are starting to get used to seeing it and feel safier using it therefor are more willing to buy


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## Rodney

> i tried 3 already and bigcartel seems to do good


Which 3 did you try and what are some of the things you liked and didn't like about them?


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## TimeWithoutTheE

well it really determines what your market is
if you are going for a younger market id go for bigcartel because alot of younger kids are used to it cause many bands and other small clothing companies use it.
if you dont go with BC id go wit yahoo stores do to the name recognization and easy web hosting for a good price


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## Rodney

ClassicDisasterC said:


> well it really determines what your market is
> if you are going for a younger market id go for bigcartel because alot of younger kids are used to it cause many bands and other small clothing companies use it.
> if you dont go with BC id go wit yahoo stores do to the name recognization and easy web hosting for a good price


Can you elaborate a bit on which 3 of the above you tried and some of the things you liked and didn't like about each. That might help other people make a decision in the future.


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## TimeWithoutTheE

bigcartel- is what i am using now
$10 a month for 25 items or i think 15 or 20 for more then 25 items
works with paypal
gives you a inventory counter and tracks how many hits for each item and site overall. more of an online store for a site to be linked to so the customer can buy there

yahoo- its a lil more $ then bigcartel 11.99 i think. can get web hosting and the site looks more like a website then a online store like Bigcartel

merchsquad- not on the list above but its a company that you send the product to and when the customer buys it from that site they ship it and do all the work and take 15% off the sale for it. i dont recommend this type of **** because it cuts alot of the lil profit you are already making


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## chrisanthemum7

I use Homestead which is powered by ProStores, an ebay company. It's 24.99/mo which I didn't realize was rather expensive until now, but they gave me a full 30 days to test it out and I was happy. Everything's very point and click and user friendly which is worth the extra for me. Very detailed and user friendly in every step including hits, inventory, shipping, taxes, creating a mailing list, adding product, merchant account, email addresses...as far as I know there isn't a limit to how many items you can sell, and there's even a way to make ebay listings from it. The templates leave something to be desired but you make them your own and enhance them with pics and all that. And they let my register my domain for free so there's no weird web address.


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## screamokickkid

*"Big Cartel*
*Homestead*
*Shopify*
*Volusion*
*Yahoo Stores"*

Out of those i've used
Big cartel
Shopify
Yahoo Store

As all of them got the job done i believe Big cartel was the best. In service, accesibility, and the store layout.

The use of the paypal buttons is good. The option to upgrade to a store that is capable of holding 10 designs for $9.99 a month is, debatably, fair. I believe with the popularity of big cartel you'll find a much better front to begin selling than any other sites.

hope this is helpful
good luck!


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## Emilyecho

Surely,Volusion is better.


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## HM-1 Addict

Emilyecho said:


> Surely,Volusion is better.


Care to elaborate on this? You can't just make a statement like that in a forum without explaining why. I have heard some not-so-great things about volusion. For example, the fact that each size and color of each product counts towards your product limit as a separate product.

Not trying to attack you, just please explain a bit. A lot of us here are trying to reach an honest comparison of the options available to us.

Thanks


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## The Other Scene

I'm also quite interested in this question myself. For the last couple of months I've been using Volusion and I'm not 100% in love with it. It has a lot of nice features, decent templates that can easily be changed, and is user friendly. The parts i do not like are for one the email marketing isn't the best. I got Volusion because I thought it was similar to an autoresponder (the sales rep had no clue) and it's not. It collects email and sends out mass messages once when you tell it to manually. If you want to send a new subscriber one of your old emails, you need to make a new one. Secondly, the price seems a bit high for what it has. I'm paying $39.99 a month and can list 200 products (each attribute counts as an item). I'm in the process of writing a business plan and need website design help. The few places I've found who work with Volusion for website design will create a website for $4,000-$10,000. Thirdly, there are long wait times when you call support, but it's worth it to me because most speak American english. When you finally get to talk to support, be prepared to hear "have you looked at our tutorials online". While their tutorials are helpful, they can be a bit hazy in some matters. 

My domains are not hosted by Volusion because they charge around $15 a year. I use Tucows who charge about $8. Volusion has very limited free templates and only a tad more premium templates. Volusion has frequent "maintenance" messages that to me seem like more than the norm, but I could be wrong. I've also been reading that Volusion updates their versions and sometimes a template will not translate well to the new version. 


If you don't mind these nit-picky things, then Volusion is great! If you know programming and are familiar with css/html and Volusion's cart, fabulous. Right now, I am curious about the other companies out there.


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## Hatter & Company

We use bigcartel and have had no complaints so far. Since we are a startup clothing line with a limited amount of capital, we decided to go with bigcartel because it is affordable. Bigcartel has good customization, some stat tracking, and is easy to use. Therefore, I prefer bigcartel and find it a great resource for startup lines like mine.


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## shirtsthatgo

Hi Emily, 

I have had a good result with Volusion. I have some great resources to share with you for both design enhancements and SEO if you are interested. 

Take a peek at www.memaddog.com and let me know if you have further questions. Mema is a great resource for getting your site to look perfect. For SEO take a look at www.v-seo.net and www.convergent7.com. 

Volusion has some limitations for sure but with the right resources it can be perfected.


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## Omunky

I started my clothing company using *Big Cartel*. Since then I have found that it just does not have certain features that a growing store needs (gift certificates, the ability to checkout without leaving the storefront, user accounts). Big Cartel is the best if you are just starting out. It is simple, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing.

After Big Cartel, I tried *Big Commerce*, which was a huuuuge mistake. It just wasn't right for me, or for any clothing company for that matter. It was ugly, slow, and the customer service was terrible. I left that after about three months. 

I am now using *Volusion*, which is proving to be quite amazing. My site looks great, the checkout process is quick and easy, and all the features I've ever wanted are now available to me. Sure, it's more expensive, but you pay for what you get. I can know offer gift certificates, reward points, user accounts, and a seamless checkout experience.


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## Domboslice

Omunky said:


> I started my clothing company using *Big Cartel*. Since then I have found that it just does not have certain features that a growing store needs (gift certificates, the ability to checkout without leaving the storefront, user accounts). Big Cartel is the best if you are just starting out. It is simple, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing.
> 
> After Big Cartel, I tried *Big Commerce*, which was a huuuuge mistake. It just wasn't right for me, or for any clothing company for that matter. It was ugly, slow, and the customer service was terrible. I left that after about three months.
> 
> I am now using *Volusion*, which is proving to be quite amazing. My site looks great, the checkout process is quick and easy, and all the features I've ever wanted are now available to me. Sure, it's more expensive, but you pay for what you get. I can know offer gift certificates, reward points, user accounts, and a seamless checkout experience.



How much do you pay monthly for your Volusion based site and what package did you go with?? I also saw on your site that you also use Authorize.net merchant services. Did you integrate authorize.net services after the development of the Volusion based site?? As a start-up should I just stick with Volusion and there payment options and worry about upgrading it later if need be?? 

I'm still torn between Volusion, BigCartel, and going through a personal web developer/designer?? Help!!


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## Omunky

Domboslice said:


> How much do you pay monthly for your Volusion based site and what package did you go with?? I also saw on your site that you also use Authorize.net merchant services. Did you integrate authorize.net services after the development of the Volusion based site?? As a start-up should I just stick with Volusion and there payment options and worry about upgrading it later if need be??
> 
> I'm still torn between Volusion, BigCartel, and going through a personal web developer/designer?? Help!!


How are you torn? I just made it simple for you. Go with Big Cartel. You don't need what Volusion offers right off the bat and building a site from scratch will cost too much money.


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## JPVinylDesign

Has anyone ever tried Wix. I have a site setup and am still working on it. They only accept paypal and google checkout for payment solutions though unless you want to incorporate your own with HTML. However. I dont like PayPal and or Google Checkout much. They both seem to be a bit unfair sometimes when you have a problem with a customer. They restrict your accounts to easy. Which could cripple your website if you only use 1 payment solution. the designer isnt bad and they have a few widgets to use. Its pretty simple. Unlimited amount of items, and so on. Cant remember all the details. But I think I pay like $6 a month or something like that. There are other features that can be added and they each cost a few bucks depending on what you want it to do or have. I am just going to keep selling on amazon and etsy and I think ill make the website into a more informative, instructional, and a traffic gateway. At least that is what I have been thinking about anyways.

My whole thing is. I would like a solution that has there own payment solution and would be able to incorporate paypal, google, amazon, and so on. Just always better when you have a few payment options you can offer a customer. Also one that allows variations. I hate having to list the same item over and over again in different colors or sizes. Way to time consuming. I think the best way is to hire someone to build a site for you however that seems to cost way to much for a small business owner. So either way you end up with a website that is way over priced or one that looks ok but not always good. Unless you know what you are doing. i know I dont have a whole lot of time to be working on a website non stop until its complete. My idea of a website is a functional one like walmarts website. informative and loaded with products. All depends on what you are looking for or want I guess.

I dont know. Prolly said more then i needed to but. That is what I think anyways.


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## ClutchInc

Quite honestly, Ive been using BigCartel for my store for a year and Im moving on. templatemonster.com sells full-on ecommerce sites for around $100 using OpenCart and ZenCart backends that seamlessly integrate with numerous payment methods (mine being PayPal). Best thing is: there isnt a monthly fee! The thing will pay for itself in less than a year. Also, it keeps records of sales, inventory, etc. You can create multiple promo codes and there isnt a limit on how many products you can have. Check it out. Im moving to it this week.


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## gcrissman

Scott - love the site!! I am leaning towards a solution like yours but I was curious what other payment solutions they worked with.


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## ClutchInc

gcrissman said:


> Scott - love the site!! I am leaning towards a solution like yours but I was curious what other payment solutions they worked with.


Hey thanks! I've migrated to the new OpenCart site. You should check it out now.! 

There are a ton of payment options. I think PayPal is the most popular. You can even do check, cash and COD payments for local buyers.


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## Bosstradamus

from the research I've done shopify seems the best. I too am new to all of this so I haven't actually used... just my 2cents


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## TUANISAPPAREL

I like shopify best. I used them to build my two sites.

www.tuanisapparel.com

www.thinkitinkit.com

Ask for the two year deal where you pay up front and its around $500 and no other fees.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using T-Shirt Forums


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## ClutchInc

TUANISAPPAREL said:


> I like shopify best. I used them to build my two sites.
> 
> TUANIS APPAREL LLC | Tuanis is an authentic lifestyle brand rooted in surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, outdoor adventure, music, arts and more.
> 
> THINK IT INK IT
> 
> Ask for the two year deal where you pay up front and its around $500 and no other fees.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using T-Shirt Forums


Nice sites, but I cannot see spending $29/mo for a new brand or site until it gets off the ground. My site literally costs me $3.95/mo after the initial $90 for the theme and its just as nice and put together. New start-ups dont need the added expense. OpenCart is FULL of features and has good support......and its FREE! Im 100% pleased with my site.


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## 216patrick

Let me ask everyone here instead of starting a topic.

Ok I have a clothing line, I want to have a killer web site which looks like a mult-million dollar clothing line's website.

So when you look at their site & mine you wouldnt be able to tell the difference ...

Now question. Which of these shopping programs should I use where to the eye, it wouldnt look like I was using one of these programs?

Which one can you kinda hide & or custom the most? But have the best features behind the scenes.


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## ClutchInc

216patrick said:


> Let me ask everyone here instead of starting a topic.
> 
> Ok I have a clothing line, I want to have a killer web site which looks like a mult-million dollar clothing line's website.
> 
> So when you look at their site & mine you wouldnt be able to tell the difference ...
> 
> Now question. Which of these shopping programs should I use where to the eye, it wouldnt look like I was using one of these programs?
> 
> Which one can you kinda hide & or custom the most? But have the best features behind the scenes.


Bigcartel, to me, would have the least customizations available. I used it for about a year and it's pretty simple, but it shows. Dont rule out open-source shops, either (OpenCart. PrestaShop, Magento, ZenCart, etc.). These are fully customizable and free. All you would pay for is the hosting. My site uses OpenCart because I liked a certain theme that I found. It has a great control panel where I can track stock, orders, customers and even mail newsletters and other things to singed up customers. I love it and the theme only cost me $90.


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## 216patrick

ClutchInc said:


> Bigcartel, to me, would have the least customizations available. I used it for about a year and it's pretty simple, but it shows. Dont rule out open-source shops, either (OpenCart. PrestaShop, Magento, ZenCart, etc.). These are fully customizable and free. All you would pay for is the hosting. My site uses OpenCart because I liked a certain theme that I found. It has a great control panel where I can track stock, orders, customers and even mail newsletters and other things to singed up customers. I love it and the theme only cost me $90.


Hey thanks I appreciate the info 

Let me ask with your experience & others people here. Check out: www.youngandreckless.com

Now a setup like that where he has a front page but then the actual shopping portion, what would give me that look, what would be my best option.

Thanks guys!


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## ClutchInc

216patrick said:


> Hey thanks I appreciate the info
> 
> Let me ask with your experience & others people here. Check out: www.youngandreckless.com
> 
> Now a setup like that where he has a front page but then the actual shopping portion, what would give me that look, what would be my best option.
> 
> Thanks guys!


You can get pretty close to this using an open-source cart. Check out TemplateMonster.com. Im sure you can find a theme thats similar to that one.


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## Dante2004

If you are just starting off, you should focus on a decent clean website that works. Focus the rest of your efforts on building your brand, designs, following/marketing, etc.

I assume you aren't a web designer (based on your comments). So go with whatever method gets you up and running the fastest. I would suggest Big Cartel for that. Get a custom domain name (so you can change services later and just redirect the domain). Get some designs up there, start building a following and get some sales under your belt. You may find that your idea stinks...or its awesome.

Too often I see aspiring designers spend too much money/time/energy building this amazing website (or thinking they need to) and meanwhile their content or product offering is weak, no one can find it because they don't have enough money left over to marketing or they spend so much time developing this great website that the interest before they can even launch.

Here is why I like Big Cartel. No setup fee (I think) and with limited web design knowledge (read that as virtually none) you could have a fully functional site up and running within just a few hours with all your products loaded. A few months down the road, once you have proven your concept and you have some money coming in, then upgrade to one of the more "powerful" platforms and switch over. You don't feel like you have to stay with Big Cartel because you never invested in the big setup/startup costs of another provider.

Just my $0.02...


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## estuffs

If anyone is interested, there a website with ecommerce reviews with videos and recommendations of each... eStore Reviews. I'm currently using 3dcart, which is not bad for apparel, but it depends what you want the most. All sites has there pros and cons. Shopify and the likes are easy to design, but I think they either have a transaction cost or their payment gateway fees were higher then norm.


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