# BigCommerce vs Shopify vs Others



## TeeNewbieGirl (Sep 29, 2017)

Apologies if another post like this appears. I submitted a post yesterday and it never appeared.

I'm wondering about the difference between the Commerce and Shopify and your experiences / opinions. 

I was leaning toward Bigcommerce because they tout not having fees, but they also are not publicly traded like Shopify and I don't feel they are as stable and I know Shopify has investors behind their quality control.

I'm also reading that Shopify has better templates and lots of features. Any other ecommerce suggestions??

I have limited styles that I am creating my own website for and I'm starting out by having t-shirts done locally and I will hand-ship them for the time being.

I don't mind spending $30 a month to have a reliable e-commerce site and I need to get something up and running today.

Thanks!!!


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## ReasonTee (Jun 21, 2016)

Check out Americommerce.com. They have been around since the 90?s and the amount of options you have is unmatched at the price point. I?ve been using them since 1998. I even had a time where my custom html form I uploaded was hijacked and being used as a spambot. They caught it within an hour, fixed the code for me, and prevented my domain with being black listed by all the DNS and search engines out there. 

They have a basic option starting at $25 a month and their standard option at $40. Basic does the trick for most small businesses. It does have a bit of a learning curve though. Shopify is much easier to get up and running; however, the rmteade off is a lot less options in the design and functionality of your site. If you just want something up, clean, and working right away - I would go with Shopify. For full control and the ability to customize the HTML and most features for your buck, Americommerce.


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## TeeNewbieGirl (Sep 29, 2017)

Thanks so much, Reason. This is very helpful!!! Definitely looks like the y have a lot to offer. Happy Thanksgiving!



ReasonTee said:


> Check out Americommerce.com. They have been around since the 90?s and the amount of options you have is unmatched at the price point. I?ve been using them since 1998. I even had a time where my custom html form I uploaded was hijacked and being used as a spambot. They caught it within an hour, fixed the code for me, and prevented my domain with being black listed by all the DNS and search engines out there.
> 
> They have a basic option starting at $25 a month and their standard option at $40. Basic does the trick for most small businesses. It does have a bit of a learning curve though. Shopify is much easier to get up and running; however, the rmteade off is a lot less options in the design and functionality of your site. If you just want something up, clean, and working right away - I would go with Shopify. For full control and the ability to customize the HTML and most features for your buck, Americommerce.


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

So basically if could spend lets say $50 a month to get your online store up and running with everything needed for it to operate optimally you recommend _Americommerce.com over shopify and BigCommerce?
_


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

ReasonTee said:


> Check out Americommerce.com. They have been around since the 90?s and the amount of options you have is unmatched at the price point. I?ve been using them since 1998. I even had a time where my custom html form I uploaded was hijacked and being used as a spambot. They caught it within an hour, fixed the code for me, and prevented my domain with being black listed by all the DNS and search engines out there.
> 
> They have a basic option starting at $25 a month and their standard option at $40. Basic does the trick for most small businesses. It does have a bit of a learning curve though. Shopify is much easier to get up and running; however, the rmteade off is a lot less options in the design and functionality of your site. If you just want something up, clean, and working right away - I would go with Shopify. For full control and the ability to customize the HTML and most features for your buck, Americommerce.



*Spam Alert!!!*
All horrible...horrible platforms!
I don't know how they are still in business.
If you don't know what you are doing people, I have just one advise for you. Unless you can build your own website, in your own server, stick to Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy.


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

Why are they "horrible platforms"? Care to elaborate?




> Unless you can build your own website, in your own server


Im on a really tight budget here thats why im even starting with print on demand because how cheap it is to get started and move up from there to other ways to make money online.




> stick to Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy.


For what i´ve heard the commision these platform pays are very low in comparisson to others like Teespring or Redbubble...care to comment on this?


Thanks for any feedback.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

Ebay, Amazon and Etsy don't pay commission. You pay listing and selling fees and the rest is your profit.

I have developed my own website with Ecwid embedded. Dead easy, and Ecwid handles everything well for a reasonable monthly payment.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Roger_M said:


> Why are they "horrible platforms"? Care to elaborate?
> 
> Im on a really tight budget here thats why im even starting with print on demand because how cheap it is to get started and move up from there to other ways to make money online.



Why is horrible horrible? Because it is, and these platforms are totally useless.
Sell your products on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy instead. At least there, you do have a chance to make a sale.
Leave the website for later, when you have some cash, and steady sales. 

It will also serve as a reality test. If you cannot make a sale on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy, then your products will not sell on your website either.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

TABOB is right. I started on ebay and etsy long before I considered my own website. However, once you start to become known and have plenty real sales under your belt, then you can save a lot in fees by selling on your own site. You'd still have PayPal etc. transaction fees to pay though. I would always run my own site alongside ebay and etsy though and never rely on it for all my income.


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## globalgirl7 (Dec 29, 2008)

WEBTREKKER / TABOB -- ThX for the info... I was in the process of preparing to load my shirts into SHOPIFY... I will lose some money now if I go ahead to cancel them however I don't mind if it's best for me to go EBAY/ETSY ROUTE... What are your (or anyone) thoughts on POD's, in particular PRINTFUL? At this point I still need a POD but soon I would like to move to my own controlled site like suggested... So again, what are your thoughts on PRINTFUL or do you, or anyone else, have other suggestions for POD's? Thx.


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## sethf (Jul 29, 2017)

i use wix easy cheap and reliable


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

TABOB said:


> *Spam Alert!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





TABOB said:


> Why is horrible horrible? Because it is, and these platforms are totally useless.
> Sell your products on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy instead. At least there, you do have a chance to make a sale.
> Leave the website for later, when you have some cash, and steady sales.
> 
> It will also serve as a reality test. If you cannot make a sale on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy, then your products will not sell on your website either.





webtrekker said:


> TABOB is right. I started on ebay and etsy long before I considered my own website. However, once you start to become known and have plenty real sales under your belt, then you can save a lot in fees by selling on your own site. You'd still have PayPal etc. transaction fees to pay though. I would always run my own site alongside ebay and etsy though and never rely on it for all my income.


Thank you guys for your insights on the topic deeply appreciated. Now, focusing now retailers for now and NOT websites what do you guys think of places like Teespring, Redbubble and Teechip? Is it better to sell here rather on amazon, ebay and etsy giving the competition in those places and a much higher profit margin?


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

sethf said:


> i use wix easy cheap and reliable


Can you integrate wix free websites with any of the prin on demand suppliers?


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

sethf said:


> i use wix easy cheap and reliable


Useless... But acceptable for a basic portfolio website.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Roger_M said:


> Thank you guys for your insights on the topic deeply appreciated. Now, focusing now retailers for now and NOT websites what do you guys think of places like Teespring, Redbubble and Teechip? Is it better to sell here rather on amazon, ebay and etsy giving the competition in those places and a much higher profit margin?


There is no much money to be made in Teespring, Redbubble etc. Basically you do the work and they make the money.


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

TABOB said:


> There is no much money to be made in Teespring, Redbubble etc. Basically you do the work and they make the money.


Im way more lost than i initially thought, i was under the impression the royalties paid by Amazon under their Amazon Merch platform was very small im comparisson to other print on demand fullfilment companies like those i mention above + waay more compatitiveness as amazon and ebay are the 2 largest online marketplaces in the world.


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## globalgirl7 (Dec 29, 2008)

Any insight on which co. is the best POD, esp. if not using the major platforms to sell through?


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Roger_M said:


> Im way more lost than i initially thought, i was under the impression the royalties paid by Amazon under their Amazon Merch platform was very small im comparisson to other print on demand fullfilment companies like those i mention above + waay more compatitiveness as amazon and ebay are the 2 largest online marketplaces in the world.


There is a reason for this obviously. People do make money with Amazon Merch, but Amazon is greedy (just like everyone else) and will squeeze royalties as much as possible.


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## Roger_M (Jul 3, 2018)

globalgirl7 said:


> Any insight on which co. is the best POD, esp. if not using the major platforms to sell through?


 I think i will be using Printfull since it has some of the cheapest prices in clothing & appareal in comparisson to like Teespring and Printaura and a **** lots of high quality products (100% cotton, poly blends, tri-blends, etc) from recognizable brands such as Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Anvil, American Apparel and many others.
Their shipping speed and prices range from 2 to 7 business days but it usually take about 5 business days to deliver if you use USPS and 1-3 days if you take the expedited service of FedEX. You can always use a 3rd party to take care of this if you want, they also offer an integration with ShipStation which is a paid shipping services but it not only allow you to improve your shipping delay time but also allows you to brand all lables and packings.

Printful also offers integration with other many others partners and 3rd party servcices and also marketplaces like Amazon (You will need a Sellers account), Ebay, Etsy, Inktake, Ecwid, Storenvey, etc,. It also allows integration through a API key to sites like WooCommerce, SquareSpace, Shopify, BigCartel and even if you have a weebly store.
You can also have a manual order platform integration using your store API key.
So im no expert on this field but i think this is what im going with, if you know anything better please let us know or just PM me, cheers.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Roger_M said:


> I think i will be using Printfull since it has some of the cheapest prices in clothing & appareal in comparisson to like Teespring and Printaura and a **** lots of high quality products (100% cotton, poly blends, tri-blends, etc) from recognizable brands such as Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Anvil, American Apparel and many others.
> Their shipping speed and prices range from 2 to 7 business days but it usually take about 5 business days to deliver if you use USPS and 1-3 days if you take the expedited service of FedEX. You can always use a 3rd party to take care of this if you want, they also offer an integration with ShipStation which is a paid shipping services but it not only allow you to improve your shipping delay time but also allows you to brand all lables and packings.
> 
> Printful also offers integration with other many others partners and 3rd party servcices and also marketplaces like Amazon (You will need a Sellers account), Ebay, Etsy, Inktake, Ecwid, Storenvey, etc,. It also allows integration through a API key to sites like WooCommerce, SquareSpace, Shopify, BigCartel and even if you have a weebly store.
> ...


Now, you are on the right track... but don't fixate too much to it.


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## TieDyeShirts (Jul 5, 2018)

woocommerce is a good choice too. It's completely free.


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## Chabbs (Feb 7, 2011)

TABOB, I can understand why you suggest ebay, amazon and etsy for people who are selling t-shirts that cover a wide range of topics and are for impulse buys, but for someone who has created a brand, I don't think those are very good platforms to gain exposure. 

The brand should be what sells the clothing, it should represent new styles, unique colors and different prints, the brand is what gives people a connection and I think it would be really hard to market and sell your brand with links to your listings on ebay and amazon. If your marketing is done properly it will lead people to the website and that will only include your clothes, not thousands of clothes from your competition.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Chabbs, Nice theory, but reality is still reality, and we are not talking about Nike or Adidas here. Creating a brand etc is all nice and good, but if you your shirts don't sell on Amazon and Ebay, then they will not sell on your own website either.


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## historygear (Nov 16, 2013)

2 cents. Started of on Bigcommerce, works out a dollar a day when you pay for the year. I'm a designer and was fustrated on how Bigcommerce was alway catching up with Shopify. (eg, engaging checkout page, mobile functionality, etc). Switched to Shopify. Both have pro's and con's but SHopify gives your more creative control, even their basic templates feel and look better. Bigcommerce is still privately owned, whereas Shopify is a public company which has easy access to cash and is developing their platform in great ways. Tim Cook the CEO from Apple visited their HQ a few months back which is very encouraging in my opinion. Just 2 cents from a graphic designer - best of luck


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

Historygear - 

Did you purchase the basic Shopify or upgrade? I heard they charge for a lot of additional apps which can substantially add to the monthly fee.....plus do you use their payment, so they don't charge or do you use something else?


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

amazon has an 18 month waiting list,
so that leaves fleabay and etsy

fleabay - you will be competing with 100 000 other t-shirt sellers trying to extract anything from a sinking ship

etsy has at least many dedicated buyers willing to spend for unique art/designs,
but the payout is minimal

add your name to the list for merch by amazon,
and for the money you lose on just 2 t-shirt sales at fleabay or etsy, 
you can have your own dedicated website
woocommerce is free and come boxing day/new years day you can get good hosting for $10/year

woocommerce integrates with printful also,
check here

there are other open source/free website builders (open cart, abante cart, cs-cart, ecwid/10 free items, prestashop, etc.)
i have tested them all and ended up using woocommerce
woo actually has the most online stores (even amongst paid alternatives)

if you wan to test the main ones on your desktop click here
(this will install a local server on your desktop with softaculous, 
which allows you to locally test a myriad of ecomm sites)

or to test drive woocommerce (much simpler process than above) click here

does anybody honestly believe that any brand's starting strategy is ebay?
no, they begin with their own dedicated website,
then selling locally/advertising/word-of-mouth/pound-the-pavement/sponsor talent & shows/etc.
after reading some of the responses i thought this thread was from the late '90's
link - ebay is dead

as to paid platforms, i agree with historygear that shopify holds the best bang/potential 
(if you can afford it and want to plug and play)


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

Sorry, but I think the person who wrote the 'ebay is dead' article in the link had an axe to grind. 

QUOTE : 'The only people making money on eBay besides eBay and Paypal themselves are sellers who sell millions of dollars in revenue a year – and out of this, the profit margin is extremely small.' 

I make profit selling sublimated items on ebay, and my daughter, who sells a completely different product (no manufacturing, just buy and sell on), has made a decent living for herself and her two young daughters over the last 5 years, solely from ebay.We don't sell 'millions of dollars in revenue' to turn a profit. 

Yes, ebay fees can be a bit steep, but you need to thoroughly analyse all of your costs before listing items for sale. I'm selling mugs, in crush-proof polystyrene mailers, with recorded delivery by Royal Mail (costing £3.95) and still make over £2 profit on each sale.

Ebay is what it is, and is often the only choice for many people.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

it must be different across the pond

here in canada (possibly the usa) ebay is known as fleabay because it is just like going to a flea-market
a bunch of used junk people are trying to sell and a bunch of knock-offs from the far east

there are many, many actual ebay sellers that have posted on ebay's forums about the death of ebay and their policies
(also their cosy relationship with paypal and their shady practices of withholding money at will)

i honestly don't believe it is the 'only' choice for people
if anybody is actually willing to invest some time/effort they can go beyond hoping someone will accidentally stumble upon their ebay offerings

like i said if you can afford $20 you can afford to have your own personal/professional website 
($10 for the domain name + $10 for the hosting)
start your own free ad campaign, print your own business cards, talk to local businesses, etc.


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## historygear (Nov 16, 2013)

Hi Cherrus - just went with their basic cheapest plan. I've only used a few apps and they were free. I used Stripe on Bigcommerce and it was great, at Shopify stayed with there payment system - no complaints. Thanks


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

5 reaosns why shopify absolutely sucks



> Shopify is a system that is specifically designed to trap their users into using their systems and paying their fees. The longer you use Shopify, the more invested you’ll be, and the chance of them collecting $299 per month for the lifetime of your business increases.





> 1 ) You Do Not Own Your Website.
> 2 ) Development is expensive.
> 3 ) Basic optimizations are impossible.
> 4 ) Plugins and Integrations are overpriced.
> 5 ) Conversion optimization sucks.


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