Big Cartel lets you accept payments easily by connecting your PayPal Business account — unlocking PayPal, Venmo (U.S. only), PayPal Credit (Buy Now, Pay Later), and, where available, PayPal’s Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments. This gives your customers more checkout options and can help increase conversions.

What You’ll Need

• A Big Cartel account
• A verified PayPal Business account
• (Optional) Approval for PayPal’s Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments feature — reviewed by PayPal when you connect.

What Payment Options Your Customers Can See

PayPal Checkout

Customers can pay using:

• Their PayPal account balance
• Linked debit or credit cards
• PayPal Credit (installments, where supported)

Venmo (U.S. Domestic Only)

When PayPal is connected:

• U.S. buyers with the Venmo app see Venmo as a checkout option on mobile.
• Desktop customers see a Venmo QR code they can scan to complete payment on their device.

PayPal Credit (Buy Now, Pay Later)

Eligible buyers may see the Pay in 4 option or other PayPal Credit offerings. You’re paid in full up front while customers pay in installments through PayPal.

Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments (Optional)

If approved by PayPal, this feature lets customers enter their card information directly on your Big Cartel checkout page — without redirecting to PayPal’s site — for a smoother experience.

Benefits

• Seamless onsite card checkout
• More choice for customers
• Potentially higher conversions by reducing friction

Notes

• Approval is subject to PayPal’s review. Big Cartel displays the status in your admin, but PayPal manages the eligibility decision.
• This option doesn’t include standard PayPal Seller Protection for chargebacks unless you opt in to PayPal’s Chargeback Protection add-on.
• If your application is denied, customers can still check out with PayPal or via card guest checkout (subject to PayPal limits).

Fees & Payouts

• PayPal’s standard fees start around 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction (varies by country and payment type).
• Funds from PayPal, Venmo, or PayPal Credit payments typically appear in your PayPal balance immediately and can be transferred to your bank — usually within 1–3 business days.

Best Practices & Troubleshooting

Tips for a Better Checkout

• If you want to offer all major cards and payment methods, consider enabling Stripe as well — this ensures wide card support even if PayPal guest checkout is limited.
• Always use a verified PayPal Business account — Personal PayPal accounts won’t work for checkout.

Tracking & Seller Protections

• Big Cartel now syncs tracking IDs automatically to PayPal, which helps with seller protections on PayPal-paid orders when tracking is added.

Summary

By connecting PayPal to your Big Cartel shop:

• You unlock PayPal, Venmo (U.S.), and PayPal Credit at checkout.
• You may be approved for Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments, letting customers pay with cards directly on your site.
• You get funds deposited quickly to your PayPal account with flexible payout timing.

Offering these options gives your customers more ways to pay and can help reduce cart abandonment while keeping setup simple.