Premium Feature | Available to US-Based Platinum & Diamond Plan Sellers
Setting Up Your Custom Domain
You can connect a custom domain to Big Cartel automatically when your provider supports it, or manually by updating DNS settings at your domain provider.
If your domain doesn’t connect right away, don’t disconnect and reconnect repeatedly. DNS and SSL changes can take time, and restarting the setup may reset part of the waiting period.
Automatic setup
Automatic setup is the easiest option when it’s available for your domain provider.
- Go to Shop settings > Shop domains.
- Select + Add a custom domain.
- Choose Connect a domain you already own.
- Enter your domain.
- If automatic setup is available, follow the prompts to sign in to your domain provider and approve the connection.
Big Cartel will handle the DNS setup for you when automatic setup is supported.
If automatic setup doesn’t appear, doesn’t complete, or your provider isn’t supported, use manual setup instead.
Manual setup overview
Manual setup means you’ll update DNS records in your domain provider account.
For most domains, you’ll need:
What you’re setting up | Record or setting | What it does |
|---|---|---|
www.yourdomain.com | CNAME record | Points the www version of your domain to your Big Cartel shop |
yourdomain.com | 301 redirect / forwarding | Sends visitors from the root domain to the www version |
Big Cartel’s required DNS records
Use these settings at your domain provider.
For the www version
Field | Value |
|---|---|
Type | CNAME |
Host / Name / Alias | www |
Points to / Value / Target | yourshop.bigcartel.com |
Replace yourshop.bigcartel.com with your actual Big Cartel shop URL.
Do not include http:// or https://.
For the root domain
Set up a redirect from:
yourdomain.com
to:
https://www.yourdomain.com
Use a 301 permanent redirect without masking when your provider offers that option.
Some providers call this domain forwarding, URL redirect, web forwarding, or forwarding only.
Understanding DNS records
DNS is the set of records that tells browsers where your domain should send visitors.
Here are the terms you’ll see most often:
Term | What it means |
|---|---|
Domain provider / registrar | The company where you bought or manage your domain |
DNS settings | The control panel where you edit records for your domain |
CNAME | A record that points one hostname, like www, to another hostname |
Root domain / naked domain | Your domain without www, like yourshop.com |
Redirect / forwarding | Sends visitors from one URL to another |
301 redirect | A permanent redirect |
Masking | A forwarding option that hides the destination URL; don’t use masking for Big Cartel |
Propagation | The waiting period while DNS changes update across the internet |
Why the root redirect matters
Many merchants set up the CNAME correctly and then wonder why only the www version works.
That happens because the CNAME only handles this address:
www.yourdomain.com
It does not automatically handle this address:
yourdomain.com
To make both versions work, your root domain needs to redirect to the www version.
If the root redirect is missing, customers may see:
- An old website
- A parking page
- A browser error
- A “not secure” warning
- Nothing loading at all
How long setup takes
Some changes work within minutes. Others can take longer.
Allow up to 24–48 hours for DNS and SSL to fully update.
During that time, you may see temporary states like:
- Your www domain works but the root domain does not.
- The domain points to the right shop but the browser says “Not Secure.”
- Big Cartel shows a yellow or red lock while SSL finishes setting up.
- Different devices or browsers show different results.
That waiting period is normal.
SSL certificates
Big Cartel automatically provides SSL for connected custom domains. You don’t need to buy or install a separate SSL certificate for your Big Cartel shop.
SSL can take time to finish after the DNS setup is correct. If your domain still shows a security error after 48 hours, check the troubleshooting guide.
If your domain used to point somewhere else
If your domain was connected to another website before Big Cartel, check for old records first.
Old records from another provider can make your domain keep loading the wrong site, even if you added the Big Cartel CNAME.
Look for and remove records that point to:
- A previous storefront or website builder
- A previous host
- Old A records
- Old CNAME records for www
- Parking-page records
- Conflicting forwarding rules
If you use Cloudflare or another DNS manager, make sure you’re editing DNS in the place that actually controls your domain.
Manual setup for popular providers
Need provider-specific help? See Manual Setup for Popular Domain Providers for notes on GoDaddy, Squarespace Domains, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Porkbun, Hover, IONOS, Hostinger, Bluehost, and DreamHost.