Subscriptions

Are you looking for an option to send monthly packages to loyal customers that want just about everything you have in stock? Or, maybe you have supporters that admire your work and would like to fund your creativity? You're a toggle switch away from managing monthly subscriptions or donations. The choice is yours. Either way, we've got you covered!

Here's a quick rundown of everything below!

• The Subscription feature is only available on paid plans.

• Stripe will need to be enabled to use this feature.

• [Donations only mode](## How do monthly donations work?) - Your customers can set up a monthly recurring payment.

• [Enable your Subscriptions](## Shipping a monthly subscription box?) - Ship subscribers a package each month and manage those subscriptions from your admin.

• Tax will be collected and charged on Subscriptions (not donations).

Set up

To turn on subscriptions, your shop needs to be on a paid plan, and you need to have the Stripe checkout connected as well. When you’re ready to start accepting subscriptions, head to your admin’s Account page, then scroll down to the Get paid section and use the toggle switch to enable your subscription option.

When you toggle on the Subscriptions feature in your admin, we will automatically create a Subscription signup page in your shop, and there will be a link to that page in your shop’s navigation, just like your Contact page or Cart page. Share that link to a social media page, blog post, newsletter, you name it, and your supporters will be able to link right over and subscribe!

Shipping a monthly subscription box?

The Enable your subscription option should be toggled on if you’re planning to ship out items with your monthly subscription. You can use the Customize page tab to add details about what you offer with your subscription. If you want to ship special items for different payment tiers, you’ll want to spell out what a subscriber will receive for each amount so they know what price to enter when they sign up. Be sure to include shipping fees in your tiers, too!

Customers who would like to get a monthly package from you can navigate to your Subscribe link, click the Subscribe button, and provide their monthly billing details with purchase. When you get a new subscription, you’ll receive two notifications - a new subscriber email that includes a link for viewing subscription info in your Stripe dashboard and a payment receipt email that provides order info.

Heads up! You'll notice tax being added to your subscriptions payments. Big Cartel automatically calculates and collects any applicable sales tax on all U.S.-bound orders.

New subscription payments will appear in the unshipped folder of the Orders section. Each month, you'll see those subscriptions generate a new order in your admin, and you'll be able to view order details along with the subscription amount to manage shipments.

Subscriptions will be labeled in the Orders section, so you don't confuse them with regular purchases made through your storefront. Your customers will get a monthly email regarding their upcoming payment, along with an option to manage their subscription.

How do monthly donations work?

When you've enabled subscriptions, your supporters will be able to visit your page, and there they'll enter their email address and the monthly amount they'd like to donate.

Next, they'll click the Support me button, and your supporters will be redirected to Stripe to securely enter their payment info. Supporters who create a subscription will receive an email confirmation that they've successfully created their subscription, and they can also manage their subscription payments if things change on their end. Supporters can increase, decrease, and (gasp!) pause their payment at any time, so they're not stuck in any kind of contract, and you're not stuck with a mere $5 a month if your best friend wins the lottery.

Your donations can be viewed in your Stripe dashboard and in your Big Cartel admin, they'll automatically be added to the Shipped list in the Orders section.

Customize your page

The Subscribe page will automatically display your account profile image in the header. You can choose to give the page a title and add a description if you want to provide your supporters with more details so they know what they’re supporting. Maybe you’re starting a new project with other artists in your community– your fans want to support you, so let them know what’s going on!

To customize your Subscribe page, go the Account > Get Paid section of your admin, click Customize page under your page’s subscription link, then fill in the appropriate fields to give your page a title and description– check out the example below. Save your changes, and your supporters will be able to read up on your project!

Still have unanswered questions?! Visit our Subscription FAQs help doc for info.