Namecheap setup instructions for Big Cartel

Using a custom domain like www.mycustomdomain.net? Use these steps »

Using a custom domain like shop.mycustomdomain.net? Use these steps »

Use www

To get your custom domain up and running with your Big Cartel shop, you’ll want to create a CNAME record to point to your shop’s bigcartel.com URL, and then simply forward the non-www version of your custom domain to the www version using a 301 redirect. Here’s how:

1. Sign in to your Namecheap account »
2. Click Manage next to your domain.
3. In the Redirect Domain area, click Add Redirect.
4. In the Source URL field, type your domain without the www (example.com). In the Destination URL field, enter your full URL with the www and http:// in front, (http://www.example.com) and click the checkmark to save.
5. At the top of the page, click Advanced DNS and look for the www record.
6. Change the Value field to your shop’s bigcartel.com URL–do not add http or https in front of your bigcartel.com URL. Click the checkmark to save.
7. Finally, you’ll head to Account > Edit your shop info > Add a custom domain in your Big Cartel admin. Click Add domain.
8. Enter your full custom URL (www.example.com) into the Custom domain field, and click Save.

That’s it! Now we wait. It can take up to 24-48 hours for domain changes to update.

Namecheap also provides some more instructions on creating CNAME records and 301 redirects if you’re having trouble locating where to make those changes. If it’s still not working after that, you should contact Namecheap to help you figure out why.

Make sure you don’t enable any masking on your 301 redirect. Masked redirects will end up preventing your store from working properly for people that access the shop through your custom domain.

Use another subdomain

If you’re already using your custom domain on another site or page, then you’ll want to create a CNAME record on a subdomain that’s not www – like shop.example.com or store.example.com. Here’s how to set that up:

1. Sign in to your Namecheap account »
2. Click Manage next to your domain.
3. At the top of the page, click Advanced DNS and click the Add New Record button.
4. Choose the CNAME Record option, and enter the subdomain you’d like to use (shop, store, etc.) in the Host field. Enter your shop’s bigcartel.com URL in the Target field–do not add http or https in front of your bigcartel.com URL. Click the checkmark to save.
5. Finally, you’ll head to Account > Edit your shop info > Add a custom domain in your Big Cartel admin. Click Add domain.
6. Enter your full custom URL (shop.example.com or store.example.com) into the custom domain field and click Save.

That’s it! Now we wait. It can take up to 24-48 hours for domain changes to update.

Namecheap also provides some more instructions on creating CNAME records if it’s still not working after that, you should contact Namecheap to help you figure out why.