Selling at a market, your store, a pop-up, or an event? The Big Cartel mobile app lets you record sales and take payments while selling face-to-face with customers.
In-person checkout makes it easy to create an order, collect payment, and keep your shop’s inventory and order history updated — all from your phone.
To get started, download the Big Cartel mobile app:
Once installed, you can use the Cash Register feature to create and complete sales right from your device, essentially turning your phone into a simple payment system.
Best Practices Before an Event
If you're planning to sell in person, a little preparation goes a long way.
- Test your card reader ahead of time if you plan to use one. This helps make sure everything is connected and working before the event starts.
- Bring the items you're planning to sell. In-person checkout is meant for products you already have with you at the event.
Once you're set up, you’re ready to start ringing up sales.
Completing an In-Person Sale
When a customer is ready to purchase something, you’ll use the Cash Register inside the Big Cartel app to build the order and complete the payment.
Here’s how it works:
- Open the Big Cartel app
- Tap the Cash Register icon
- Tap the + icon next to the products you want to sell
- Tap Review Sale
- Confirm the items in the cart
- Tap Continue to Payment
- Select the customer’s payment method
- Complete the transaction
- Tap Email receipt if the customer would like one, or select No receipt
Once the payment is confirmed, the order is created in your shop and inventory is updated automatically.
Payment Methods That Can Be Used
In-person checkout allows you to record different types of payments depending on how your customer chooses to pay.Best Practices Before an Event
If you're planning to sell in person, a little preparation goes a long way.
- Test your card reader ahead of time if you plan to use one. This helps make sure everything is connected and working before the event starts.
- Bring the items you're planning to sell. In-person checkout is meant for products you already have with you at the event.
Once you're set up, you’re ready to start ringing up sales.
Completing an In-Person Sale
When a customer is ready to purchase something, you’ll use the Cash Register inside the Big Cartel app to build the order and complete the payment.
Here’s how it works:
- Open the Big Cartel app
- Tap the Cash Register icon
- Tap the + icon next to the products you want to sell
- Tap Review Sale
- Confirm the items in the cart
- Tap Continue to Payment
- Select the customer’s payment method
- Complete the transaction
- Tap Email receipt if the customer would like one, or select No receipt
Once the payment is confirmed, the order is created in your shop and inventory is updated automatically.
Payment Methods That Can Be Used
In-person checkout allows you to record different types of payments depending on how your customer chooses to pay.
Cash
If a customer pays with cash:
- You collect the payment directly
- The order is marked Paid
- Inventory is reduced automatically
Big Cartel records the order in your shop, but it does not process the cash payment.
Card Payments
Card payments are processed through Stripe.
Customers can pay using:
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Contactless cards
When a card payment is completed, Stripe processes the transaction and the order is recorded in your shop.
If you’d like to use a card reader for easier payments, Big Cartel supports both the Stripe M2 Reader and the BBPOS WisePad 3.
Tap to Pay
Tap to Pay allows customers to simply tap their card or phone on your device to complete a payment.
Tap payments have become one of the fastest ways to handle transactions at events. Most modern cards now include a contactless chip, so enabling Tap to Pay can help you move through long lines quickly.
Setup instructions can be found here.
What Happens After a Sale Is Completed
After the payment is confirmed:
- An order is created
- Inventory is reduced automatically
- The order is marked Paid
- You have the option to email the customer a receipt
Because the customer receives their items immediately, in-person orders are treated as completed transactions.
Where In-Person Orders Appear
In-person orders are automatically placed in the Shipped folder in your Big Cartel admin.
This is because the item has already been handed to the customer during the sale.
You can still view full order details, including:
- Products sold
- Payment method
- Order total
- Customer information (if collected)
Important Things to Know
A few helpful things to keep in mind when using in-person checkout:
- Big Cartel does not hold funds from card payments
- Card payments are processed through Stripe
- Cash payments are recorded but not processed
- Inventory updates immediately after each sale
- Receipts can be emailed to customers after checkout