Building hype for a product release shouldn't mean setting alarms to manually flip products live. With Scheduled Drops, you can plan your launches in advance and let Big Cartel handle the rest.

Why use scheduled drops?

If you've ever frantically scrambled to activate products at exactly the right moment, you know the stress. Maybe you're dropping a new pottery collection at 8 PM on a Friday, or launching limited-edition earrings to coincide with your Instagram announcement. Before Scheduled Drops, you had to be glued to your computer, manually switching each product from Hidden or Coming Soon to Active.

Now? Set it and forget it.

Here's what makes Scheduled Drops powerful:

• Build anticipation by promoting your drop date on social media
• Launch products at optimal times, even when you're busy or asleep
• Coordinate releases across multiple products simultaneously
• Make changes to your schedule anytime without stress
• Get notified before and after your drop goes live

Perfect for makers who create in batches and want to turn product launches into events that get customers excited.

How It Works

When you schedule a drop, you're telling Big Cartel exactly when to make your product available for purchase. Here's what happens:

Before the scheduled time:

• New products default to Hidden status, but you can change them to Coming Soon or Sold Out without affecting the schedule
• Hidden means the product won't appear on your site at all
• Coming Soon shows the product with a special flag but hides the price and Add to Cart button
• Sold Out displays the product with its price but prevents purchases
• If you schedule an Active product, it automatically moves to Coming Soon (you can then change it to Hidden or Sold Out if you prefer)
• Important: Changing a scheduled product to Active will cancel the schedule—the product goes live immediately

At the scheduled time:

• Your products automatically switch to Active
• They become fully visible and purchasable on your storefront
• You get a notification confirming the launch

You'll receive notifications via email (and push notifications if you have the mobile app):

• 24 hours before your drop, reminding you and alerting you if any scheduled products have low stock
• At launch time, confirming which products went live successfully or flagging any issues

Important Things to Know

Inventory matters: If you have inventory tracking enabled with overselling disabled, products with zero or negative stock will launch in a Sold Out state instead of Active. Keep an eye on those stock levels!

Pricing is required: Products without a price or with a price of $0 won't launch as scheduled. Make sure everything is priced before your drop.

Helpful alerts: When scheduling products, you'll see banners letting you know what's about to happen—like if an Active product will automatically move to Coming Soon, or if a product is out of stock.

How to Schedule a Drop on an Individual Product

1. Open the product you want to schedule (or create a new one)
2. Find the Schedule product section:

• On desktop: Look in the right sidebar
• On mobile: Scroll to the very bottom, right above the Save product button

1. Click Add a launch date and time
2. In the Schedule modal, choose your launch time:

• Select an upcoming drop from the list if you have one already scheduled
• Or set a custom date and time using the date picker

1. Click the purple Schedule button

Done! Your schedule is saved automatically. You'll see a calendar icon and Scheduled banner in your product editor showing the launch date and time.

How to Schedule a Drop on Multiple Products

Want to launch a whole collection at once? Bulk editing makes it easy.

1. Go to your Products page
2. Select the products you want to schedule:

• In Grid view: Click the radio button in the top right corner of each product image
• In Table view: Check the boxes next to each product name

1. Look for the bulk editing bar that appears at the bottom of your screen
2. Click the three-dot menu in the bulk editing bar
3. Select Schedule launch from the drop-up menu
4. Choose your launch date and time (same options as individual scheduling)
5. Click Schedule

All selected products will now launch at the same time. You'll see a small calendar icon next to scheduled products in your product list.

How to Change a Scheduled Drop

Plans change—maybe your photoshoot got delayed or you want to move your launch to a different day. No problem.

For individual products:

1. Open the scheduled product in your editor
2. Find the Scheduled section in the right sidebar (it shows your current launch date)
3. Click the pencil icon to edit
4. Choose a new date and time
5. Click Schedule to confirm

Your new schedule is saved automatically!

How to Remove a Schedule

Changed your mind about scheduling a product? You can unschedule it anytime.

For individual products:

1. Open the scheduled product
2. Click the pencil icon in the Scheduled section
3. Click the red Unschedule button

That's it! The schedule is removed automatically, and your product stays in its current status (Hidden, Coming Soon, etc.).

For multiple products:

1. Go to your Products page and select the products you want to unschedule
2. Click the three-dot menu in the bulk editing bar
3. Select Unschedule products
4. Confirm by clicking OK

Any scheduled products will be unscheduled. Products that weren't scheduled won't be affected.

Ways to Use Scheduled Drops to Grow Your Business

Create product drop events: Turn launches into happenings. Announce your drop date on Instagram, build a countdown, get people excited. Your products go live automatically while you focus on engaging with customers.

Coordinate with your marketing: Schedule drops to align with email campaigns, social media posts, or ads. Launch new items when your audience is most active, not when you happen to be available.

Manage limited releases strategically: Drop exclusive or limited-edition items at specific times to create urgency. Fans will mark their calendars and show up ready to buy.

Launch while you sleep: Run an international shop? Schedule drops for optimal times in different time zones without staying up all night.

Reduce launch day stress: No more rushing to flip products live at the exact right moment. Set your schedule in advance and spend launch day connecting with customers instead of managing logistics.

Ready to Launch?

Scheduled Drops gives you the control and flexibility to run your product launches like the pro you are. Build hype, coordinate timing, and let Big Cartel handle the technical details while you focus on what matters most—your work and your customers.

Need help understanding product statuses? Check out our article on product statuses to learn more about the difference between Hidden, Coming Soon, Active, and Sold Out.