BigCommerce answers your questions

Do you offer a free trial?

Yes, we offer a fully-functional 15 day free trial during which you can use to test drive BigCommerce and see if it’s right for you. You don’t need a credit card to sign up, there’s no obligation and no risk. Just click the green “Try It” button above to start your free trial.

Do you offer refunds?

We don’t offer refunds, but we do offer a fully-functional 15 day free trial which you can use to see if BigCommerce is right for you. Just click the “Try It” button under the “15 Day Trial” box at the top of the page.

I’m looking to switch. Can I import my stuff?

Yes, you can import orders, customers, products, images and variations into your BigCommerce store from a standard CSV (comma separate values) file. Most shopping carts support exporting in this format, and you can watch a video on our support page to see how easy it is to import into BigCommerce.

Is my data safe and secure?

Yes. The security and up-time of your store is our #1 priority. We protect your store and data with the same military-grade security and encryption that the big banks use, and we have a 99.99% average uptime track record.

Which payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and JCB.

Can I use my own domain name?

Yes, you can use your own domain name. If you have not purchased a domain name, you can purchase one through us by choosing a plan above. If you have already purchased a domain name through a third party domain registrar, then we will provide you with the settings that you will need to apply in your domain registrar in order for the domain to work on your BigCommerce site.

What is an SSL certificate?

A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate provides a layer of security on your site to help encrypt sensitive data, such as credit card numbers. Every BigCommerce store comes with a shared-SSL certificate, which means that your BigCommerce store will already be secure.

Do I need my own SSL certificate?

We do recommend purchasing your own SSL certificate. Having your own SSL certificate will allow you to display a seal on your site which can validate your site’s security to your potential customers. Additionally, your site’s secure pages will use the domain name that the SSL is licensed to instead of the shared address we provide by default.

How often is my site backed up?

Your site (including your database and all template customizations ) is backed up daily using our automated off-site backup system. We keep a standard 7 day rotating backup system and can restore your site from a backup if required.

How can I restore a backup of my site?

You’ll need to create a support ticket which you can do from our support page.

How can I check my email?

You can use an email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Gmail or Mozilla Thunderbird to check your email. When you setup your email account (the Tools -> Email Accounts menu in your store’s control panel) you’ll be provided with the access details you need to check your email.

What kind of products can I sell?

BigCommerce is extremely flexible when it comes to different product types. You can sell physical or tangible products such as apparel and computers as well as digital products such as software, music or ebooks.

Is there a BigCommerce API?

Yes. The BigCommerce API provides “pull” access to all orders, products, categories and more from your store. You can read the technical documentation for the API here. BigCommerce also has a robust import/export capability that allows you to deliver data via a CSV or XML format.

Can I make changes via FTP?

Yes, all clients get FTP access to their BigCommerce store. To access your FTP login details, go to your store’s control panel, click the “Store Design” link at the top of the page and then click the Edit your template files via FTP” button. We recommend the free FileZilla FTP client, but you can use any FTP client you like.

Can I upgrade between plans?

Of course. It’s easy to upgrade between plans. Just login to your store’s control panel and click the billing menu at the top right of the screen, then choose the upgrade link. You can then change your plan as required.

Can I upgrade from the free plan to a paid plan?

Yes, you can upgrade your free store to a paid plan and all of your data (products, orders, customers, etc) will remain intact. The upgrade process is automatic and painless – we promise!

Are there any contracts to sign?

No. Payments are made month-by-month and you can cancel at any time. If you cancel we will stop billing you immediately. We’re all about choice and if you don’t like BigCommerce then we wont force you to stay.

How is bandwidth/storage overage calculated?

Bandwidth over your allocated monthly allowance is charged at half a cent per megabyte. Storage space over your monthly allowance is charged at 10 cents per megabyte.

Can I use a sub-domain for my store?

Yes, you can use a sub-domain with your BigCommerce store. Just choose a plan above and you’ll be asked how you want to setup your domain name.

Do you sell SSL certificates?

Yes, we do sell SSL certificates. You can purchase an SSL certificate from the Tools -> SSL Certificate menu in your store’s control panel.

Can I use an SSL certificate from a third party?

Yes, however because the certificate needs to be installed by one of our engineers manually we do charge a $100 installation fee.

Do I need my own merchant account?

It’s up to you. A merchant account allows you to accept credit cards from your store and get paid directly into your checking account. If you don’t have a merchant account we can provide you with one (learn more) or you can use one of our 50+ payment providers instead, including PayPal and Google Checkout. A lot of our clients start with PayPal or Google Checkout and then move to their own merchant account (which integrates with BigCommerce in 3 clicks from your store’s control panel) after their store has been live for a few months.

Does my payment gateway work with BigCommerce?

We have a page on our website that lists all of the payment gateways we support (over 50). You can see the list here.

Does my BigCommerce store include email accounts?

Yes, your BigCommerce store includes unlimited email accounts. You can create your email accounts from the Tools -> Email Accounts menu in your store’s control panel.

Do all plans have the same features?

Yes! We don’t believe in limiting the features in our plans. Our plans differ based on the number of products you can create as well as the storage space and bandwidth you use. You can of course upgrade plans at any time if required.

What software does BigCommerce integrate with?

BigCommerce integrates with many different types of applications, including order management and accounting software as well as analytics and affiliate tracking software. We list all of the software applications BigCommerce integrates with here.

Can I translate my store to other languages?

BigCommerce supports the English/western character set at this time. We do not currently offer support for other languages but this is something we may offer in the future.