Is Whatnot legit? Yes, absolutely! Whatnot is the largest live selling app in the world, and it has completely changed the way people buy and sell online. Known for its fast-paced auctions and interactive shopping experience, Whatnot has become a go-to spot for collectors, sneaker resellers, vintage sellers, and hobbyists who thrive on the real-time excitement of live sales. Its rise has been explosive and changed resale.
In this article, we’ll break down how the app works, highlight real feedback from sellers, outline potential risks, and explain the platform’s policies so you can decide if it’s the right marketplace for your business.
💡Tip: Whatnot isn't just for live sellers! With Whatnot marketplace, you can sell things via classic still listings.
How Does the Whatnot App Work?
Whatnot is a legitimate and thriving marketplace. Seller Caitieco has made millions selling on the app as a teenage entrepreneur!
So, how does Whatnot work? If you’ve never heard of the Whatnot App or don’t quite understand how it works, you’re not alone! Since live selling is a newer way to sell online, most people need a little help understanding it. In the simplest terms, sellers are live on screen showing an item, and buyers are live watching and bidding in real time.
The seller usually holds up each item one at a time, gives a quick rundown, and starts the auction. Any buyers in the room can bid, as long as they’ve set up their payment info. Sellers can adjust auction settings, like how long each item runs and whether there is a time extension if someone bids in the last few seconds, giving everyone a fair chance.
In addition to the auction, which is how most and some of the best selling items on Whatnot are sold, there is also the option to add items to your store on Whatnot Marketplace for Buy It Now purchases. Shoppers can purchase from your still listings at any time, even if you don't sell live.
Whatnot Basics
Here are a few basics to help you understand Whatnot.
Seller Onboarding
- For trust and safety reasons, you must apply and get approved before you can go live on Whatnot.
- Approval is based on your niche (selling category), type of inventory, and seller history.
- Sellers must complete a short onboarding and quiz.
💡Tip: Apply to sell on Whatnot here.
Live Selling Format
- Sellers stream live video auctions where viewers can bid in real time.
- Sellers choose how long each auction runs (typically 15 seconds to 2 minutes).
- A bid placed in the final seconds will extend the auction slightly to give others a chance to bid (unless sudden death mode is activated, which means no extensions).
Whatnot Marketplace: Buy It Now Store
- You can list items in your shop for Buy It Now purchases, no live selling required.
- Items can be purchased during live shows or directly from your profile at any time.
- This feature allows you to make sales even when you're not streaming.
💡Tip: Even if live selling isn't for you, Whatnot marketplace is a great place to sell with a huge audience!
Shipping
- Whatnot provides prepaid shipping labels after each sale, including automatic bundling for shoppers who purchase multiple items in a sale.
- Buyers pay for shipping, with rates based on package weight and destination.
- Sellers must ship within 2 business days and ensure that packages are scanned by the carrier to maintain seller protection.
- Shipping is currently available through USPS and UPS.
Seller Fees:
- For U.S. sellers, the commission fee is 8% of the sale price for most selling categories.
- The payment processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- Shipping cost and sales tax are paid by the buyer
- Whatnot generates prepaid labels
💡Tip: Fees may vary for international shipping or category-specific promotions. Make sure to check our Whatnot seller fees guide or Whatnot’s official fee structure for the latest details.
Whatnot App Reviews
One of the best ways to get a feel for a new marketplace is to hear directly from people using it. Whatnot app reviews are overwhelmingly positive from both buyers and sellers.
Sellers love access to the large Whatnot audience and the community and connection associated with live interaction. Whatnot is a buyer and seller favorite!
Overall, Whatnot has:
- a 4.2-star overall rating Trustpilot
- a 4.8-star rating on the Apple App Store
- a 4.6-star rating on the Google Play Store
With over 470.7K ratings, an average 4.8-star rating is very impressive! Remember, these reviews are from both buyers and sellers on the Whatnot app!
I scrolled the app stores, Reddit, and TrustPilot so you don't have to. Here's what people have to say about Whatnot 👀
- “I found this app to be a fun place to buy coins. It does have some glitches once in a while but not often... Find a good group of sellers and buyers and stick to them. There are good people in the whatnot community.” — anonymous reviewer, App Store (iOS)
- “Honestly a fun app, and a very easy way to spend money as well.” — Owen_YRB12, App Store (iOS)
- “Need better customer support!! takes days to respond. a lot of discrepancies with payout totals... sold count is not correct making it increasingly harder... tips take three days... overall a good idea for an app but poorly executed.” — Carrie Barnett, Google Play Store
- “Show me another platform where I can sell 100+ items in 3 hours?... the ability to turn that money over again and again.” — u/RavenOriole, Reddit
- “There are certainly scam sellers on there and whatnot does nothing about them. Meanwhile they stay on the legit sellers cases. The app is ok the customer support is trash.” — Crazpuglady, Reddit (r/whatnotapp)
Whatnot Honest Reviews:
On the positive side, many users enjoy the fast-paced, interactive nature of Whatnot. Buyers find it fun, often describing it as an exciting and sometimes addictive shopping experience. Sellers appreciate that they can move a large amount of inventory quickly and reinvest their earnings, something that is harder to do on traditional marketplaces.
Several reviews highlight the sense of community and the reliability of certain groups of sellers and buyers. Bargain hunters also note that unique deals can be found, making it an attractive option for collectors and hobbyists.
On the negative side, poor customer support is a consistent complaint, with some users saying it takes days to get a reply or that their issues are never resolved. Payout and transaction inconsistencies are another problem, including missing sales data, delayed tips, and confusion over earnings.
Buyers have also reported accidental or unauthorized purchases, with refunds often left to seller's discretion. Others warn of scam or unreliable sellers, claiming that Whatnot does little to address them. Finally, technical glitches and regional limitations frustrate users.
💡Tip: Remember to consider that the average person is more inclined to leave a negative review when upset than go out of their way to leave a positive review when satisfied.
Pros and Cons of the Whatnot App
Like any marketplace, Whatnot has strengths and weaknesses.
Photo Source: Value Added Resource
Here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide if it makes sense for your reselling business:
Whatnot Pros
- Fast sales: You can move a lot of inventory in a short amount of time.
- No listing: Sellers don't have to invest the same amount of time in processing traditional listings, drafting descriptions, and crosslisting.
- Built-in audience: Whatnot brings live shoppers to your stream, no need to chase traffic.
- Shipping made easy: Labels are provided, and automatic bundling saves time and frustration
- Low seller fees: With total fees around 12%, Whatnot is much more competitive than selling live on Poshmark.
- Whatnot Marketplace: Allows sellers to make sales even when they're not live, or even if they don't do live selling at all.
Whatnot Cons
- Followers Matter: Top sellers and influencers often get priority visibility, and it can take some time to grow a following.
- Steep learning curve: If you’re shy on camera or don’t have a lot of live selling experience, it can feel intimidating at first.
- High volume inventory: To sell a lot, quickly, it means you need to source often to have adequate pieces for live sales.
- Time commitment: Unlike classic reselling, when you can work when and where you want, hosting live sales requires blocking off time and showing up your best as scheduled.
Scams on Whatnot
Scams tend to be the biggest concern when it comes to trying out any new platform. As a seller, your business, profit, and reputation are on the line, so it’s smart to be extra cautious. Luckily, Whatnot has policies and security measures in place to protect both buyers and sellers.
Some of the ways that Whatnot ensures seller safety:
- Seller protection policies: Whatnot offers limited seller protections, especially when tracking shows an item was delivered.
- Refund abuse monitoring: If a buyer is found to be abusing the refund system, the seller will not be held responsible.
- Tracking and delivery confirmation requirements: Shipping labels purchased through Whatnot include tracking, which helps sellers in case a buyer claims the item wasn’t delivered.
- Show moderation and community guidelines: Inappropriate behavior can be reported directly through the app
- Ratings and blocking: Sellers can rate buyers and block problematic accounts from joining future streams.
As with any platform, there can always be issues that fall through the cracks, but it looks like Whatnot is doing its best to keep things safe and ensure that no one is taking advantage of sellers.
Best Practices for Seller Protection:
- Accurately describe items' conditions and authenticity
- Ship within 2 business days and ensure each package’s tracking is scanned
- Avoid excessive lost item claims
For more detailed information, you can read the Whatnot Seller Protection Policy.
Looking to scale your reselling business? Explore our Top Rated Online Marketplaces to grow smarter.
So, is Whatnot legit?
Yes, Whatnot is safe and legit. It's a real platform with real sellers making money! It’s steadily grown in popularity and provides clear policies, protections, and support to its sellers to keep things safe.
Sellers who feel confident on camera, can handle fast order fulfillment, and offer in-demand products may find Whatnot a profitable marketplace to grow their business.
If you’re already reselling and want to move your inventory over to Whatnot, Vendoo allows you to import your listings directly to Whatnot in just a few clicks!
