If you’ve been in the reselling world for a while, you’ve probably heard of Whatnot. It’s a live-selling app that’s exploded in popularity over the last few years, especially among collectors, vintage sellers, and sneaker sellers.
But as with any newer marketplace, it's fair to ask: is Whatnot legit? This article offers a look at how Whatnot works, real feedback from sellers, potential risks, and platform policies so you can decide if it's the right fit for your reselling business.
If you’ve never heard of Whatnot or don’t quite get 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 the stream bidding.
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 chance to get their bids in.
In addition to auction, which is how most items are sold on Whatnot, there is also the option to add items to your store for Buy It Now purchases. Shoppers can grab these items during a livesteam at any time or buy when you’re not live, through your profile, or by searching for specific items on Whatnot.
Now that you understand how Whatnot works, let’s quickly go over the basics so you clearly understand things like fees and features.
Seller Fees:
Note: Fees may vary for international shipping or category-specific promotions. Always check Whatnot’s official fee structure for the latest details.
Checking out reviews is one of the best ways to get a feel for any platform, but they don’t always tell the full story. On Trustpilot, Whatnot currently has a 2-star rating from 602 reviews. While this may seem concerning, it’s also important to remember that people are far more likely to leave a review on these types of sites when something goes wrong.
That said, it’s really useful to look at what kinds of experiences users are having. Below, we’ll look at some feedback from users from a Reddit post asking other resellers for their thoughts on Whatnot.
“Show me another platform where I can sell 100+ items in 3 hours? Show me another platform where I can sell an item for $2 and turn profit? Sure, I may be taking less than I could get for some items on eBay and Amazon, but with FAR less work, and the ability to turn that money over again and again.” — u/RavenOriole
“The top sellers on there already have decent followings and are being paid to move their operations on there. Some were using IG live before that and its pretty obvious the influencers are getting something on the backend.” — u/UpsetDrakeBot
“It's a fun platform to be on, but yes it does cater to influencers more than us normal folk. I started with 0 followers on social media and have still made almost $1000 in sales on there. So the app has potential.” — u/Hey444
“Your opinion really comes down to the types of items you’re viewing. I use it for sports card box breaks and it’s incredibly engaging and borderline addictive. The sports card market hasn’t had this level of availability of a marketplace since the brick and mortar card shops of the 80’s and 90’s” —u/PAPAjv33
Overall, it seems like most users appreciate the speed and excitement of selling on Whatnot, but some do raise concerns about influencer favoritism and discoverability for newer sellers.
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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:
As with any platform, there can always be issues that fall through the cracks, but it looks like Whatnot is doing it’s best to keep things safe and ensure that no one is taking advantage of sellers.
Best Practices for Seller Protection:
For more detailed information, you can read the Whatnot Seller Protection Policy.
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Yes, Whatnot is 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 are comfortable being on video, can manage quick fulfillment, and are selling high-demand items may find Whatnot to be a profitable marketplace to expand to.
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. Click here to sign up for Vendoo for free!
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