Is Whatnot legit? Whatnot is only a few years old, but rapidly growing at a viral pace. Whatnot was founded in 2019 as a place to sell collectibles like Funko Pops, but quickly expanded to cards, comics, and eventually fashion.
Whatnot is a favorite among clothing resellers with an innovative app, live streaming sales, a classic marketplace for listings, and a rapidly expanding global presence.
Did you know that Whatnot is not just for live sellers? Whatnot Marketplace is a traditional marketplace for still listings, and a great place to list your items even if you don’t enjoy live selling. Scroll down to learn more! 👇🏽
What Can You Sell on Whatnot?
Whatnot offers a large range of selling categories. In fact, you can sell most anything that is not cosmetic, medical, alive, illegal, explicit, or dangerous.
The most popular selling categories on Whatnot include:
- Trading Card Games (Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc.)
- Sports Cards
- Toys & Collectibles
- Comics & Manga
- Video games, Movies, & Media
- And Whatnot… get it!? 😉
In the fashion category, top sellers include:
- Sneakers & Streetwear
- Vintage
- Bags, Jewelry, Accessories
- Apparel
- Watches
With a broad range of selling categories, Whatnot is the perfect place for different types of sellers. Whatnot provides both social selling via live sales and a classic marketplace for “still listings.”
Don’t forget! Whatnot is not just for live sellers. Whatnot marketplace is a traditional platform for classic, “still” listings!
Getting Started: How Do You Sign Up For Whatnot?
Whatnot has a mobile app for iOS and Android users. Whatnot also has a desktop website. Checkout whatnot.com for even more selling tools.
Signing up for Whatnot is as simple as creating a username and password. You can sign up on the app or desktop in just a few seconds. You can also easily become a “verified” user by uploading your driver's license. This verification process makes buying and selling safer on Whatnot, and it is a requirement for sellers.
The Whatnot Application Process
To sell on Whatnot you must apply to be a seller. The application process is required for live sellers as well as marketplace sellers. The application is straightforward; you provide Whatnot with proof of identification, links to your other selling marketplaces, and some other information for verification purposes. You can apply to sell on Whatnot here.
After your application is approved, you will attend a live Whatnot onboarding session. The onboarding is a live Zoom where the host will explore the ins and outs of the platform, the rules and expectations for selling, and extra tips and tricks for success on the marketplace. At the end of the onboarding there is a brief quiz so don’t forget to pay attention!
This process is a bit more intense than you’ll see on other marketplaces, but it allows for a safe and secure experience where you can buy and sell with confidence.
How to Sell On Whatnot?
Whatnot offers one of the largest global live-selling platforms as well as a traditional marketplace for still listings.
In your seller onboarding, you will learn everything you need to know. It’s also a simple, user-friendly platform that doesn’t present much of a learning curve.
Let’s explore Whatnot marketplace:
Not Into Selling Live? Check Out Whatnot Marketplace
Whatnot is not just for the live sales. Whatnot Marketplace is a traditional marketplace for still listings where buyers can shop as they do on other selling sites.
Whatnot Marketplace is a lucrative opportunity to expand your sales with a large audience that is rapidly growing.
With Whatnot marketplace, you can upload classic listings with a standard listing form!
💡Tip: If you sell on Poshmark, you can also sync your Poshmark closet to Whatnot to start making sales!
Whatnot marketplace is booming and many sellers are starting to see regular, daily sales. With a loyal audience of Whatnot shoppers and lower fees than competitors, Whatnot presents a new and exciting opportunity to enhance your exposure and grow your profits!
But, wait…. There’s more! You can use Vendoo to quickly crosslist your inventory to Whatnot Marketplace! Scroll down to learn more!
Whatnot Fees: How Much Does Whatnot Take?
Whatnot seller fees are very reasonable; in fact, they are among the lowest of many peer-to-peer marketplaces.
For a quick estimation, you can expect fees to be around 11%.
To break that down, here is how to calculate the exact Whatnot fees:
- The platform sales fee is 8% of the sale price
- The processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30 of the total transaction amount (including sale price, tax, and shipping)
Getting Paid on Whatnot
How long does Whatnot payout take? It’s fast! Your funds will be available 48-72 hours after the buyer receives their item. You can track payouts inside your Whatnot seller dashboard. Your funds can be withdrawn to your linked bank account or payment method.
Shipping on Whatnot
On Whatnot, the buyer always pays for shipping. The shipping charge is based on weight and distance from the seller. You will get discounted shipping on additional items you buy from the same seller during the same show.
The best part is that Whatnot handles all of this! You do not need to worry about the buyer location or a complicated bundle. Just be sure to enter the estimated weight of the item at the time of listing.
Whatnot’s simplified shipping is great for sellers and buyers alike!
Live Selling on Whatnot
Whatnot is the #1 live selling marketplace. Sellers present their items one by one, and buyers can bid on them with the click of a button.
Whatnot provides a user-friendly interface for scheduling, preparing, and hosting live sales.
You can schedule a sale by creating a title, adding a cover photo, and selecting the time and date of the show.
💡Tip: Create an eye-catching thumbnail to promote your live sale. This is your chance to stand out in the stream feed. I recommend using Canva to create these images.
Setting Up Your Live Whatnot Show
The ease of setting up, hosting, and shipping items for a Whatnot sale is a lot faster and easier than other marketplaces.
Here is how to set up your Whatnot sale in five easy steps:
1. First, go into the app and select the plus sign while looking at your profile. You’ll get a small pop-up menu of actions, from which you will select “schedule a live show.” You’ll be able to name your show, select a category, and upload a promotional photo or Video for your auction.
2. Next, you will start loading your inventory. Here, you will load your items to auction during your show. You can either add items that you already have on the marketplace, or create new quick listings just for your live sale. Whatnot provides a simple listing form, and you can add as much or little detail as you would like in the description.
💡Tip: Try to load your inventory in the order that you have it physically organized. This will make for a much smoother live experience. Remember, you’re hosting a show!
3. You can also add “buy it now” items to your store for anything you want to feature for sale without auctioning it live.
4. Finally, you can create listings for any giveaway items you wish to run during your show.
While you wait for your show to begin, people can bookmark it, and you can promote it on your social media channels. Whatnot even has a “stories” feature similar to Instagram’s that you can use to communicate with your followers.
💡Tip: Try to schedule and promote your live sales in advance to attract bookmarks for a bigger turnout!
Whatnot is well-equipped with tools and features to help you set up your sale and run live auctions.
Set The Stage For Your Whatnot Live Sale
While technically, you can run the whole show from your phone, you might want to have at least two devices logged into your account to help make things run smoothly. This will enable you to keep one device stationary to record you, while using the other to start each auction and interact in the chat without the audience looking up your nose. 👃🏽
A clean, clear, well-lit area is the perfect place to go live!
Running Whatnot Auctions
When it’s time to “run” an item during your live show, simply select the item from your store and “pin it.”
This makes the title of the item appear on the screen for your audience to see. Now you can take the item out and show it off, make sure to talk it up and get people excited! When you are ready, run the auction. Whatnot will take care of the timing and keep track of who won.
You can choose the length of time the auction will run. Shorter auctions are more exciting and help keep the pace lively for your show. During a regular auction, if anyone places a bid within the last 10 seconds, then more time is added to the clock to give others a chance to increase their bid.
For more tips and tricks about organizing your show and hosting live sales, check out the article How to Sell on the Whatnot App.
Whatnot x Vendoo
Vendoo is the first reseller crosslisting tool to integrate Whatnot! This means that Vendoo provides quick and simple crosslisting to Whatnot marketplace!
Vendoo has just unlocked an unlimited world of selling potential with access to Whatnot’s rapidly growing audience, even for sellers who do not wish to sell live.
And for sellers who do live sales, enjoy the ease of listing to Whatnot marketplace to load your sales with ease. Also, enjoy the ability to import from other marketplaces to sell your items live on Whatnot
Vendoo is the #1 crosslisting service for online resellers. But, don’t forget, Vendoo is more than just a crosslisting service. Vendoo is a Seller’s Best Friend with tools like:
- Importing from marketplaces
- Custom listing templates and listing hub
- AI drafting, background removal, and photo-editing
- Inventory management tools
- Bulk delist/relist
- Analytics and sales stats
- Spreadsheets and bookkeeping tools
And so much more! Vendoo also offers a mobile app to provide your business tools at your fingertips from anywhere! 📱
Ready to reach new levels of success with Whatnot x Vendoo? Try the Vendoo free trial to start crosslisting to Whatnot today!
Whatnot FAQs:
Here are some frequently asked questions about Whatnot.
Is Whatnot Legit?
Yes! ✅ Whatnot is legit and safe. Whatnot is a thriving community and a growing platform loved and trusted by hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers. Team Vendoo has had the pleasure of selling on Whatnot and meeting the team!
Is Whatnot Worth It?
Yes! ✅ Whatnot is a rapidly growing marketplace. If you’re a live seller, it is arguably the best place to sell live! If you’re a traditional seller, Whatnot marketplace provides a great platform for still listings.
How Can I Use Vendoo with Whatnot?
Vendoo is fully integrated with Whatnot. This means:
- You can crosslist your inventory directly from Vendoo to Whatnot, either to sell on Whatnot marketplace or to auction off on a live sale.
- You can import your Whatnot listings into Vendoo to manage bookkeeping, do inventory management, get analytics, and crosslist to other marketplaces
- When an item sells on Whatnot, Vendoo will automatically detect the sale and remove that item from any other marketplaces where it was listed. Learn more here.
- When an item sells on another marketplace that you also have listed on Whatnot, Vendoo will remove it from Whatnot to prevent double-selling. Learn more here.
Can I Return Items on The Whatnot App?
Whatnot does not encourage returns, but provides buyer protection in the event that the item is not as described, not received, or not authentic. For a return, you can contact Whatnot support directly. You are not permitted to return items for fit or simply because you changed your mind, but you can always resell those items on Whatnot or another seller platform of your choice!
How Can You Build Your Following on Whatnot?
While sellers with large followings on social media do grow faster on Whatnot, it’s certainly not required. In fact, the best way to increase your Whatnot following is to be active in the community. Attend as many live shows as you can. Be friendly and helpful in the chat during shows, and people will naturally start to follow you.
How Do You Advertise Your Whatnot Show?
Set up your Whatnot show in advance, so people have time to bookmark it! Some buyers will allow audience members to promote their shows in chat (please wait for permission to do so). You can also promote your show using social media such as Instagram and using the “story” feature in Whatnot.
Can You Really Make Money On Whatnot?
Yes! ✅ There are sellers such as @Caitieco who have earned over a million dollars in profit on Whatnot!
While not everyone is a millionaire, there is some serious cash to be made on Whatnot, both live selling and on the marketplace.
Whatnot is amazing for live sellers who can skip many steps in the traditional listing process to save time and make money quickly. It’s also an excellent place for sellers to crosslist their items from other marketplaces to make more sales!
Does Whatnot Offer Referral Payments Or Bonuses?
Whatnot offers everyone with an account a referral link to share. If someone signs up for a Whatnot account using your link, they get a $10 credit to shop with. When they make their first purchase, you will also get a $10 credit as a thank you for referring Whatnot a new member.
Whatnot also loves to partner with sellers. Reach out to Whatnot on Instagram to learn more about collab opportunities!
How Do I Contact Whatnot Customer Service?
You can email support@whatnot.com to reach Whatnot’s customer service team. They’re amazing!
Looking for more on Whatnot? Check out these articles!
Is Whatnot Legit? Whatnot App Review
How to Sell on The Whatnot App
Whatnot App: Pros & Cons of Auction Apps Like Whatnot
