Whatnot Fees Explained: The Complete Seller Fee Breakdown for 2026

Every dollar counts in reselling, and understanding exactly what Whatnot charges you is the difference between running a profitable business and slowly bleeding money on every sale. While Whatnot’s headline 8% commission seems straightforward, the reality is more nuanced—payment processing fees, promotional costs, shipping expenses, and hidden operational overhead all eat into your margins in ways most new sellers don’t anticipate.

This guide breaks down every fee you’ll encounter as a Whatnot seller in 2026, shows you exactly how much you’ll keep at every price point, compares Whatnot’s cost structure against seven other platforms, and gives you concrete strategies to maximize your take-home profit. Whether you’re running nightly auctions or listing in the marketplace, you’ll walk away knowing your numbers cold.

Pro Tip: Before pricing anything for your next show, run your numbers through the Whatnot Fee Calculator to see your exact take-home after all fees. Sellers who price based on gut feeling leave an average of 12–18% profit on the table.

Table of Contents

• Whatnot’s Core Fee Structure
• Fee Calculations at Every Price Point
• How Fees Apply by Selling Format
• Promoted Shows and Advertising Costs
• Hidden Costs Every Whatnot Seller Overlooks
• Whatnot Fees vs Every Major Platform
• Whatnot’s Payout Schedule and Timing
• Strategies to Minimize Your Effective Fee Rate
• Tax Implications of Whatnot Fees
• 2026 Fee Changes and Updates
• When Whatnot’s Fees Make It the Most Profitable Platform
• Fee Comparison: Whatnot Live vs eBay Live in 2026
• Calculate Your Real Profit
• Frequently Asked Questions

Whatnot’s Core Fee Structure

Whatnot charges sellers two mandatory fees on every transaction, regardless of selling format:

1. Seller Commission — 8%

This is Whatnot’s platform take. Every sale—whether it happens during a live auction, through a BIN (Buy It Now) during a show, or via a static marketplace listing—incurs an 8% commission calculated on the final sale price (excluding shipping).

For context, this rate has remained unchanged since Whatnot’s early days, despite the platform raising over $700 million in funding and achieving a $3.7 billion valuation. Whatnot has publicly stated their goal is to keep seller fees competitive, and 8% remains well below Poshmark’s 20% and competitive with eBay’s tiered structure.

2. Payment Processing Fee — 2.9% + $0.30

Every transaction also incurs a payment processing fee, which covers credit card, debit card, and digital payment handling. This is standard across e-commerce—Stripe, PayPal, and Square all charge similar rates. The $0.30 flat fee per transaction is particularly important to understand because it disproportionately affects low-priced items.

Combined Effective Fee Rate

Your effective fee rate depends on the sale price. Here’s why: the flat $0.30 processing fee has a much larger percentage impact on cheap items.

Key takeaway: At $5 items, you’re effectively paying 17% in fees. At $100+, you’re closer to 11%. This math alone should influence your inventory strategy—we’ll cover optimization tactics later in this guide.

Shipping Fees

Whatnot does not take a commission on shipping charges. Shipping is paid by the buyer at checkout. Whatnot provides discounted USPS and UPS shipping labels directly through the platform, and those label costs are deducted from the buyer’s payment—not your payout. However, if you offer free shipping as a promotional strategy, the shipping cost comes out of your sale price, and fees are still calculated on the full sale amount before shipping deductions.

Fee Calculations at Every Price Point

Let’s walk through detailed profit breakdowns at six common price points. For each, we assume you sourced the item at approximately 30% of sale price (a standard reseller margin target).

$10 Sale — The Low-End Auction Item

Effective fee rate: 13.9%. At this price point, that $0.30 flat fee is doing real damage. If you’re running rapid-fire $1 auctions that close at $5–10, you’re paying premium fee rates. Consider bundling low-value items to push individual transaction values higher.

$25 Sale — The Sweet Spot for Most Categories

Effective fee rate: 12.1%. This is where Whatnot starts to become genuinely competitive. Most successful mid-tier sellers target this range as their average sale price (ASP).

$50 Sale — The Mid-Range Winner

Effective fee rate: 11.5%. At $50, you’re keeping nearly 89 cents of every dollar in revenue. This is the price range where Whatnot’s live format truly shines—the competitive bidding environment frequently pushes items to $50+ that might only sell for $30–35 on eBay.

$100 Sale — High-Demand Collectibles

$250 Sale — Premium Items

$500 Sale — High-Value Flips

Pro Tip: Use Underpriced to analyze sold comps before pricing any item over $50. The AI-powered analysis shows you exactly what similar items have sold for across platforms, so you can set starting bids that maximize final sale prices without scaring off bidders.

How Fees Apply by Selling Format

Whatnot offers three primary selling formats, and fees apply identically in terms of rate—but the format dramatically changes your effective cost of selling.

Live Auctions

The hallmark of Whatnot. You go live, present items, and viewers bid in real-time. Fees are 8% + 2.9% + $0.30 on the winning bid amount. The key advantage: auction dynamics frequently push prices 20–40% above what items would command in static listings. A card lot you’d list for $25 on eBay might go for $35–45 in an engaged live audience.

Real cost consideration: Live shows require 2–4 hours of your time including setup, streaming, and post-show shipping prep. Factor your hourly rate into profitability. A 3-hour show moving 40 items at $25 ASP generates $1,000 in revenue, approximately $880 in payouts, minus COGS. If your COGS total $300, you’re making $580 for roughly 5 hours of total work (including prep and shipping)—that’s $116/hour before overhead.

Buy It Now (BIN) During Live Shows

Many sellers use BIN pricing during live shows for higher-value items or items where they have a firm floor price. Same fee structure applies. The advantage is speed—BIN items sell instantly without needing to wait 15–30 seconds for an auction to close, which keeps show pacing tight and energy high.

Marketplace Listings (Static)

Whatnot’s marketplace allows fixed-price listings that sit on the platform like a traditional e-commerce listing. Identical 8% + 2.9% + $0.30 fees apply. The sell-through rate is typically lower than live shows, but items are discoverable through search and category browsing 24/7. Many sellers use the marketplace to list items that didn’t sell during shows or to maintain a persistent storefront between streams.

Best practice: For detailed strategies on when to use each format, see our Whatnot Live Selling Strategies guide.

Promoted Shows and Advertising Costs

Beyond the per-transaction fees, Whatnot offers paid promotional tools that let sellers boost their visibility. These are optional but increasingly used by competitive sellers.

Promoted Shows

Whatnot’s Promoted Shows program places your upcoming show in premium positions within the app—on the home feed, category pages, and via push notifications to relevant users. Costs vary based on:

• Category competitiveness: Popular categories like trading cards have higher promotion costs
• Time slot demand: Prime-time evening slots (7–10 PM EST) cost more than afternoon streams
• Audience size targeting: Broader reach costs more than niche targeting

As of early 2026, Promoted Shows typically cost between $25 and $200+ per promotion, depending on factors above. Whatnot uses a bid-based system where sellers set a budget and the platform optimizes for visibility within that budget.

Bump Features

Bumps are smaller visibility boosts that push your scheduled show higher in category listings. These are less expensive than full Promoted Shows—typically $5 to $25—and are effective for sellers with an existing follower base who just need the extra push to appear in feeds.

Featured Category Spots

Occasionally, Whatnot offers featured placement within specific categories for a set fee. These are negotiated directly with Whatnot’s seller success team and are typically reserved for established sellers with strong track records.

Are Promotional Fees Worth It?

For new sellers without an established audience, Promoted Shows can provide the critical initial exposure needed to build a following. The ROI depends on your conversion rates and average order value. A general benchmark:

• Worth it if your show generates $500+ in GMV from a $50 promotion (10:1 return)
• Break-even at roughly 5:1 return
• Not worth it below 3:1 return

Track your promotional spending separately using a tool like our ROI Calculator to measure whether paid boosts are actually improving your bottom line.

Hidden Costs Every Whatnot Seller Overlooks

Platform fees are only part of the cost equation. Successful Whatnot sellers account for these frequently overlooked expenses:

1. Shipping Supplies — $0.50 to $3.00 Per Item

Polymailers, bubble mailers, boxes, tape, labels, tissue paper, thank-you cards. These add up fast. At 200 shipments per month, even $1.50 per package in supplies costs $300/month.

2. Camera and Lighting Equipment

A professional-looking stream requires at minimum:

If you spend $300 on equipment that lasts two years, that’s roughly $12.50/month in depreciation—a legitimate and deductible business expense.

3. Internet Service

Reliable streaming requires a minimum 10 Mbps upload speed. If you’re upgrading your internet plan specifically for live selling, the incremental cost ($20–$50/month) is a business expense.

4. Giveaway Costs

Giveaways are virtually required to grow and retain your Whatnot audience. Most successful sellers run 2–5 giveaways per show. If each giveaway item costs $3–10, a show with 4 giveaways costs $12–40 in inventory you’re giving away for free. Over 12 shows per month, that’s $144–$480/month in giveaway costs.

5. Returns and Buyer Protection Claims

Whatnot’s buyer protection program may result in refunds where you lose both the item and the payment. While return rates on Whatnot are lower than most platforms (roughly 2–4% for reputable sellers), they happen. Budget for a 3% return rate on your gross revenue.

6. Time Cost

This is the biggest hidden cost. A single 3-hour show requires:

• Pre-show prep (sorting, photographing, listing): 1–3 hours
• Live streaming: 2–4 hours
• Post-show shipping prep: 1–3 hours
• Customer service (messages, issues): 30–60 minutes

A conservative total is 6–10 hours per show. If you value your time at $25/hour and spend 8 hours per show, that’s $200 in opportunity cost per stream. Make sure your shows are generating enough profit to justify this investment.

7. Software and Subscriptions

Many sellers use paid tools for inventory management, accounting, price research, and analytics. Budget $20–$50/month for essential business software.

Total Real Cost Per Sale

When you add up platform fees, shipping supplies, equipment depreciation, giveaway costs, and time investment, the true cost per sale on Whatnot can be 18–25% of revenue for most sellers—significantly higher than the headline 11% fee rate. Understanding this full picture is critical for pricing your items correctly.

Whatnot Fees vs Every Major Platform

Here’s how Whatnot stacks up against every major reselling platform in 2026. This comparison uses a $50 sale as the benchmark.

Platform Comparison Analysis

Whatnot vs eBay: Whatnot is roughly 2.4 percentage points cheaper than eBay on most categories. For a seller moving $5,000/month in GMV, that’s $120/month in fee savings. However, eBay offers passive listing income without the time commitment of live shows. For a deeper comparison, see Whatnot vs eBay.

Whatnot vs Poshmark: Poshmark’s 20% fee makes Whatnot dramatically cheaper—nearly half the cost. A $5,000/month seller saves $425/month selling on Whatnot instead of Poshmark.

Whatnot vs Mercari: Very similar effective rates. The deciding factor is format preference: live selling vs static listings.

Whatnot vs Depop: Depop eliminated seller fees for US sellers in 2024, making it the lowest-cost major platform. However, Depop’s audience skews young and fashion-focused, with limited demand for collectibles and trading cards.

Whatnot vs Facebook Marketplace: Facebook has zero fees for local sales, but offers no seller protection, no built-in shipping, and requires dealing with no-shows and lowballers. Shipped items through Facebook’s checkout system incur modest fees.

Use the Platform Fee Comparator to run side-by-side comparisons with your actual numbers.

Whatnot’s Payout Schedule and Timing

Understanding when you actually receive your money is just as important as knowing the fees.

Standard Payout Timeline

• Payout initiation: 1–2 business days after the buyer confirms receipt or 5 days after tracking shows delivery (whichever comes first)
• Bank transfer: 1–3 business days after payout is initiated
• Total time from sale to bank deposit: Typically 3–7 business days

Important Payout Details

• Minimum payout threshold: $1.00 (Whatnot pays out even small balances)
• Payout method: Direct bank deposit (ACH) — no PayPal or other options currently
• Payout holds: New sellers may experience longer holds (up to 7 additional days) for the first 30 days while Whatnot establishes trust
• Weekend/holiday delays: Payouts initiated on Friday may not arrive until the following Tuesday or Wednesday

Cash Flow Planning

If you’re running 3–4 shows per week, your payout cadence becomes relatively predictable after the first month. Most established sellers see deposits landing every 2–3 days as previous sales complete their payout cycle. However, plan for a 2-week cash float when starting out—you’ll be purchasing inventory and shipping supplies before receiving your first payouts.

Strategies to Minimize Your Effective Fee Rate

You can’t change Whatnot’s fee percentages, but you can structure your business to reduce their impact on your margins.

1. Increase Your Average Sale Price (ASP)

The single most effective strategy. The $0.30 flat fee becomes negligible at higher price points, dropping your effective rate from 17% ($5 items) to 11% ($100+ items). Prioritize quality inventory that commands higher prices—see Best Items to Sell on Whatnot for category performance data.

2. Bundle Low-Value Items

Instead of auctioning 10 items at $3 each (effective fee rate: ~14.9%), bundle them as a lot of 10 for $30 (effective fee rate: ~11.9%). You save $1.70 in fees on the same gross revenue, and you save nine transactions worth of shipping supplies and time.

3. Use “Start at $1” Strategically

The $1 start auction is a Whatnot staple that creates excitement, but items that close at $3–5 get crushed by the flat processing fee. Use $1 starts only for items you’re confident will bid up past $15. For items with uncertain demand, set a higher starting bid or use BIN pricing.

4. Minimize Giveaway Spending

Giveaways drive engagement, but don’t over-spend. Source low-cost giveaway items at garage sales, thrift stores, or wholesale. Average giveaway cost should stay under $5 per item. Track giveaway ROI—does a $20 giveaway actually bring you more buyers at your show than giving away $5 items?

5. Optimize Shipping Costs

Always use Whatnot’s provided labels—they include discounted USPS Commercial Base pricing. Avoid paying retail postage rates. Stock up on free USPS Priority Mail flat rate boxes and regional rate packaging from usps.com. Consider shipping supply subscriptions for poly mailers and bubble mailers at wholesale rates.

6. Cross-List Strategically

Items that don’t sell in live shows should be cross-listed on eBay, Mercari, or other platforms. Don’t let unsold inventory just sit—every day it doesn’t sell is a day you’re paying for storage space and capital tied up in dead stock.

7. Negotiate for Volume

Sellers with consistent high GMV (typically $10,000+/month) may be able to negotiate reduced commission rates or promotional credit directly with Whatnot’s seller success team. Reach out and ask—the worst they can say is no.

Tax Implications of Whatnot Fees

Every fee you pay on Whatnot is a deductible business expense that reduces your taxable income. This is critical for resellers subject to 1099-K reporting.

What’s Deductible

• Whatnot commission (8%) — fully deductible as a selling expense
• Payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) — fully deductible
• Promoted Show costs — deductible as advertising/marketing
• Shipping supplies — deductible as materials/supplies
• Equipment (camera, lights, displays) — depreciable or Section 179 deductible
• Internet (business portion) — partially deductible based on business use percentage
• Giveaway items — deductible as promotional/marketing expenses
• Software/subscriptions — fully deductible as business tools

Record Keeping

Whatnot provides a year-end tax summary showing your total sales and fees paid. However, this doesn’t capture shipping supplies, equipment, giveaways, or other expenses. Maintain a separate spreadsheet or accounting system (QuickBooks Self-Employed, Wave, or similar) that tracks all business expenses throughout the year.

For a deep dive on tax obligations, estimated payments, and 1099-K thresholds for resellers, read our upcoming guide: Whatnot Taxes & 1099-K Guide.

2026 Fee Changes and Updates

As of February 2026, Whatnot has not announced any changes to its core 8% + 2.9% + $0.30 fee structure. Here’s what’s current:

• Commission rate: 8% — unchanged since launch
• Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 — unchanged
• Promoted Shows: Still available with bid-based pricing; costs have increased slightly year-over-year as more sellers compete for visibility
• New seller promotions: Whatnot continues to offer onboarding credits and promotional boosts for newly approved sellers
• Expanded marketplace listings: As of February 2026, Whatnot has expanded its marketplace (non-live) listings significantly, giving sellers a larger static storefront presence. Marketplace listings use the identical fee structure as live sales — 8% + 2.9% + $0.30 — with no additional listing fees
• Seller Rewards program: Whatnot’s “Seller Rewards” program now offers fee credits and promotional boosts for top-performing sellers who meet monthly GMV thresholds. Sellers consistently hitting $10,000+ in monthly GMV report receiving periodic fee credit bonuses and priority access to Promoted Shows at reduced rates
• Competitive pressure from eBay Live: eBay’s launch of eBay Live (live selling within the eBay app) has introduced direct competition in the live commerce space. This competitive pressure incentivizes Whatnot to keep fees low and continue investing in seller-friendly features to retain its seller base
• Combined shipping improvements: Whatnot has rolled out improved combined shipping options that allow buyers purchasing multiple items from the same seller to pay reduced per-item shipping costs. This lowers the total checkout price for multi-item orders, which increases buyer conversion rates and average order values — indirectly improving your per-show profitability
• International expansion: As Whatnot expands into additional European markets, fee structures in those regions may differ slightly from US rates due to local payment processing costs and VAT requirements

What to Watch For

Industry analysts expect live commerce platforms to begin experimenting with tiered commission structures in 2026–2027, potentially offering lower rates to high-volume sellers. Whatnot hasn’t confirmed any plans, but competitors like Whatnot’s new rivals in the live selling space are already testing volume-based pricing. We’ll update this guide if any changes are announced.

When Whatnot’s Fees Make It the Most Profitable Platform

Despite the live selling effort required, there are clear scenarios where Whatnot delivers higher net profit than any other platform:

1. Competitive Bidding Items

Items with passionate collectors—sports cards, Pokémon, vintage sneakers, rare comics—routinely sell for 20–60% more on Whatnot than on eBay or Mercari due to auction dynamics and FOMO bidding. Even with the 11% fee, a $80 Whatnot sale nets more than a $55 eBay sale after eBay’s 13.25% fee.

2. Bulk Lots and Mystery Packs

The live format makes mystery packs and bulk lots exciting. An unsorted lot of vintage cards you’d struggle to sell for $20 on eBay might move for $35–50 during a show, because the audience is watching you open and sort in real time.

3. Items With Visual Appeal

Jewelry, art prints, vintage clothing, and anything that “pops” on camera performs exceptionally well on Whatnot. The visual presentation advantage doesn’t exist on static listing platforms.

4. Community-Driven Categories

Categories where buyers develop loyalty to specific sellers—coins, antiques, vintage toys—see repeat purchase rates of 30–50% on Whatnot. This repeat business dramatically reduces your customer acquisition cost compared to platforms where every sale requires a new buyer to find your listing.

5. Fast Inventory Turnover

If cash flow velocity matters to your business model, Whatnot wins. You can move 40–100 items in a single 3-hour show versus waiting days or weeks for those same items to sell individually on eBay. Faster turns = more buying power = better sourcing opportunities.

For more context on whether Whatnot is the right platform for your business, check out the Complete Guide to Selling on Whatnot.

Fee Comparison: Whatnot Live vs eBay Live in 2026

With eBay launching its own live selling feature (eBay Live), Whatnot now has a direct competitor in the live commerce space. Here’s how their fee structures compare side by side.

Per-Transaction Fee Breakdown

Fee Savings at Scale: Whatnot vs eBay Live

The fee gap compounds significantly as your monthly volume grows. Here’s what you save by selling on Whatnot instead of eBay Live at three common monthly revenue levels (assuming a $50 average sale price):

At $10,000/month in GMV, selling on Whatnot instead of eBay Live saves you nearly $2,880 per year in fees alone — enough to fund a significant inventory purchase or cover your entire annual software and equipment budget.

Beyond Fees: Platform Differences

Fees aren’t the only consideration. Whatnot was purpose-built for live selling with features like real-time bidding, giveaway tools, and a dedicated collector audience. eBay Live grafts live selling onto an existing marketplace — giving sellers access to eBay’s massive buyer base but with a less polished live experience and higher fees. For a complete breakdown of features, audience, and seller experience, see our Whatnot vs eBay Live comparison.

Calculate Your Real Profit

Knowing the fee structure is step one. Actually running the numbers on your specific inventory is where profit optimization happens.

Use these free tools to model your Whatnot profitability:

• Whatnot Fee Calculator — Input any sale price and see your exact payout after all Whatnot fees
• Flip Profit Calculator — Factor in your cost of goods, fees, and shipping to see true flip profit
• ROI Calculator — Measure your return on investment across sourcing trips and shows
• eBay Fee Calculator — Compare your Whatnot numbers against what you’d net on eBay
• Platform Fee Comparator — Run side-by-side fee comparisons across all major platforms

Stop guessing your margins. Underpriced gives resellers AI-powered sold comp data so you can price every item with confidence. Know what it’s worth before you put it on camera—start analyzing deals for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping?

No. Whatnot’s 8% commission and payment processing fees are calculated only on the item sale price, not on shipping charges. Buyers pay shipping separately at checkout.

Is the 8% fee negotiable?

For most sellers, no. However, very high-volume sellers ($10K+ monthly GMV) have reported success in negotiating promotional credits or reduced rates by working directly with Whatnot’s seller success team.

Do I pay fees on items that are returned?

If a return is processed through Whatnot’s buyer protection, fees are typically refunded along with the sale amount. However, processing can take 5–10 business days, and you may lose the cost of return shipping.

Are there fees for canceling an order?

There’s no explicit cancellation fee, but frequent cancellations damage your seller metrics and can result in account warnings or suspension. Whatnot tracks your cancellation rate as a seller health metric.

Do marketplace listings have different fees than live show sales?

No. The fee structure (8% + 2.9% + $0.30) is identical regardless of whether the sale happens during a live show or through a static marketplace listing.

How do fees work on bundle orders?

When a buyer purchases multiple items in a single transaction (common during live shows), fees are calculated on the total combined sale price. This is slightly more favorable than individual transactions because you only pay the $0.30 flat fee once instead of per item.

When will Whatnot raise fees?

There’s no announced timeline. Whatnot’s fee structure has remained stable since launch, and the platform’s investor-backed growth strategy prioritizes seller acquisition over fee revenue maximization. However, fee increases are always possible as the platform matures.

Has Whatnot raised fees in 2026?

No. As of February 2026, Whatnot’s core fee structure of 8% seller commission + 2.9% payment processing + $0.30 per transaction remains completely unchanged since the platform’s launch. Whatnot has not introduced any new mandatory fees, increased existing rates, or added hidden surcharges. The competitive pressure from eBay Live’s entry into live selling, along with continued growth from platforms like Mercari and Depop, gives Whatnot strong incentive to keep fees low to retain and attract sellers. If anything, the Seller Rewards program has effectively reduced fees for high-volume sellers through fee credits. We monitor Whatnot’s fee announcements closely and will update this guide immediately if any changes occur.

Related reading:

• Complete Guide to Selling on Whatnot
• Whatnot vs eBay: Which Platform is Better?
• Best Items to Sell on Whatnot
• Whatnot Live Selling Strategies
• Whatnot Taxes & 1099-K Guide
• Whatnot Show Formats & Auction Ideas
• Whatnot Seller Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Price Items to Sell