Selling on Poshmark, Mercari, or eBay is a slow game. List an item. Wait. Maybe lower the price. Wait some more. Hope the algorithm shows it to the right person at the right time. Whatnot throws all of that out the window.
On Whatnot, you go live. You hold up an item. Twenty people are watching. You start the auction at $1. Within 30 seconds, it's at $15. At 45 seconds, someone bids $22. Sold. Next item. The whole thing feels more like hosting a show than running a store, and that shift in energy is what makes some resellers fall in love with the platform and others bounce off it entirely.
If the idea of being on camera makes you nervous, that's normal. If the idea of turning a pile of inventory into cash in a single evening sounds appealing, keep reading.
How Whatnot Actually Works
Whatnot is a live-streaming marketplace. Sellers host real-time video shows where buyers watch, bid on items, and purchase instantly. Think QVC meets Twitch meets a flea market. It sounds chaotic, and honestly, the good shows kind of are.
The Two Ways to Sell
Live Auctions are the main event. You go live, show an item to your viewers, and run a timed auction (typically 15-60 seconds). Highest bidder wins. Payment processes automatically. Move to the next item. A single show can move 30-100+ items in 2-3 hours.
Buy It Now listings work like any other marketplace. Fixed price, no live component required. These are useful for higher-value items that might not do well in a fast-paced auction or for maintaining sales between shows. But they're not what makes Whatnot special.
The Psychology of Live
Live selling works because of urgency and entertainment. When a viewer sees other people bidding, something triggers in their brain: competition, scarcity, FOMO. Items that might sit for weeks on a static marketplace get snapped up in seconds during a show.
Sellers consistently report earning 2-3x more per item on Whatnot compared to static marketplaces, driven by impulse bidding and the auction dynamic. The entertainment value keeps people watching, and watching leads to buying.
Getting Approved as a Seller
Whatnot isn't open to everyone. You apply, and they review your application. Approval takes anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the category and your background.
What helps your application:
- Existing presence on other marketplaces (Poshmark, eBay, Mercari) with sales history
- Social media following, even modest ones, in your product category
- Clear photos of inventory you plan to sell
- Specificity about which categories you'll focus on
- A realistic plan for consistent streaming
Once approved, you'll set up your profile, connect a payout method, and add a return address. Then you can schedule your first show.
Setting Up Your First Show
The first show is always a little rough. Accept that now. You'll fumble with the interface, talk too fast, forget to show something clearly, and probably have a moment where you stare at the camera not knowing what to say. Every single successful Whatnot seller went through this.
Pre-Show Preparation
- Pick a category and stick to it. Your first show should be focused. "Vintage clothing" or "Pokémon cards" or "sneaker drops." Not "random stuff from my garage." Category focus attracts the right viewers.
- Pre-list your items. Whatnot lets you add items before going live. Upload photos, descriptions, and starting prices ahead of time. This saves fumbling during the show.
- Prepare 20-40 items. Enough for a solid 1-2 hour show. Better to have extra than to run out of things to sell.
- Test your setup. Camera angle, lighting, internet connection. Natural light or a ring light works. Stable WiFi is non-negotiable — a dropped stream kills momentum.
- Schedule in advance. Whatnot promotes scheduled shows to potential viewers. A show scheduled 3-5 days out has time to build anticipation.
During the Show
Energy matters more than polish. You don't need to be a professional broadcaster. You need to be genuinely enthusiastic about what you're selling and comfortable interacting with people in real time.
- Greet viewers by name when they join. It makes them feel seen and more likely to stick around.
- Hold items clearly to the camera. Rotate them. Show details, tags, condition. Buyers can't touch the item — your camera is their hands.
- Be honest about flaws. "This has a small stain on the back, I'll show you" builds more trust than hiding it. Buyers who feel deceived leave bad reviews and don't come back.
- Keep the pace moving. 60-90 seconds per item is a good rhythm. Too slow and viewers get bored. Too fast and they can't process what they're seeing.
- Engage with the chat. Answer questions, acknowledge comments, react to bids. The social interaction is what keeps people watching.
Starting auctions at $1 feels terrifying. What if nobody bids? What if it sells for $3? In practice, the low start price attracts more viewers and creates more bidding competition. Items regularly sell for 5-20x the starting bid. The excitement of watching a price climb is what drives engagement.
After the Show
Ship everything within 2 business days. Whatnot takes this seriously. Late shipping hurts your seller metrics and your ability to get promoted for future shows.
Review what sold, what didn't, and at what prices. Your first few shows are data collection. Which items generated the most excitement? What price ranges performed best? When did viewership peak? This information shapes your future shows.
What Whatnot Takes
Whatnot charges an 8% commission on the sale price plus a 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee. All-in, expect to pay roughly 11-12% per transaction. No listing fees, no subscription tiers, no monthly costs.
For context, that's cheaper than Poshmark's 20%, comparable to eBay's ~13%, and slightly more than Mercari's 10%. Given that items often sell for more on Whatnot due to the auction dynamic, the effective cost can be lower than it appears.
Some categories get special rates. Coins & Money drops to 4% commission. Electronics is 5%. And for trading cards, comics, and sports categories, Whatnot only charges commission on the first $1,500 of a sale — everything above that is commission-free.
Building Your Audience
Your first show might have 3 viewers. That's fine. Every successful Whatnot seller started somewhere. The audience builds through consistency, quality, and community.
Consistency Is Everything
Set a regular schedule and stick to it. "Every Thursday at 7 PM" gives viewers a reason to plan around your show. Irregular scheduling means nobody knows when you're live, so nobody shows up.
Many successful sellers stream 2-4 times per week. More frequent shows build audience faster, but sustainability matters. Two great shows per week beats five mediocre ones.
Promote Outside Whatnot
Whatnot has discovery features, but your growth accelerates when you bring an outside audience in. Instagram stories, TikTok clips of your best auction moments, even a simple "Going live tonight at 7!" post in relevant Facebook groups. Each viewer you bring from outside is someone Whatnot's algorithm wouldn't have found on its own.
Community Building
The sellers who build the biggest audiences on Whatnot treat their viewers like a community, not just customers. They remember regulars, do giveaways, answer questions about the hobby (not just the products), and create an atmosphere people want to come back to even when they're not buying.
Some sellers create Discord servers for their buyer community. Others post behind-the-scenes content of sourcing trips. The specific tactic matters less than the intent: make people feel like they belong to something, not just that they're being sold to.
Is Whatnot Right for Your Reselling Business?
Whatnot isn't for everyone, and that's not a weakness of the platform — it's a feature of its format.
Good Fit If...
- You're comfortable being on camera and talking to people
- You have volume — enough inventory to run regular shows
- Your products are visual and exciting to show (vintage finds, collectibles, sneakers, fashion)
- You enjoy the performance aspect of selling
- You want to move inventory faster than static marketplaces allow
Not a Great Fit If...
- You strongly prefer the list-and-wait approach of traditional marketplaces
- Your inventory is small or slow to replenish
- You sell items that don't present well on camera (commodity basics, generic home goods)
- Camera anxiety is a dealbreaker for you
- You can't commit to a regular streaming schedule
Plenty of successful resellers use Whatnot as one channel alongside Poshmark, eBay, or Mercari. The platforms complement each other: items that don't sell on a static marketplace might move fast in a live auction, and vice versa. You don't have to choose one.
Getting Started
Apply for a seller account. While you wait for approval, watch other sellers' shows in your category. Notice what works: how they pace their shows, how they engage chat, how they handle items that don't get bids. This is your free education.
Once approved, schedule your first show for a week out. Give yourself time to prepare inventory, test your setup, and promote the show. Keep expectations modest for show one. The goal isn't to maximize revenue — it's to get comfortable going live and learn what your audience responds to.
Live selling is the fastest-growing format in reselling for a reason. It turns a passive transaction into an experience. If that appeals to you, Whatnot is where that experience happens.