Whatnot Fees: What Sellers Pay per Sale

Whatnot fees for a new US seller are an 8% commission on the item's sale price plus a payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 on the full order, including buyer-paid shipping and tax, as of 2026. Since September 21, 2026, the commission part falls in tiers as your sales grow, and some categories, such as coins, pay less from the start.

This guide breaks down every Whatnot fee for sellers, with worked numbers, so you can price items before a show. Whatnot changed its fee structure recently and runs time-limited promotions, so confirm your current rate card in Seller Hub.

How much does Whatnot take per sale?

For most categories at the starting tier, Whatnot takes about 11% to 13% of a typical $25 to $100 sale once commission and processing are combined. The two parts are calculated on different bases:

• Commission: 8% of the item price only. Buyer-paid shipping and sales tax are excluded.
• Payment processing: 2.9% of the total the buyer pays (item, shipping and tax) plus a fixed $0.30 per transaction, in the US, Canada and Australia.

Example (hypothetical): what you keep at the 8% starting rate when the buyer pays $5.25 shipping, Whatnot's US Ground Advantage price for a package over 8 oz and up to 12 oz. Sales tax is left out for simplicity; where it applies, it adds a little to the processing fee.

"You keep" is before what you paid for the item, supplies and your time, and assumes the buyer's shipping payment covers the label. Fees are only one piece of whether live selling pays; our guide to reselling for profit shows how buy price, fees and time fit together.

How does Whatnot's tiered commission work?

Whatnot's commission now drops as your sales grow. Your total sales across all categories in a four-week (28-day) period set your tier, and that tier sets your commission rate for the next period.

A few rules shape how this works in practice:

• Your rate is locked for the period. Crossing a threshold lowers your rate next period, not immediately.
• Every period starts from zero. Sales don't carry over, and a drop in sales can move you down a tier.
• Cancellations, local pickup orders and private shows are subtracted from your total.
• Each account counts separately. Sales on a second seller account don't add up.
• Rates vary by category within a tier. For live sales, the show's category decides the rate; for marketplace sales, the product's category does.

US commission rates by tier, as of October 2026:

Be realistic about these thresholds: the first tier needs $15,000 in sales inside a single four-week window. Most new sellers will pay the standard rate for a long time, so price your items on 8%.

The headline "as low as 3%" rate is a custom rate for the highest-volume sellers who work with an account manager; you can't apply for it. Whatnot also warns that listing a show in the wrong category to get a lower rate counts as fee avoidance and can lead to enforcement.

Fees outside the US

Rate cards are set per market. Canada and Australia start at 8% commission with the same 2.9% + $0.30 processing as the US, but with different tier thresholds in local currency. In the UK and the EU countries Whatnot serves, most categories start at 6.67% commission, processing is 2.42% + £0.25 or €0.25, and VAT applies to the fees. Japan isn't on tiers yet and pays 8% plus JCT.

Which categories pay a lower commission?

Two category programs cut the commission for every seller, not just high-volume ones.

• Coins and Money: items properly listed under Coins and Bullion or Paper Money and Currency pay a 4% commission at the standard tier, plus normal payment processing.
• High-value orders: in select categories, Whatnot charges 0% commission on the portion of an individual order above $1,500. Eligible categories include Comics and Anime, Toys and Hobbies, Coins and Money, Trading Card Games, Entertainment Cards, Sports Singles, Bags and Accessories, and Jewelry and Watches. Sports breaks and surprise products are excluded.

Example (hypothetical): you sell a graded sports card single for $2,000. Commission is 8% of the first $1,500, or $120, and 0% on the remaining $500. Processing still applies to the full order: 2.9% of $2,000 plus $0.30 is $58.30, before shipping and tax. Total fees come to about $178.30, close to 9% of the sale.

Whatnot describes the high-value rate as a limited-time promotion that it can change or end at any time, so check that it's still active before you rely on it.

Why do $1 starts cost so much?

The fixed $0.30 processing fee is the reason. On a $1 item it alone is 30% of the price, and the 2.9% applies to the shipping as well, so total fees can top half of what the buyer bid.

Some sellers open auctions at $1 to pull viewers into a show. That can work when bidding is strong, but if one person bids, you sell at $1 and keep less than 50 cents. Before you use low starts, decide which items you can afford to lose money on, and set the rest at a floor you'd accept. Our walkthrough of how to sell on Whatnot covers setting starting bids and auction timers.

Bundling helps: one $15 lot pays one $0.30 fixed fee instead of fifteen.

What other Whatnot fees can sellers run into?

Beyond commission and processing, a few costs apply only in specific situations.

Cancellation fee

If you cancel an order for a reason within your control, such as missing inventory or a wrong listing, the fee is $3 or 3% of the order total, whichever is higher. Your first seller cancellation fee is waived, and buyer-requested cancellations submitted through Whatnot don't carry one.

Giveaway shipping

Sellers pay all shipping on giveaways, including international shipping if it's enabled. Whatnot deducts the cost from your balance when the giveaway runs; if your balance can't cover it, it goes negative and comes out of future earnings. A giveaway every few minutes adds up fast.

Paid promotion

Whatnot sells optional tools to promote shows and listings, such as Show Promotion and Boost. They're not required, and the cost depends on what you buy.

Sales tax on fees

In some US states, Whatnot must charge sales tax on its fees and deducts it from your earnings. As of 2026, that applies to commission in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico and West Virginia, and to payment processing in Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia. A resale certificate doesn't exempt you from these.

Payouts

Whatnot's payout help page doesn't list a charge for standard bank transfers through Stripe Connect, and payouts typically arrive in 1 to 2 business days in most countries. Check the Payouts page in Seller Hub for anything that applies to your account.

How do Whatnot fees affect your taxes?

Fees reduce your profit, but they don't change what you must report. Whatnot says all US sellers are responsible for reporting all earnings, whether or not they receive a Form 1099-K; for payments made in 2025 the federal threshold for the form was more than $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions, with lower thresholds in some states.

Seller Hub provides monthly and annual seller statements that break down income and fees, which makes record-keeping easier. For what a reseller can realistically expect to earn after every cost, see how much you can make flipping.

How can you keep more of each Whatnot sale?

You can't negotiate the starting rate, but you control what you sell and how.

• Price on the full fee stack. Use roughly 11% to 13% for typical items at the standard rate, and more for anything under $10. Our guide on how to price items for resale shows how to set a maximum buy price after fees.
• Avoid tiny sales. Bundle cheap items into lots so one $0.30 fee covers several.
• Categorize correctly. Coins and high-value items get lower rates only when listed in the right category.
• Never cancel if you can avoid it. Confirm inventory before you go live.
• Budget giveaways as a marketing cost, including the shipping.
• Keep every sale on Whatnot. Off-platform deals break the rules and lose Whatnot's protections for both sides.

Next steps

Before your next show, work out the fee on your five most common price points and check your current tier in Seller Hub.

• Our step-by-step guide to reselling for profit helps you compare live selling with listing-based platforms.
• New to the app? Start with how to sell on Whatnot.

For other realistic ways to earn, see our guide to making money online.