Before you sell a single item on Whatnot, you need to understand what you're paying. Whatnot seller fees in 2026 are some of the most competitive in the reselling world — but they're not zero, and they add up fast at scale.
This guide breaks down every fee you'll encounter, with real math, real examples, and a comparison to other platforms. No guessing. No surprises on payout day.
🧮 Quick answer: Most Whatnot sellers pay an effective rate of 10–12% of their gross sales after all fees (commission + payment processing). That's significantly lower than eBay (13–15%) or Poshmark (20%). But the details matter — keep reading.
Whatnot Fee Overview: What You Actually Pay
Here's every fee a Whatnot seller encounters:
| Fee Type | Rate | When You Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Seller Commission | ~8% | Every sale |
| Payment Processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | Every sale |
| Shipping Labels | Varies by weight/carrier | Per shipment (optional — buyer can pay) |
| Promotes | You set budget | Only if you use promotes |
| Listing Fees | $0 | Never |
| Monthly/Subscription Fees | $0 | Never |
Let's break each one down.
Seller Commission Rate
Whatnot charges a seller commission on every sale. As of early 2026, the standard rate is approximately 8% of the sale price. This is Whatnot's primary revenue source.
What Counts as "Sale Price"?
The commission is calculated on the item price only — not on shipping or taxes. If a buyer pays $25 for an item + $5 shipping + $2 tax, Whatnot's commission is based on the $25.
Does the Rate Change?
- Volume discounts: Whatnot has been known to negotiate lower rates with very high-volume sellers (typically $50K+/month). If you're at that level, reach out to your Whatnot seller rep.
- Category variations: Some categories or promotional periods may have different rates. Whatnot occasionally runs reduced-fee events to attract sellers to new categories.
- New seller promotions: Whatnot sometimes offers reduced fees for your first 30–90 days to help new sellers get started.
⚠️ Note: Whatnot can change fee structures. Always check the current Whatnot seller fee schedule on their official website for the most up-to-date rates. The figures in this article are based on information available as of February 2026.
Payment Processing Fees
On top of the commission, there's a payment processing fee of approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This covers credit card processing through Whatnot's payment system.
How This Affects Small Sales
The $0.30 flat fee per transaction hits small sales harder:
| Sale Price | Commission (8%) | Processing (2.9% + $0.30) | Total Fees | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.40 | $0.45 | $0.85 | 17.0% |
| $10 | $0.80 | $0.59 | $1.39 | 13.9% |
| $25 | $2.00 | $1.03 | $3.03 | 12.1% |
| $50 | $4.00 | $1.75 | $5.75 | 11.5% |
| $100 | $8.00 | $3.20 | $11.20 | 11.2% |
| $500 | $40.00 | $14.80 | $54.80 | 11.0% |
Key takeaway: Selling a $5 item costs you 17% in fees. Selling a $100 item costs 11.2%. Higher average sale prices = lower effective fee rates. This is why increasing your average sale price matters so much.
Shipping Label Fees
Whatnot offers discounted shipping labels through their platform. Here's what you need to know:
- Who pays? The buyer typically pays a flat shipping fee that Whatnot charges at checkout. This covers the label cost.
- Seller-paid shipping: If you offer free shipping to attract buyers, you eat the label cost. The label price depends on weight and distance.
- Discounted rates: Whatnot's labels are cheaper than retail USPS/UPS rates because of their volume. Typical savings: 15–30% off retail postage.
- Combined shipping: When a buyer wins multiple items, Whatnot automatically combines into one shipment. You save on packaging and labor.
Typical Shipping Label Costs (2026)
| Weight | USPS First Class (Whatnot Label) | USPS Priority (Whatnot Label) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 oz | $3.00–3.50 | N/A |
| 4–8 oz | $3.50–4.00 | $7.50–8.50 |
| 8–16 oz | $4.00–5.00 | $8.00–10.00 |
| 1–2 lbs | N/A (over 1 lb limit) | $9.00–12.00 |
| 2–5 lbs | N/A | $10.00–15.00 |
Promote Fees: Are They Worth It?
Whatnot's "Promote" feature lets you pay to boost your show's visibility. Think of it like Instagram or Facebook ads — you set a budget, and Whatnot pushes your show to more users.
How Promotes Work
- You set a daily budget (e.g., $20–100)
- Whatnot shows your stream to users who follow similar categories
- You pay per impression or per new viewer (varies)
- Results show in your seller dashboard
Are They Worth It?
It depends on your numbers. Here's a framework:
- Track your ROI: If you spend $50 on promotes and it brings in $500 extra sales (10× return), absolutely worth it.
- Start small: Test with $10–20 and measure the impact on viewer count and sales.
- New sellers benefit most: You have no followers yet, so organic reach is low. Promotes jumpstart your audience.
- Established sellers: If you already get 100+ viewers organically, promotes have diminishing returns.
BundleLive's promote ROI tracker helps you measure whether your promote spend is actually driving profitable sales.
Hidden Costs Most Sellers Forget
Whatnot fees are only part of the equation. Here are costs that eat into your real profit:
- Packaging materials: Poly mailers ($0.10–0.30), bubble wrap ($0.15–0.50), boxes ($0.50–2.00), tape, labels. At 200 orders/month, this adds $50–150+.
- Inventory cost: Your cost of goods sold. If you buy a shirt for $5 at Goodwill and sell for $25, your true profit is $25 – fees – $5 COGS – packaging.
- Returns and refunds: Expect 2–5% return rate. You eat the shipping both ways plus the refund.
- Equipment: Phone, tripod, ring light, thermal printer. One-time costs but worth factoring in.
- Time: This is the biggest hidden cost. Sourcing, photographing, streaming, packing, shipping. If your hourly rate works out to $8/hour, you're not running a business — you have a low-paying job.
- Software tools: Inventory management, analytics, shipping software. Some are free, some aren't.
Real-World Fee Calculations (5 Examples)
Example 1: Vintage T-Shirt
| Sale Price | $22.00 |
| Cost of Goods | $3.00 (thrifted) |
| Whatnot Commission (8%) | -$1.76 |
| Payment Processing (2.9% + $0.30) | -$0.94 |
| Packaging | -$0.25 |
| Shipping (buyer-paid) | $0.00 |
| Net Profit | $16.05 |
| Profit Margin | 73% |
Example 2: Pokémon Card ($5 Auction)
| Sale Price | $5.00 |
| Cost of Goods | $0.50 (from lot) |
| Whatnot Commission (8%) | -$0.40 |
| Payment Processing | -$0.45 |
| Packaging (top loader + mailer) | -$0.40 |
| Net Profit | $3.25 |
| Profit Margin | 65% |
Example 3: Jordan Sneakers
| Sale Price | $180.00 |
| Cost of Goods | $85.00 (retail purchase) |
| Whatnot Commission (8%) | -$14.40 |
| Payment Processing | -$5.52 |
| Packaging (box) | -$2.00 |
| Free Shipping Offered | -$12.00 |
| Net Profit | $61.08 |
| Profit Margin | 34% |
Example 4: Mystery Beauty Lot
| Sale Price | $35.00 |
| Cost of Goods | $12.00 (liquidation lot) |
| Whatnot Commission (8%) | -$2.80 |
| Payment Processing | -$1.32 |
| Packaging | -$1.50 |
| Net Profit | $17.38 |
| Profit Margin | 50% |
Example 5: Full Show (75 Items Sold)
| Gross Sales | $1,875.00 (avg $25/item) |
| Total COGS | -$375.00 (avg $5/item) |
| Whatnot Commission | -$150.00 |
| Payment Processing | -$76.88 |
| Packaging (75 packages) | -$30.00 |
| Promotes | -$25.00 |
| Net Profit (One Show) | $1,218.12 |
| Effective Fee Rate | 12.1% |
Whatnot vs eBay vs Poshmark vs Mercari Fees
| Platform | Commission | Processing | Listing Fee | Effective Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatnot | ~8% | 2.9% + $0.30 | $0 | 10–12% |
| eBay | 13.25% | Included | $0.35 (after 250 free) | 13–15% |
| Poshmark | 20% (over $15) | Included | $0 | 20% |
| Mercari | 10% | 2.9% + $0.50 | $0 | 12–14% |
| Facebook Marketplace | 5% (shipped) | Included | $0 | 5% |
Whatnot is the second-cheapest major selling platform after Facebook Marketplace. And unlike FBMP, Whatnot gives you a built-in audience, live-selling tools, and a professional seller experience. For a full comparison, see our Whatnot vs eBay vs Poshmark deep-dive.
Use Our Free Fee Calculator
Don't want to do the math manually? We built a free fee calculator that shows your exact profit after Whatnot fees, shipping, and COGS:
🧮 BundleLive Fee Calculator →
Enter your sale price, cost of goods, and shipping method. Get your exact profit instantly. Works for Whatnot, eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari.
Bookmark it. Use it before every sourcing trip to make sure your margins make sense.
7 Ways to Minimize Your Effective Fee Rate
- Increase your average sale price. The $0.30 per-transaction fee hurts less on a $50 sale than a $5 sale. Bundle items, sell premium products, or use auctions to drive prices up.
- Bundle multi-item orders. One buyer winning 5 items = one transaction. You pay processing once instead of five times. Encourage bundles with combined shipping offers.
- Let buyers pay shipping. Don't absorb shipping costs unless it's a strategy to drive higher bids.
- Track promote ROI. Don't spend $50 on promotes if it only generates $100 in extra sales. Use BundleLive's promote tracker to measure actual return.
- Reduce returns. Every return costs you fees (which Whatnot refunds) plus double shipping. Describe items accurately, disclose flaws, and show items thoroughly on stream.
- Source cheaper. Fees are a percentage of sale price. You can't control the percentage, but you can control your COGS. Better sourcing = better margins regardless of fees.
- Sell high-margin categories. Vintage clothing (5× markup) handles fees better than sneakers (1.5× markup). Consider your category's fee tolerance.
Don't Forget Taxes
Whatnot fees aren't your only financial obligation. If you're selling for profit, you likely owe income tax on your earnings. Key points:
- 1099-K: Whatnot reports your earnings to the IRS if you exceed $600 in annual sales (as of 2026 thresholds).
- Deductible expenses: Fees, shipping costs, COGS, packaging, equipment, mileage (for sourcing trips), and software subscriptions are all potentially deductible.
- Sales tax: Whatnot collects and remits sales tax on behalf of buyers in most states. This isn't your problem.
- Quarterly estimates: If you expect to owe $1,000+ in taxes, consider making quarterly estimated payments to avoid penalties.
For a complete guide, read our reseller tax guide for 2026.