Last updated: February 2026
TL;DR — Key Takeaways
- eBay = massive audience, fixed-price or auction, ~13.25% total fees. Passive selling.
- Whatnot = live selling, ~10-12% fees, smaller but engaged audience. Active selling.
- eBay is better for steady, scalable income with less daily effort
- Whatnot is better for high-velocity sales, building a brand, and entertainment factor
- Most successful resellers use BOTH — eBay for the long tail, Whatnot for bulk moves
- Your personality matters: introverts thrive on eBay, extroverts crush it on Whatnot
The Fundamental Difference
Let me save you 15 minutes of reading if you're in a hurry: eBay and Whatnot aren't really competing. They're completely different selling experiences that happen to serve the same people.
eBay is a search engine for stuff. Someone types "vintage Levi's 501 32x30" and your listing shows up. They buy it. You ship it. You never speak to the buyer. It's retail, automated.
Whatnot is a live show. You're on camera, holding up items, taking bids, engaging with 20-200+ people in real time. It's QVC meets Twitch. It's performance.
The real question isn't "which is better" — it's "which fits how you want to sell?"
Fees: The Hard Numbers
eBay Fees in 2026
eBay's fee structure is layered:
- Final value fee: 13.25% for most categories (some categories differ)
- Per-order surcharge: $0.30 per order
- Promoted listings (optional): 2-15% additional if you use ads
- Store subscription: $0-$350/month depending on tier
On a $50 sale: You pay ~$6.93 in fees. You keep ~$43.07.
On a $100 sale: You pay ~$13.55 in fees. You keep ~$86.45.
On a $500 sale: You pay ~$66.43 in fees. You keep ~$433.57.
Whatnot Fees in 2026
Whatnot's fee structure is simpler:
- Seller commission: ~8-10% (varies by category and seller tier)
- Payment processing: ~2.9% + $0.30
- No listing fees, no store subscription
On a $50 sale: You pay ~$5.75 in fees. You keep ~$44.25.
On a $100 sale: You pay ~$11.20 in fees. You keep ~$88.80.
On a $500 sale: You pay ~$54.50 in fees. You keep ~$445.50.
Fee Winner: Whatnot
Whatnot is cheaper on fees at every price point. But fees are just one part of the equation — and honestly, not the most important part.
Audience and Reach
eBay: 132 Million Active Buyers
eBay has been around since 1995. It has:
- 132 million active buyers worldwide
- Massive Google organic traffic (eBay listings rank in Google search)
- International exposure (Global Shipping Program)
- Buyers who search with specific intent ("I need this exact item")
When someone Googles "buy vintage Carhartt Detroit jacket," eBay listings show up on page one. That's free traffic you can't replicate.
Whatnot: Growing but Niche
Whatnot has grown explosively since 2020, but it's still a fraction of eBay's size:
- Millions of active users (exact numbers not public)
- Audience skews younger (18-35)
- Strong in specific niches: sports cards, Pokémon, Funko, sneakers, vintage clothing, coins
- Discovery is algorithm-driven (your show gets pushed to interested viewers)
The audience is smaller but incredibly engaged. A Whatnot viewer is sitting there, credit card ready, watching you live. An eBay browser might bookmark your listing and forget about it.
Reach Winner: eBay (for now)
eBay's sheer size and Google integration make it unbeatable for reach. But Whatnot's audience converts at a much higher rate.
Selling Experience
eBay: List It and Forget It
The eBay workflow:
- Photograph item
- Write title and description
- Set price (or auction)
- Wait for sale
- Ship
Time per listing: 5-15 minutes. Then it's passive. Your listing works 24/7 while you sleep.
Pros:
- Scale massively (10,000+ active listings is normal for full-timers)
- No camera presence needed
- Sell while working a day job
- International buyers
- Established trust/buyer protection
Cons:
- Slower sell-through (average 30-90 days for clothing)
- Price compression from competition
- Algorithm changes can tank your visibility
- Returns and buyer protection heavily favors buyers
- Promoted listings feel increasingly mandatory
Whatnot: Live Selling Energy
The Whatnot workflow:
- Source and prep inventory
- Schedule a live show
- Go live for 2-6 hours
- Present items, take bids, engage viewers
- Ship everything the next day
Time per show: 2-6 hours of active selling, plus prep time.
Pros:
- Sell 50-200+ items in a single show
- Create urgency and excitement (FOMO drives bids up)
- Build a loyal audience that returns every week
- Lower fees than eBay
- Fun if you enjoy performing
Cons:
- Requires being on camera and entertaining
- Inconsistent income (bad show = bad week)
- Time-intensive (you're actively working during every sale)
- Limited to when you're live
- Burnout is real
Experience Winner: Depends on you
Introvert who wants passive income? eBay. Extrovert who loves performing? Whatnot. There's no wrong answer.
What Sells Best on Each Platform
eBay's Best Categories
- Electronics — Phones, laptops, gaming consoles
- Vintage clothing — Levi's, band tees, Carhartt, Polo
- Designer goods — Authenticated luxury items
- Sneakers — Especially limited releases
- Parts and accessories — Car parts, computer components
- Collectibles — Coins, stamps, antiques
- Everything else — eBay's breadth is its strength
Whatnot's Best Categories
- Sports cards — The original Whatnot category, still huge
- Pokémon cards — Pack breaks and singles
- Funko Pops — Mystery and display items
- Sneakers — Live authentication adds trust
- Vintage clothing — Especially streetwear and band tees
- Coins and bullion — Growing fast
- Comics and manga — Niche but passionate audience
The Overlap
Both platforms are strong for vintage clothing, sneakers, and collectibles. The difference is HOW they sell:
- A rare vintage band tee on eBay might sit for 60 days and sell for $85 to someone who searched for it
- The same tee on Whatnot might sell in 30 seconds for $120 because two collectors are bidding against each other in real time
Live selling creates competition between buyers that fixed-price eBay listings can't replicate.
Income Potential: Real Numbers
eBay Income Trajectory
- Month 1-3: $200-$500/month (learning, building listings)
- Month 3-6: $500-$1,500/month (200-500 active listings)
- Month 6-12: $1,500-$5,000/month (500-2,000 active listings)
- Year 2+: $5,000-$20,000+/month (2,000-10,000+ active listings)
eBay income scales with inventory count. More listings = more sales. It's predictable and compounds over time.
Whatnot Income Trajectory
- Month 1-3: $500-$2,000/month (building audience, 1-2 shows/week)
- Month 3-6: $2,000-$5,000/month (growing following, 2-3 shows/week)
- Month 6-12: $5,000-$15,000/month (established seller, 3-4 shows/week)
- Year 2+: $10,000-$50,000+/month (top sellers with large audiences)
Whatnot income scales with audience size and show frequency. The ceiling is higher but so is the variability.
The Consistency Factor
eBay sellers have smoother income curves. You might sell 5-15 items per day, every day. Predictable.
Whatnot sellers have spiky income. One show might do $3,000, the next might do $400. Your weekly total might be great, but any individual show is unpredictable.
Time Investment Comparison
Let's compare a reseller doing $5,000/month on each platform:
eBay at $5K/month:
- Sourcing: 10 hours/week
- Photographing and listing: 10 hours/week
- Shipping: 5 hours/week
- Customer service: 2 hours/week
- Total: ~27 hours/week
- Effective hourly rate: ~$46/hour
Whatnot at $5K/month:
- Sourcing: 10 hours/week
- Show prep: 4 hours/week
- Live shows (3x/week, 3 hours each): 9 hours/week
- Shipping: 4 hours/week
- Community engagement: 2 hours/week
- Total: ~29 hours/week
- Effective hourly rate: ~$43/hour
Pretty similar at this income level. The difference is that eBay hours are flexible (list anytime) while Whatnot hours are fixed (you show up at scheduled times).
The Smart Strategy: Use Both
Here's what the most successful resellers do:
eBay as Your Foundation
- List everything on eBay as your default platform
- Build a deep inventory (500+ active listings minimum)
- Let listings work passively while you focus elsewhere
- Use for high-ticket items where eBay's lower fees matter
Whatnot for Bulk and Excitement
- Run 2-3 shows per week to move inventory fast
- Use Whatnot for items that sell better with energy (cards, sneakers, vintage)
- Clear dead eBay inventory in Whatnot "mystery" lots and bundles
- Build a brand and community that follows you
The Cross-Platform Play
- Source a collection of 200 vintage tees
- List the best 50 on eBay at full price
- Sell 100 in a Whatnot live show (moving volume)
- Relist unsold Whatnot items on eBay
- Bundle remaining items for a future Whatnot show
This way, you capture eBay's long-tail value AND Whatnot's live-selling velocity.
Platform Risks to Consider
eBay Risks
- Account suspension — eBay's automated systems can flag you for seemingly random reasons
- Fee increases — eBay has raised fees multiple times over the years
- Scam buyers — "Item not as described" returns where they swap your item
- Algorithm dependency — Cassini (eBay's algorithm) can suppress your listings
Whatnot Risks
- Platform maturity — Whatnot is younger and still evolving
- Burnout — Live selling is exhausting, and you can't automate it
- Audience dependency — If your viewers leave, your income drops
- Category expansion — As Whatnot adds categories, competition increases
- Health — Sitting on camera for 4-6 hours multiple times a week takes a physical toll
Who Should Pick eBay?
- You have a day job and sell part-time
- You're camera-shy or introverted
- You sell electronics, parts, or general merchandise
- You want predictable, scalable income
- You prefer working on your own schedule
- You're building a long-term reselling business
Who Should Pick Whatnot?
- You're outgoing and enjoy performing
- You sell cards, sneakers, vintage, or collectibles
- You want to build a personal brand
- You can commit to a regular streaming schedule
- You enjoy the community aspect
- You want to move large volumes fast
Who Should Use Both?
Everyone who's serious about reselling. Seriously.
The platforms complement each other perfectly. eBay handles the long tail. Whatnot handles the bulk. Together, they cover every selling scenario.
Tools That Make Multi-Platform Selling Possible
Managing inventory across eBay and Whatnot gets complicated fast. You need to track:
- What's listed where
- What sold and for how much
- Actual profit after platform-specific fees
- Shipping status across platforms
BundleLive was built specifically for resellers who sell on Whatnot and other platforms. Track your shows, manage bins and inventory, and see real profit numbers — not guesswork.
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