Understanding Whatnot Selling Fees: How Much Does Whatnot Take from Sales in 2025?

Launched in 2019, Whatnot is a unique marketplace that took a little bit of everything and mixed it into a one-of-a-kind online selling platform. While it initially began as a place to buy and sell niche collectibles like Funko Pops, Whatnot quickly grew to become a popular destination for shoppers looking for everything from sustainable fashion to sporting goods. The variety doesn't stop at product categories, though; offering everything from live-streamed sales events to auctions, Whatnot also has something for every type of ecommerce seller. With so many selling formats to choose from, however, it can be difficult to predict how much it will cost you to sell on Whatnot. To help you get your selling costs in order, this guide will break down how much does Whatnot take in selling fees, explain how fees are calculated, go over different fee structures based on the seller's and buyer's location, and walk you through how to calculate what percentage Whatnot takes from your own sales.  

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Types of Fees on Whatnot

Whatnot has several types of fees that it can take from your sales, and how much those fees will ultimately be depends on several factors, including the buyer's location, your location, shipping costs, and taxes, to name a few. Below, we'll explain the three types of Whatnot fees that will affect how much Whatnot will take from every sale you make: commission fees, payment processing fees, and shipping fees.

Sales Commission Fees

A sales commission fee is the fee you pay when you sell item on Whatnot. Since it's free to list on Whatnot, the sales commission fee, calculated as a percentage of every sale, is Whatnot's profit. What percentage Whatnot takes from every sale depends on the item's category, and the geographical location in which it was sold.

For US sellers and in most categories, Whatnot's commission fee is 8% of the item's selling price. In the Coins & Money and Electronics categories, however, Whatnot offers a reduced commission fee of 4% and 5%, respectively.

For European sellers, Whatnot charges a commission of 6.67% + VAT for all categories except Coins & Money, where it charges 4% + VAT.

Payment Processing Fees

In addition to a sales commission, Whatnot also charges a fee for securely processing buyer payments. Unlike the commission fee, which is paid only on the item's sale price, the payment processing fee is calculated on the entire transaction amount (i.e. the amount the buyer was charged – item cost, shipping cost, and sales tax).  

Shipping Fees

Sellers on Whatnot are not charged for shipping, as shipping is, by default, paid for by the buyer. Prepaid shipping labels are provided to the seller by Whatnot when an item is sold, so all sellers need to do is print the label out, attach it to the packed item, and hand it over to the relevant shipping company. That being said, there are certain cases in which a seller might be charged for shipping:

1. Seller input the wrong shipping weight. When you generate a label to fulfill a Whatnot order, you'll need to be 100% certain that you input the correct shipping weight into the label generator on Whatnot.
2. The weight of the items is heavier than indicated at time of sale. When you sell an item through a live stream, it's important to be sure that the shipping weight of the item (item plus packaging) is accurate. If you ultimately have to generate a label that has a higher shipping weight to fulfill the order, Whatnot will charge you for the difference.  
3. The seller has chosen to take on the shipping cost, in whole or in part. Free shipping is a huge driver of sales on many platforms, and Whatnot is no exception. If choose to subsidize shipping costs, you will be charged for the cost of the label.

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How Much Does Whatnot Take from Sales?

Now that we've understood the three types of Whatnot fees, we'll need to go over the rates of the fees themselves to understand how much Whatnot actually takes from sales. We'll review Whatnot fees by country and by product category, and understand how sales tax and VAT are charged on Whatnot.

Whatnot Seller Fees by Country

While they usually work out pretty similar in the end, how Whatnot fees are calculated – and how much Whatnot ultimately takes from every sale – changes depending on where you're based.

Whatnot Fees for Sellers Based in the United States, Canada, and Australia

For most categories, Whatnot sellers based in the US, Canada, or Australia will pay a sales commission fee of 8% of the item's selling price. In the product category Electronics, they'll pay a discounted commission of 5%, while in the product category Coins & Money they'll pay an even lower rate of 4%.

In addition to the sales commission fee, sellers based in the US, Canada, or Australia can also expect to pay a payment processing fee of 2.9% + 0.30, calculated on the entire transaction amount – item, shipping, and tax.

Whatnot Fees for Sellers Based in The UK and Europe

In Europe and the UK, Whatnot sellers will pay a sales commission fee calculated as 6.67% + VAT on most categories, and 4% + VAT on products sold in the category Coins & Money. The percentage portion of this commission fee is calculated only on the item's selling price.

Additionally, European and UK sellers will pay a processing fee of 2.42% + VAT, plus a transaction fee of 0.25 + VAT.

Fees by Product Category

Whatnot has a wide range of product categories, but for most of them, the sales commission fee remains fixed at 8% for sellers based in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and 6.67% + VAT for sellers based in Europe and the UK.

In the category Coins & Money, sellers will pay a discounted rate of 4% in North America and Australia, and 4% + VAT in Europe. In the category Electronics, sellers based in the United States, Canada, and Australia will pay a discounted sales commission fee rate of 5%.

VAT and Sales Tax

Sales tax and VAT are dependent on multiple factors, including the location of the seller and the shipping address of the buyer. Because of this, calculating exactly how much sales tax or VAT will be for every transaction can get complicated. Luckily, one of the main benefits of Whatnot is that it calculates and collects sales tax (or VAT) on behalf of its sellers, meaning they don't have to worry about figuring out exactly how much sales tax/VAT they need to charge on every sale.

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How to Calculate Whatnot Selling Fees

Whatnot selling fees are pretty straightforward, so after you know how much Whatnot fees are for your particular selling situation, you'll be able to easily calculate how much Whatnot takes from your sales. Below, we'll show you how to calculate Whatnot fees with two example calculations, one for a US-based Whatnot seller and one for a UK-based Whatnot seller.

Example Calculation

Since how much Whatnot fees are will depend on where you're located, we'll provide you with two example calculations: one for a seller based in the United States, to illustrate fees for sellers based in North America or Australia, and one for a seller based in the UK, to illustrate fees for Whatnot sellers based in the United Kingdom or an EU country.

Example Calculation for a US-Based Whatnot Seller

In this example, we'll use an item sold for $50, with a shipping cost of $9.21 (Whatnot's flat rate shipping for items between 1-5lbs), and a California sales tax of 7.25%. Shipping will be paid by the buyer.

• Selling Price: $50
• Shipping Cost: $9.21
• Sales Tax: 0.0725 x (50 + 9.21) = $4.30
• Transaction Total: $63.50
• Sales Commission Fee: 0.08 x 50 = $4
• Payment Processing Fee: (0.029 x 63.50) + .30 = $2.15
• Total Whatnot Fees: 4 + 2.16 = $6.15

Example Calculation for a UK-Based Whatnot Seller

In this example, we'll use an item sold for £50, VAT of 20%, and a shipping cost of £5.95, paid by the buyer.

• Selling Price: £50
• Shipping Cost: £5.95
• Transaction Total: £55.95
• Processing Fee: 0.0242 x 50 =£1.21 + VAT
• Transaction Fee: £0.25 + VAT
• Sales Commission Fee: 0.0667 x 50 = £3.35 + VAT
• Total Whatnot Fees: 1.21 + 0.25 + 3.35 = £4.81 + VAT

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FAQ for Whatnot Selling Fees

Still have more questions about selling fees on Whatnot? Not sure how much Whatnot takes from your sales? Check out some frequently asked questions below!

- Q: When do I get paid for my sales on Whatnot?

How long it takes for you to receive payment for a sale you made on Whatnot depends on two factors: whether or not you're enrolled in Whatnot's Early Payout Seller program, and where you're located.

Whatnot's Early Payout Seller program allows eligible sellers to receive payment earlier than the standard timeframe for their seller location. In order to become eligible for the Early Payout Seller program, you must meet all three of the following criteria:

1. Have an average seller rating of at least 4.8
2. Have either sold at least $100k (or Euro or Pound, depending on your location) in merchandise OR had at least 1000 orders on Whatnot
3. Have hosted at least 10 livestreams

Sellers who are eligible to be an Early Payout Seller receive their funds as soon as they create a label.

If you're not enrolled in Early Payout, the standard payout timeframes for Whatnot sellers are 4 hours after order delivery for sellers based in the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Sellers based in Germany can expect to receive their funds 4 days after order creation, while sellers based in France can expect to receive their funds either 4 hours after delivery or 7 days from order creation, whichever is sooner.

- Q: Does Whatnot offer any discounts on selling fees?

Whatnot offers discounted sales commission fees on the selling categories Electronics and Coins & Money, which carry commission fees of 5% and 4%, respectively.

Additionally, Whatnot offers a discounted sales commission rate on high-value orders. On orders totaling more than $1500, Whatnot waives the commission fee for the portion of the sale over the threshold, so sellers will only have to pay the applicable sales commission fee on the first $1500. This discount only applies to the categories Comics & Anime, Toys & Hobbies, Coins & Money, Trading Card Games, and to the Singles subcategories in the Sports category.

- Q: Is Whatnot sales commission charged on the total sale price including shipping and taxes?

Whatnot's sales commission is charged only on the sale price, exclusive of any additional taxes and fees. Payment processing fees, however, do take into account these additional costs.

- Q: How can I track my fees and payments on Whatnot?

You can view a complete breakdown of your seller fees and payments on Whatnot through your Whatnot Seller Hub. Simply log into your Whatnot account, click on "Analytics" in the left-hand navigation pane, and filter by the data you want to see.