Whatnot: Shop, Sell, Connect

Whatnot Review: Live Auctions With a 30-Second Clock

Bidding Happens Live, Against a Countdown

Each item appears at the bottom of the stream with its price, condition, shipping estimate and a timer — thirty seconds in the store example — while the chat scrolls beside it and the current leader is named. Tapping the bid button raises the price in fixed increments, and the clock resets when someone bids late. Between lots the stream shows Awaiting Next Item, which is when sellers talk to the audience. Giveaways punctuate longer shows, drawing a winner from viewers on screen. Nothing about the format works asynchronously: miss the show and the item is gone, which is the whole appeal for the people who use it.

Sellers Pay Up to 8% Plus Processing

Commission is 8% in most categories, dropping to 5% for electronics and 4% for coins and money, with a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 on the total order value on top. Buyers pay nothing beyond the item and shipping. The seller dashboard shows the results live — $1,310 in sales across 108 orders in the store screenshots, with an activity feed listing each purchase and tip as it happens. That transparency is why so many small resellers moved here. Payouts appear in the same dashboard, so a seller can see the commission taken on each order rather than reconciling a statement later.

Buyer Protection, and Ten Data Categories

Every purchase is covered if an item arrives damaged, missing or not as described, explained in a dialog before the first bid. Categories carry live viewer counts — 328 watching comics, 246 in sports memorabilia — which is how buyers judge whether a show is worth joining. Google Play lists ten collected categories with personal information, financial information and five others shared with third parties, the longest sharing list among the shopping apps here. Ratings sit at 4.7 on both stores across more than a million reviews, high for a platform where money changes hands live.