How Whatnot seller fees work in the US
Every sale has two fees. Commission is Whatnot's share, charged on the item price after any coupons you created. Shipping and sales tax are not part of the commission base. Payment processing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per order, charged on the total the buyer paid, which includes the item, the shipping they paid and their sales tax.
Since September 21, 2026 commission is tiered. Your sales over each four-week period set your tier for the next period, and each category has its own rate in that tier.
| Category | Standard ($0 to $14,999) | Tier 1 ($15K+) | Tier 2 ($35K+) | Tier 3 ($50K+) | Tier 4 ($100K+) | Tier 5 ($250K+) | Tier 6 ($500K+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports | 8.00% | 7.75% | 7.50% | 7.25% | 7.00% | 6.75% | 6.50% |
| Trading card games | 8.00% | 7.75% | 7.50% | 7.25% | 7.00% | 6.75% | 6.50% |
| Fashion | 8.00% | 7.00% | 6.50% | 5.50% | 5.00% | 4.50% | 4.50% |
| Other collectibles | 8.00% | 7.25% | 6.50% | 6.00% | 5.00% | 5.00% | 5.00% |
| Coins | 4.00% | 3.90% | 3.80% | 3.70% | 3.60% | 3.55% | 3.50% |
| Other | 8.00% | 7.00% | 6.50% | 5.50% | 4.00% | 4.00% | 4.00% |
Source: Whatnot Help Center, "Whatnot seller fees", US rate card, checked November 11, 2026. Live sales use the show's category; marketplace sales use the product's category. Promotional rates (for example new-seller offers) override these while they run.
Worked example
A $50.00 trading card sells in a Standard-tier show. The buyer pays $4.99 shipping and $3.50 sales tax (7%), so the buyer pays $58.49 in total.
- Commission: 8% of $50.00 = $4.00
- Payment processing: 2.9% of $58.49 + $0.30 = $2.00
- You receive: $50.00 − $4.00 − $2.00 = $44.00
- If the card cost you $20.00, your profit is $24.00, a 48% margin on the sale price.
Giveaways cost more than you think
A giveaway sells for $0, so there is no commission, but if you pay the shipping label your earnings on that order are negative. Whatnot's Weekly Orders Report shows these as Order Earnings with a negative amount. Count them against the show that ran them.
See this for every show, not one sale at a time
ProfitPerShow reads your Whatnot reports and does this math for every order, then adds what your inventory cost to give real profit per show and a tax set-aside. Try it free with sample data.