Whatnot
Whatnot Seller Fees Explained
Short answer: Whatnot charges a standard 8% commission on the item price only, plus a payment processing fee of 2.9% of the total order value plus $0.30 per order. On a $40 item with $5 buyer-paid shipping, that is $4.81 in fees before your own shipping cost.
How the two fees work
Whatnot splits its charges into two lines. The commission is Whatnot's share of the sale, starting at 8% of the item's final sale price. Shipping and taxes are excluded from the commission base, which is unusually seller-friendly. The payment processing fee covers card processing through Whatnot's provider: 2.9% of the total order value, which does include shipping and taxes, plus $0.30 per order.
Worked example
Sell an item for $40 with $5 buyer-paid shipping, and leave taxes out of this example for clarity. Commission: 8% of $40.00 = $3.20. Processing: 2.9% of the $45.00 order value = $1.31 (rounded from $1.305), plus $0.30 = $1.61. Total fees $3.20 + $1.61 = $4.81. You keep $40.00 − $4.81 = $35.19 before the cost of the item itself and the label you buy. If you ship it yourself for $4.50, the order leaves $30.69 before product cost.
Volume tiers
Your commission rate follows your sales across all categories in a four-week period. The standard rate is 8.00%. Selling $15,000 unlocks 7.75%, $35,000 unlocks 7.50%, $50,000 unlocks 7.25%, $100,000 unlocks 7.00%, $250,000 unlocks 6.75% and $500,000 unlocks 6.50%. Custom rates as low as 3% exist for select high-volume sellers. Each period starts fresh, so a quiet four weeks returns you to the standard rate. Processing never changes with volume.
What to watch when pricing
First, price from the item price, not the order total, for the commission — but remember processing is charged on the order total, so free shipping still leaves processing on the item price. Second, check Seller Hub for your current tier before a big show, because a tier change moves every item's margin at once. Third, compare Whatnot with a marketplace that charges on the full order: on a high-shipping item, Whatnot's item-price-only commission can beat a lower headline rate charged on everything.
FAQs
What is Whatnot's commission based on?
On the item's final sale price only, not on shipping or taxes. That is different from marketplaces that charge their percentage on the whole order, and it makes Whatnot cheaper than its headline rate suggests when shipping is high.
What is the payment processing fee based on?
On the total order value, meaning item price plus buyer-paid shipping and applicable taxes, at 2.9% plus $0.30 per order. It is charged on top of the commission.
Do higher sales really lower the commission?
Yes. The standard rate is 8%, and selling $15,000 or more across all categories in a four-week period unlocks a lower rate for the next period, down to 6.50% at $500,000 and custom rates as low as 3% for select high-volume sellers. The rate resets each period based on the previous period's sales.
Are there listing fees on Whatnot?
No. Listing, storing and managing items is free, and you only pay when something sells.
Why is the fee on my payout higher than 8%?
Because the 8% commission is only the first line. Payment processing of 2.9% plus $0.30 on the order total sits on top of it, so a typical order costs roughly 10.9% of the item price plus $0.30 before your own shipping cost.
Stand: October 2026.
Source: Whatnot — How Fees Work (official Whatnot fees page, including commission tiers and the payment processing fee).
Try it with your own numbers: Whatnot Fee Calculator, Whatnot Profit Calculator, Etsy Fee Calculator.
Disclaimer: Results are estimates and general information only, not tax or financial advice. Fees change, so confirm the current rate on the platform before you price a listing.
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