Learning Whatnot

Whether you are a brand new seller on Whatnot or an experienced seller wanting to learn more – Whatnot has all of the answers to all of the frequently asked questions.

Personally, I think Whatnot has great support for sellers and so many easy to understand step by step guides with photos, screenshots and often videos too!!

Your first stop should be the Whatnot Seller Academy . Really everything you need to start your seller journey is in this website. Take the time to go through this website and watch all of the tutorials you can – it will save you so much time in the future when you don’t have to scramble to figure something out during a live show!!

Whatnot FAQ & Help Center is for everyone – there’s a buyers and a sellers section with answers to questions you may have about using Whatnot. Just type in the question you have and more than likely there’s a step by step tutorial!!

Seller Hub is the best way to manage your selling on Whatnot. View it on your desktop for access to all of the features! On the seller hub you can:

  • Manage Your Inventory & Listings – Create drafts, listings, add listings to your scheduled shows and very soon you will be able to also quickly bulk edit your listings.
  • Manage Your Livestreams – Create, schedule, reschedule, edit, add products and more. Note: if you schedule on your phone (Apple or Android) you can schedule a show and set it to repeat (up to 10 shows) on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule!! Saves you a lot of time and helps you be more consistent with your shows!!
  • Manage Your Shipments – When you show is over, it’s shipping time!! Head here to edit dimensions and weight and print your labels. In some countries sellers can also upgrade, add insurance, signature confirmation and more. Note: it is optional to print off the packing slip and include it in your package. However, we recommend that you do #TeamPackingSlip – it helps your buyers recognize who, when and what quickly and you can write a quick “thank you” on there as a personal touch!
  • Manage Your Orders – Come here to track your shipments, send messages to buyers about their order, track payout status and so much more.
  • Seller Profile – Here is where you can change your shipping address and return address. We recommend that you that you put your Username beside your name on the return address label. Here is also where you can change the size of the postage label that prints out (Letter size or 4×6 label). You can also put your profile into vacation mode here. This is important as you don’t want folks buying from your marketplace while you are away. (Take it off vacation mode the day before you get back so that you can have orders *hopefully* waiting for you)

Gambling, Purchase-Based Prizes, Break and Mystery Box Policy Games are a fun way to engage your audience, BUT, please make sure you are following the rules set out by Whatnot. Even if you’ve been doing games for years on whatnot, please check to see if any updates have been made to the policy. Your seller account could be suspended or even worse, it could be blocked.

How to Contact Whatnot:
Have a question about an order you’ve purchased or sold? Have a question that you can’t find the answers in the Seller Academy or on the Whatnot Help and Support site? In the app from your Profile, tap the menu in the upper right corner and scroll down to Contact Us. On your desktop go to Help.Whatnot.com and click on the Contact Us which will be on the top left of your screen.

What to do when there are glitches

It happens. Whatnot is a big app with a lot of users on all over the world all at once. Glitches happen on every app, not just WN. So be prepared just in case, especially if you are on a raid train so you don’t derail the train!!

  1. Have a second device like a laptop nearby so you can try running items or raiding to the next seller on your second device.
  2. Have a backup plan for what you’ll do to entertain your audience if a glitch is taking a while to unglitch. Have some jokes to tell, tell personal stories, grab some trivia questions, teach about something you make or collect or love to sell.
  3. Invite someone in your audience (that you know) to co-host with you while you sort out technical difficulties. That person can talk to the chat, talk about what they sell and about their upcoming shows.
  4. If raiding won’t work…. you’ve tried typing /raid @….. into the chat or using the sellers tools button and it just won’t let you raid? Do a “Manual Raid”. Here’s how: tag the next person in your chat. Then ask your audience to click on that tag and view profile to see their show and go into their show. Ask them to put “RAID!” into the chat. Yes, we might lose a few viewers but c’est la vie!! Then you end your own show and go to that next sellers show and say hello!!
  5. Give yourself grace, don’t put yourself down if you had trouble running or raiding – it happens at some point to every single seller on every live selling platform. You are not alone!!

Promote Your Shows

Being part of a raid train is a great way to get experience and exposure. Promoting your show on the raid train helps you gain more buyers and helps other members of the raid train at the same time. The more we all share the Train, the more we all benefit.

Promote your show on your social media platforms – use the “Share” button in your show to share to all of your socials!! Email your friends and family and ask them to come join you and cheer you on!! Put it on your facebook page and/or profile!! Add tags and hashtags to your posts so that the socials know who to show your posts to. Example: #vintagedecor #antiques #vintagebooks

Promote your raid train show in your own show!! Sounds like a no-brainer right? But not everyone who comes into your show is going to automatically open up your profile to see what other shows you have coming up – so always tell them! “Don’t forget to look at my profile and bookmark my upcoming shows including my stop on the Thrift to Gift Raid Train on XXXMonth 25th!!” Some sellers put a little card with their upcoming shows in the background during their shows so when there’s a pause as they take one item away and show the next item the audience can read it!!

Promote your raid train show in other shows (when asked to promote your shows, don’t ask if you can promote during someone’s show) – Example: “Thrift to Gift Raid Train!!? March 25th at 9:00 am EST – Vintage decor and toys!!” – Make sure to put in your time and your timezone. Adding WHAT you are selling during your show is also important – and why the ? – that turns your message from white to Yellow and makes it more likely to be read!!

Raid Train Guidelines

Want your show to be as successful as possible? Here are some guidelines and best practices to help you!!

1. Scheduling:

You will be required to book your show on Whatnot before completing the sign up process.

    Show Title:  Thrift to Gift Raid Train or $5 on the 5th Raid Train  (Please copy/paste to avoid typos)

    Thumbnail:  Save the image on this page and upload it.

    Moderators: @theredrooster and your choice.

2. Prepare for Your Show:

  • We recommend having at least 25-60 items pre-loaded into your auction tab at least 4 days prior to the raid train.
  • The more items you pre-load, the more pre-bids you may receive and the faster you’ll be able to run these items on the day of the show!
  • Load additional items into the Buy It Now section of your store!  Include some fun small lower priced items for viewers to gift to chat. Set up a few items in your Buy it Now as Flash Sales to really build excitement for your Buy it now.
  • Giveaways, $1 starts or coupons are at your discretion. Giveaways help you build followers. $1 starts are a fun way to start off a show but you are taking on that risk. Coupons have been shown by Whatnot to increase purchases by 50%, they are a great way to get new sales and multiple sales!!!
  • Spread the word and promote your show and items for sale during other shows and on social media to collect pre-bids! Creating a buzz around your show will earn more for your items and help everyone involved gain more exposure! 

3. On the Day of the Event:

  • Begin your show at least 5 minutes before your scheduled start time.
  • Upon receiving the raid, thank the seller that raided you, introduce yourself, run a giveaway or $1 start or offer a coupon and then start SELLING!! Run! RUN! RUUUUNNNNNN! The more often you run auctions the more the algorithm will boost your show!
  • IMPORTANT: Be a nice human, stay positive. Focus on having fun! 

Show Thumbnails

  • Thrift to Gift Regular Show Thumbnail

Here are the current show thumbnails you can use for your upcoming shows. We prefer to offer you a selection so that you can pick the Thumbnail that is closest to your vibe. All shows must have “Thrift to Gift” in their show title so that viewers can quickly find all of the Thrift to Gift shows.

Seller Questions

Seller Questions

What are the rules for sellers in these raid trains?

We want to have a relaxed, fun vibe to these trains.

It is important to remember that the success of the WHOLE event is riding on everyone doing their part. If one person does not do their show (or start on time) it hurts all of the sellers that will go after you.

A raid train is about getting more exposure, new followers and introducing yourself to a new group of sellers who may become close friends!

1 – Share your show on social media a few times, share your best items as well to encourage prebids. Talk about your show and items on your own shows leading up to the train.

2 – Bring your own moderator. This helps keep the flow going and interact with the chat when you are busy selling.

3 – Have a backup person for your time slot in case of a personal emergency. Life happens while we are busy making other plans, if your plans change suddenly having a backup person will ensure you do not let the train down.

4 – Be a nice human. Follow Whatnot’s guidelines for sellers.

5 – Join the other shows in the Event whenever you can!!

Before your sale:

1 – Load your buy it now with as much as you can for bonus sales! If you can load your auction well ahead of time that is great and you may get some prebids!

2 – Promote all of your shows (not just this one) on social media, on Whatnot (but don’t spam please). Gather those bookmarks!!

3 – Go into the sale of the person before you to let them know you are going to be ready on time. Tip: If you can, watch their show on one device (like your computer, phone or tablet) and then set up your show on another (like your phone or tablet).

4 – Start your show at least 5 minutes before your scheduled time (and if you are listening to the other show on another device make sure to mute that device!!!!!)

5 – When you are raided you can have a giveaway OR a $1 start item. We encourage you to do giveaways when you are raided with the “Followers Only” button checked. Giveaways are not required.

6 – Focus on the fun, not the sales. And please don’t look at that number at the top – it is never right – whether it says 1 or 100, talk to the audience, tell them why you love the items you are selling! Keep running items, a quiet chat doesn’t mean they aren’t listening.

7 – If the chat gets quiet do not think no one cares. The majority of people never say a single word on the chat!!! But the strong silent types will buy!!! So RUN to SELL! (RTS) No one in chat said run it? Run it anyway – just for a short time. You may be surprised how many sales you get. *10-15 seconds work well for this

8 – If something doesn’t sell remember that this is live selling, it just means that the right person wasn’t in your show today – tomorrow is another day!! If you have time, run items from the beginning again. The right person may have entered your show late.

9 – When it is close to the end of your time the next person should already have said Hello in the chat. If they haven’t ask your mods to go check if they are ready. You may have to chat a bit longer or sell some more items while the next seller gets set up (technical difficulties happen). You will get a list of Train Conductors (volunteers who help keep the train running) that you can tag in your shows to let them know there’s an issue. Example: @theredrooster Help! Next seller is not live yet.

10 – When the next seller is live (and you are ready to end) type: /raid @sellersname and hit send. Learn about the technical aspects of raiding on Whatnot Seller Academy.

11 – Stay in the next show so that you can be recognized by the seller and you can encourage your followers to follow the seller! If you can stay for part or the whole show that is wonderful!

Which thumbnail do I use?

The thumbnail for the train is available at the top of the signup page.

Why do I see someone else with Thrift to Gift selling at the same time as me?

This will only happen during special multi-line events. Most months will have only 1 train line per day. Please DO NOT message people to tell them they shouldn’t be on at the same time as you. If you think there’s an issue message TheRedRooster on Whatnot , let her sort it out.


How many shows can I do?

Sharing is caring. We want you to join us but we also want other sellers to join us, especially new sellers who need the experience and the exposure. If you are a power seller wanting to run for a significant amount of the day please message TheRedRooster if you’d like to go for an extended period of time and we’ll work out something where you can raid into other shows or we can create a Power Seller line for a few of you to share the day.

When Should I book My Whatnot Show?

New for 2025** You must book your show on Whatnot when you sign up for a time slot. The longer you have your show scheduled on your WhatNot profile the more bookmarks you will get – more bookmarks equals more buyers!!

Do I need to load my auction and Buy It Now?

It is not required to preload your show but it is better if you do.
If you are doing an unboxing, a shop my shelves, live thrifting show, etc you really can’t preload. Preloading does help with pre-bidding and can boost your sales. Even if you can’t get everything loaded in time, having a few things in your buy it now and in the auction show folks what they can expect at your sale and will increase your bookmarks.

Can I do a fun show, a demonstration show?

Oh absolutely!! Have fun games (within Whatnot guidelines), chat, educate, juggle, show off your pets!! Sellers in the Arts and Handmade category have done amazing craft demonstration shows and sold the tools and supplies you need to also do the craft. Book sellers have read from their favourite books. You should always have things in your buy it now if you are not going to be running any auctions to stay within Whatnot guidelines (which change more often than I will update this post so check Whatnot first).

What is Thrift to Gift?

It’s time to rethink gift giving. Fast fashion and over consumption are not helping the planet. Many people are starting to realize that a thrifted, second-hand, vintage, antique or handmade item means so much more to the receiver.

When you Thrift to Gift you give 4/times – first to yourself by saving money, second to the receiver with a thoughtful sustainable gift, third to support a small business and finally to the planet by keeping more out of landfills!!

Thrift to Gift is about sustainable gift giving. Sellers will be showcasing giftable items that are vintage, thrifted, handmade or from wholesale lots.


Imagine never having to find parking at the mall or struggling to find a sales person to help you! Everything you want is available on Whatnot!

Buying new is so 2019! Buying sustainable saves the earth and saves you money. The gifts are also unique items that you can’t find at most malls. A Thrift to Gift gift shows that you care about the person and the environment. Download these free tags to add to your gift: Tags to Encourage Thrift to Gift

If you haven’t tried Whatnot you are missing out on the best buying and selling platform!

Thrift to Gift and $5 on the 5th is year-round and also only on Whatnot! Birthdays, weddings, Valentine’s, baby showers, graduation gifts, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day – buy sustainable gifts!!