Whatnot Fees in 2026, Explained Without the Jargon
Whatnot takes two cuts from every sale. One is easy to understand, the other catches people out. Since September 2026 there's also a tier system that can lower your rate, so the "8%" you've heard about isn't the full story anymore.
The short answer
If you're a regular US seller, Whatnot keeps:
- 8% commission on the item price (4% if you sell coins and money), and
- 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing on the total the buyer pays, including shipping and sales tax.
So on a $40 card where the buyer also pays $5 shipping, you pay about $4.81 in fees and keep $35.19. The shipping money goes to the label, not to you.
Want your own numbers? Use the Whatnot fee calculator. It has every tier and category built in.
Fee #1: commission (the one everyone talks about)
Commission is Whatnot's share of the sale. The important detail is what it's charged on: only the item price. Shipping and tax aren't included.
That matters more than it sounds. Whatnot's own help page gives a neat example: a $10 item with $4.99 shipping and $0.85 tax. At 8% of the item price you pay $0.80. A marketplace that charges 6% on the whole $15.84 would take $0.95. A lower headline rate isn't always cheaper.
At the Standard tier, US commission rates are:
| Category | Commission |
|---|---|
| Sports cards | 8% |
| Trading card games | 8% |
| Fashion | 8% |
| Other collectibles | 8% |
| Coins & money | 4% |
| Everything else | 8% |
One thing people miss: for live shows, the rate follows the category of the show, not each item. For marketplace (non-live) listings, it follows the category of the product. So if you run a coin show, list it as a coin show.
Fee #2: payment processing (the one that sneaks up on you)
Processing is 2.9% + $0.30 per order, and it's charged on everything the buyer pays: item, shipping and tax together.
The $0.30 is what hurts on cheap items. On a $3 single, $0.30 alone is 10% of the price before you even count the 8%. Sell a $3 card with $4.99 shipping and your total fees come to $0.77, which is 25.7% of the item price. If you sell a lot of low-value items, bundle them or run them as part of bigger lots.
The new seller tiers (since 21 September 2026)
Whatnot now lowers your commission as your sales grow. Here's how it works in plain terms:
- Your total sales over four weeks (28 days) decide your tier. Sales in every category count toward that total.
- That tier sets your commission rate for the next four weeks. Hitting a higher tier mid-period doesn't change your rate right away.
- Every period starts from zero. Sales don't carry over.
- Private shows, local pickup orders and cancelled orders don't count toward your total.
The US thresholds and rates:
| Tier (4-week sales) | Sports & TCG | Fashion | Other collectibles | Coins | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard ($0–$14,999) | 8.00% | 8.00% | 8.00% | 4.00% | 8.00% |
| Tier 1 ($15,000–$34,999) | 7.75% | 7.00% | 7.25% | 3.90% | 7.00% |
| Tier 2 ($35,000–$49,999) | 7.50% | 6.50% | 6.50% | 3.80% | 6.50% |
| Tier 3 ($50,000–$99,999) | 7.25% | 5.50% | 6.00% | 3.70% | 5.50% |
| Tier 4 ($100,000–$249,999) | 7.00% | 5.00% | 5.00% | 3.60% | 4.00% |
| Tier 5 ($250,000–$499,999) | 6.75% | 4.50% | 5.00% | 3.55% | 4.00% |
| Tier 6 ($500,000+) | 6.50% | 4.50% | 5.00% | 3.50% | 4.00% |
Notice that fashion and "everything else" drop much faster than cards do. A fashion seller at Tier 1 pays 7%, so a $60 item costs $4.20 in commission instead of $4.80.
Tiers only touch commission. Processing stays at 2.9% + $0.30 whatever tier you're in. You can see your current tier and your pace toward the next one on the Seller Hub home page.
The $1,500 rule for expensive items
Since 14 January 2026, Whatnot charges 0% commission on the part of an item's price above $1,500 in certain categories: comics & anime, toys & hobbies, coins & money, trading card games, entertainment cards, sports singles (not breaks), bags & accessories, and jewelry & watches.
So a $2,000 trading card pays commission on the first $1,500 only: $120.00. Processing is still charged on the full $2,000 ($58.30). Whatnot calls this a limited-time promotion, so check it's still running before you price a big sale around it.
What changed in 2026 (and what older guides get wrong)
- The 5% electronics rate is gone. It ended on 1 January 2026. Electronics now pay the normal rate for your tier. A lot of calculators online still use 5%.
- Tiers arrived on 21 September 2026. Anything written before that only shows a flat 8%.
- The high-value rule was widened on 4 June 2026 to include bags, accessories, jewelry and watches.
Three practical ways to pay less
- Get the category right. Your rate depends on it, and the $1,500 rule only applies if the item is listed in an eligible category.
- Watch the $0.30 on cheap items. It's a fixed cost per order, so a few bigger orders cost less in fees than many tiny ones.
- Plan around the four-week window. If you're close to a threshold near the end of a period, the extra sales can lower your rate for the whole of the next period.
Quick FAQ
Does Whatnot take a cut of shipping?
Not in commission. But the processing fee is charged on shipping, so a little of it goes to fees.
Is there a listing fee or monthly fee?
The fee page lists commission and payment processing as the seller fees. There's no listing fee mentioned there.
Where can I see exactly what I paid on an order?
In the app: Orders, pick the order, then "Receipt and earnings details". On the web, open the order in Seller Hub.
Open the Whatnot fee calculator or compare all platforms on the homepage.
Sources
- Whatnot seller fees (Help Center, updated 21 Sep 2026)
- Reduced commission on high-value orders
- Reduced commission on electronics (ended 1 Jan 2026)
Fees last checked against these official pages on 2026-10-02. ResaleMath is not affiliated with Whatnot.