If you’re selling on Whatnot, one of the most important questions you might ask yourself before every live show is: how much will Whatnot take from my sale?
Many Whatnot sellers focus on gross sales numbers during a live stream, but revenue is not profit. Between the Whatnot commission fee, payment processing fee, and shipping costs, your actual earnings might look very different from what you expected.
That’s exactly why this Whatnot fee calculator exists. It helps you calculate:
So, instead of guessing, you’ll know exactly how much you’ll keep before you make a sale on Whatnot.
Start by choosing your country (United States, Canada, Australia, or Europe).
This matters because Whatnot commission fees and payment processing fees vary by country. The Whatnot fee calculator by Sidekick Tools will use your selected country to apply the correct selling fees.
Next, select the category of the item you’re selling.
Why this is important:
Whatnot seller fees are not always the same across all categories. For example:
Once you select the category, the calculator automatically applies the correct Whatnot commission fee for that type of product.
You don’t need to look up the percentage yourself.
Next, you have to enter the price you expect the item to sell for.
If you’re running an auction, use a realistic estimate — not your ideal price.
This number is used to calculate:
The higher the sale price, the higher the commission — because it’s percentage-based.
This is the amount you originally paid for the item.
This step is crucial.
Without entering your cost, you can’t calculate real profit — only revenue after fees.
For example:
That looks good.
But if your cost was $75, your actual profit is only $13.
The calculator subtracts your cost automatically so you can see true profit — not just payout.
This is the amount your buyer pays for shipping.
Many Whatnot sellers assume shipping doesn’t affect fees. But payment processing fees apply to the total transaction amount — including shipping.
So if the buyer pays $10 shipping, processing fees may apply to that $10, too.
The Whatnot shipping fee calculator factors this in automatically.
Finally, you need to enter what you will actually pay for shipping.
This includes:
This step is important because:
If you charge $10 shipping but your real cost is $9, your actual shipping profit is only $1 — and that may shrink further after processing fees.
The Whatnot profit calculator subtracts your true shipping cost from your earnings so you see accurate profit.
When you sell on Whatnot, the sale price you see is not the amount you keep. The platform charges a commission fee along with payment processing fees, and those fees can affect your final payout.
The Whatnot fees calculator removes the guesswork by instantly showing your net earnings and profit after all fees. Instead of estimating profits in your head or calculating manually, you get precise numbers in seconds.
This clarity helps you understand your real profits, plan cash flow better, and avoid surprises when payouts arrive in your bank account.
Choosing the right starting bid is very important in live selling on Whatnot. If you start too low without factoring in selling fees, you risk shrinking your profit or even losing money.
A Whatnot fee calculator helps you determine your break-even point before your auction begins. Once you know that number, you can confidently set starting bids that attract buyers while still protecting your margins.
This approach keeps your pricing strategic rather than emotional. Over time, consistently pricing with fees in mind will ensure that every sale contributes positively to your overall revenue instead of quietly eating away at your earnings.
Live auctions on Whatnot happen quickly, and the excitement often influences decision-making. When bids slow down, sellers often feel pressure to let an item go just to maintain momentum.
Without knowing your numbers, you might accept a final bid that barely covers costs. By using the Whatnot fee calculator beforehand, you establish a minimum acceptable price for each item. This gives you a clear boundary during the auction.
Instead of reacting emotionally, you make decisions based on data. That discipline protects your profits, builds long-term sustainability, and ensures your live shows remain both engaging and financially rewarding.
Many resellers list their items on multiple marketplaces such as eBay and Poshmark. Each marketplace has its own fee structure, which directly affects the earnings of resellers.
Using the Whatnot fee calculator helps resellers to compare earnings across marketplaces by calculating what you would actually keep from the same sale price. This makes it easier to decide where specific items perform best.
Instead of assuming one marketplace is more profitable, you rely on actual numbers. Smart comparisons help you allocate inventory strategically and maximize overall returns across all your selling channels.
As your Whatnot business grows, small fee differences become more impactful. Losing just a few dollars per item may not seem significant at first, but across dozens or hundreds of sales, those losses add up quickly.
A Whatnot fee calculator helps you project earnings based on different pricing strategies and sales volumes. This allows you to forecast revenue, plan inventory purchases, and set realistic financial goals.
Instead of relying on rough estimates, you base your reselling growth strategy on solid numbers. That data-driven approach makes scaling more predictable, sustainable, and ultimately more profitable over time.
| Category | Commission Fee | Payment Processing Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Comics & Anime, Toys & Hobbies, TCGs, Sports Singles | 8% up to $1,500 (0% over $1,500 — limited time) | 2.9% on total order value + $0.30 |
| Coins & Money | 4% up to $1,500 (0% over $1,500 — limited time) | 2.9% on total order value + $0.30 |
| All Other Categories | 8% on final price | 2.9% on total order value + $0.30 |
| Category | Commission Fee | Payment Processing Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Comics & Anime, Toys & Hobbies, TCGs, Sports Singles | 6.67% + VAT up to €1,500/£1,500 (0% over — limited time) | 2.42% + €0.25/£0.25 on total order value |
| Coins & Money | 4% + VAT up to €1,500/£1,500 (0% over — limited time) | 2.42% + €0.25/£0.25 on total order value |
| All Other Categories | 6.67% + VAT on final price | 2.42% + €0.25/£0.25 on total order value |
It’s common for sellers to calculate the standard Whatnot commission but forget about the 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee (for US, Canada, and Australia) or 2.42% + €/£0.25 payment processing fee (for EU & UK Seller).
Even though it may seem small on a $10 sale, it adds up fast on multiple items or high-ticket sales.
For example, if you sell 10 items at $50 each, that extra $0.30 per transaction plus 2.9% could reduce your total earnings by $15–$20 — money you might have thought was profit.
Missing payment processing fees can make your “profit” numbers look better on paper than they really are.
Many Whatnot sellers focus on what the buyer pays and overlook how much the item costs to source. If you buy an item for $40 and sell it for $50, you might think you made a $10 profit. But after fees and shipping, your margin could shrink to $2–$3.
The danger is that over time, this erodes your overall profitability. Sellers who don’t track the cost of goods end up thinking they’re profitable when, in reality, they’re just generating revenue.
Shipping isn’t just a flat fee; it includes:
Many Whatnot sellers assume the amount charged to the buyer is pure profit. But if shipping costs are higher than expected, or if dimensional weight is miscalculated, that “extra” you thought you earned will vanish.
Low starting bids may attract buyers and increase engagement, but they can destroy margins if the item doesn’t sell at the intended price.
Many Whatnot sellers often underestimate how a low starting price, combined with selling fees and shipping, can make a sale barely break even.
Without factoring in fees and costs ahead of time, a “successful” sale may actually reduce your profit compared to what you could have made with proper pricing.
Without a Whatnot fee calculator, sellers are essentially operating in the dark. The difference between a truly profitable live show and a break-even show on Whatnot often comes down to small percentage miscalculations, things as simple as ignoring processing fees or mispricing shipping.
Using a Whatnot selling fee calculator ensures you know exactly what you keep after all costs, letting you price items strategically, protect margins, and run consistently profitable live sales.
Manually calculating Whatnot fees is a bit complex, but with the Whatnot fee calculator by Sidekick Tools, it’s easy and quick. The calculator not just accurately calculates the Whatnot commission fee and payment processing fee, but also your earnings and profit.
For most standard categories in the US, Whatnot takes around 8% commission fee on the item price, plus a payment processing fee of approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. For categories such as “Coins & Money,” the commission fee is 4%, and the payment processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30.
If the sold item is in the standard category, the Whatnot commission fee would be about $8 on a $100 sale. With processing fees added, Whatnot will take around $11–$12, which means the seller will receive around $88–$89 before subtracting the COGS.
No, Whatnot does not charge a listing fee. Sellers only pay when an item sells.
The Whatnot’s commission fee is generally applied to the item price. However, payment processing fees are often applied to the total transaction amount, which also includes shipping.
Yes, Whatnot selling fee is generally lower than eBay. Whatnot’s total selling fee for the standard category is about 11–12% (8% commission + payment fees), whereas eBay selling fee is 13–15% for most categories.
