Whatnot Fee Calculator
Whatnot charges a commission on the item price that depends on your category and your 28-day sales tier — 8% for most categories at the Standard tier, 4% for Coins and 5% for Electronics — plus payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 on the total order. On a $50 sale in a standard category, fees total $5.75 and you keep $44.25 before your costs.
Fees checked October 2026 · US fee schedules
Whatnot's processing fee is charged on the total order including tax; this calculator models item price + shipping, so the real processing line can land a few cents higher. Electronics is modeled at a flat 5% commission across tiers. See our methodology.
Worked Example: a $50 Whatnot Sale
A $50 item in a standard category at the Standard tier, free shipping for the buyer, $10 item cost and $5 actual shipping cost:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | $50.00 |
| Commission (8% of item price) | −$4.00 |
| Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | −$1.75 |
| Total fees | −$5.75 |
| Your payout | $44.25 |
| Item cost | −$10.00 |
| Your shipping cost | −$5.00 |
| Net profit 58.5% margin | $29.25 |
Whatnot Fees in 2026: Category × Tier Matrix
Commission is charged on the item price. Your tier is set by your sales over the trailing 28 days — higher volume unlocks lower rates. Full matrix (Standard → Tier 6):
| Category | Std | T1 | T2 | T3 | T4 | T5 | T6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports & Trading Cards | 8% | 7.75% | 7.5% | 7.25% | 7% | 6.75% | 6.5% |
| Fashion | 8% | 7% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 5% | 5% | 4.5% |
| Coins | 4% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.55% | 3.5% |
| Other (most categories) | 8% | 7% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Electronics | 5% flat at the Standard summary rate | ||||||
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 on the total order (item + shipping + tax) | ||||||
Fees checked October 2026 — Whatnot introduced this tier structure on September 21, 2026; see the fee change tracker and our sources.
How to Calculate Whatnot Fees
Total Whatnot fees = (commission % for your category and tier × item price) + 2.9% × (item + shipping) + $0.30
Your payout is the order total minus fees. Net profit subtracts your item cost and real shipping cost. The two levers that move Whatnot fees are category (Coins at 4% pay half the commission of most categories) and tier (a Fashion seller at Tier 6 pays 4.5% instead of 8% — worth $1.75 on every $50 sale).
How to keep more of every Whatnot sale
Sell consistently to climb tiers. Tiers reset on a rolling 28-day window. Steady weekly shows hold your tier; one big month followed by silence drops you back to Standard rates.
Know your starting prices. In live auctions the hammer price is the fee base. Starting a $40-cost item at $1 is a gamble the fee math cannot rescue — run your floor through the break-even calculator first.
Bundle in breaks and multi-item shows. The $0.30 fixed processing and your shipping cost are per order; combined shipping on multi-item orders protects margin on small items.
Compare the same item on eBay. Trading cards pay 8% commission + 3.5% effective processing on Whatnot versus 13.25% + $0.40 on eBay — Whatnot usually wins on fees, but eBay's audience may pay more. Check both in the comparator.
Whatnot Fee Calculator FAQs
How much does Whatnot take from a $50 sale?
In a standard category at the Standard tier: $5.75 — $4.00 commission (8%) plus $1.75 processing (2.9% + $0.30) — leaving a $44.25 payout before your item and shipping costs. In Coins the same sale pays $3.75 total; at higher tiers, less still.
How do Whatnot seller tiers work?
Your tier is based on your sales volume over the trailing 28 days. More volume moves you from Standard through Tiers 1–6, and each step lowers the commission in most categories — for example Fashion drops from 8% at Standard to 4.5% at Tier 6. The matrix above shows every category.
What is Whatnot's commission on coins?
4% at the Standard tier, easing down to 3.5% at Tier 6 — the lowest commission on the platform, reflecting how price-competitive the coins market is.
Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping?
The commission is charged on the item price only, but the 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee is charged on the total order, which includes shipping (and tax). That is why the calculator asks what you charge for shipping.
How can I lower my Whatnot fees?
Grow into higher tiers with consistent shows, sell in lower-commission categories where your inventory fits, bundle small items to spread the fixed processing fee, and set auction start prices at or above the floor your costs require.
Compare Whatnot with the TikTok Shop fee calculator and the eBay fee calculator, or compare Whatnot head to head against eBay, or run one set of numbers through every platform at once. Full rates: 2026 fee comparison chart · all calculators · rate changes: fee change tracker.