At Whatnot, we want you to feel confident every time you buy. If something goes wrong with an eligible purchase, Whatnot Buyer Protection is there to make it right.
If your order doesn’t arrive, arrives damaged, or isn’t what you purchased, we have you covered. If you need help, open the order in the Whatnot app and tap “Get help with this purchase.” We’ll guide you through what to do next. Below, you can learn more about what Buyer Protection covers, when you’re eligible for a refund, and how to get help.
Whatnot Buyer Protection covers you if your order:
- Doesn’t arrive: It wasn’t shipped, gets lost or delayed in transit, or never reaches you.
- Arrives damaged: It’s broken, defective, expired, or unusable.
- Isn’t what you purchased: It’s the wrong item, something is missing, it doesn’t match what was described, or it isn’t authentic.
Additional protections:
High-value card protection
High-value sports cards or trading cards obtained through a Card Break or Surprise Set may be eligible for separate reimbursement at market value if they’re lost.
Additional postage due
If you had to pay additional postage fees to receive your package, Whatnot will reimburse those charges.
Sales tax charged incorrectly
If sales tax was incorrectly charged, we’ll refund the cost.
Return to sender
If your order is returned due to an incorrect address, missing postage, a missed pickup, or an inaccessible location, we'll work with the seller to reship it.
Filing a claim
You can submit a refund request through the app. Most cases can be resolved directly with sellers, but those that can’t will escalate to Whatnot for further review. To keep your claim eligible, you'll need to share a few things: a timely report, additional documentation, and photos of the item and packaging. If requested, you may also need to mail back the item.
Most sales on Whatnot are live, which changes how cancellations and returns work compared to traditional commerce. When you win an auction, you’ve placed the highest bid and secured the item, so it’s no longer available to other buyers. That’s why most sales are considered final. However, you’re still protected by the Whatnot Buyer Protection if your item never arrives, arrives damaged, or doesn’t match its description. Beyond that, some sellers may choose to offer refunds or returns at their own discretion.
Approving a refund doesn’t necessarily mean the seller was at fault. We may issue refunds for reasons outside the seller’s control.
Filing deadlines
Refund requests must be submitted within 14 days of delivery, or 30 days from the purchase date, whichever comes first.
Some categories have shorter windows:
- Coins & Money, Sports Cards, Sneakers & Streetwear, Trading Card Games, Luxury Goods: within 7 days of delivery, or 30 days from purchase, whichever comes first. Resale prices in these categories move quickly, so a claim weeks later is hard to settle fairly for either side.
- Plants, Meat & Seafood, & Specialty Food: within 2 days of delivery, or 30 days from purchase, whichever comes first. These items change after they arrive, so condition needs to be assessed while it still reflects how the item shipped.
When we extend your window:
- Counterfeit claims and authentication: Because authenticity issues can take additional time to identify and resolve, we allow buyers to submit a refund request for an item suspected of being inauthentic within 30 days of receiving their order (regardless of category or item).
- Extenuating circumstances: Additional time may be offered to account for documented delays caused by natural disasters, national emergencies, labor strikes, or governmental actions. You may be asked to provide supporting documentation.
- Unreceived orders marked delivered: If your item is marked as delivered, but you have not received it, contact support within 14 days of when the carrier marked the item as delivered so that we can investigate the situation. Whatnot monitors these requests closely for abuse, and evaluates refund requests on a case-by-case basis so approval is not guaranteed.
We offer Whatnot Buyer Protection in addition to protections you may have under local law, such as an extended return period on certain purchases for buyers based in the EU/UK. Learn more.
Reimbursements
As part of the Whatnot Buyer Protection, qualifying orders will be refunded. Depending on the situation, that may mean a full refund with the item returned, a full refund with no return needed, a partial refund if you keep the item, or when offered by the seller, a replacement item. If you're owed compensation beyond the amount you paid, that additional amount will be issued as Whatnot credit.
If we ask you to return an item before issuing a refund, we'll need the correct item shipped to us, in the condition it was sent, so we can verify the claim and get your refund processed quickly. If the wrong item comes back, or it's been used or altered, we won't be able to complete the refund.
Not covered
Certain circumstances will make an order ineligible for a refund, even if it would otherwise qualify:
- Refused delivery: Refusing delivery of a purchase does not qualify the order for a refund.
- Failure to pick up: Failing to collect a package held for pickup by a local courier does not qualify the order for a refund.
- Customs and duties refusal: Refusal to pay applicable customs fees or duties does not qualify an order for a refund. Customs fees or duties that have been paid are also not eligible for a refund. If you paid import duties or taxes and later returned the item, you must contact your customs authority regarding a refund of those charges.
- Fraud or abuse of policy: Buyers who show signs of refund or return fraud, policy abuse, or other violations may be refused refunds or face account action. If we find fraud or abuse, we may seek to recover refunds already issued. All determinations are made at Whatnot's discretion.
- Off-platform transactions: Transactions that occur outside of Whatnot are not eligible for refunds.
- Exchange rate fluctuations: Whatnot does not reimburse losses related to exchange rate changes or currency conversions.
- Chargebacks: Orders that have been disputed with a financial institution are not eligible for refunds.
- Turned off signature confirmation: Some high-value U.S. shipments require a signature at delivery to confirm the order was received. If you opt out of that requirement, your purchases will not be eligible for a refund on claims that the order was lost, stolen, or not received.
Right of withdrawal for EU and UK buyers
If you are an EU or UK buyer, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of delivery, for any reason. Return shipping costs are the buyer's responsibility, and the item must be returned in its original condition or deductions may apply. Refunds are issued after the item is delivered back to the designated return address.
Eligible products:
Products sold on Whatnot are generally eligible for the right of withdrawal, except for certain categories where exceptions may be applied due to the nature of the item or sale, including:
- Break spots and other cards, blind boxes, and Surprise Sets
- Certain sealed products including beauty, hygiene, or health products where the seal has been broken (such as cosmetics, fragrances, skincare, and supplements)
- Products which may deteriorate or expire rapidly (such as food and live plants)
- Audio, video, or computer software where the seal has been broken (such as video games and vinyl)
- Periodicals, magazines, newspapers and similar media
- Collectibles and commodities whose price is subject to market fluctuations outside the seller’s control (such as certain items in the coins and money, bullion, or paper currency categories)
Where a product is eligible for the right of withdrawal, this will be indicated on the product listing detail.
How to start a return:
- EU buyers: For eligible orders, select "Withdraw and return item" in your order details after delivery, or Contact Whatnot Support.
- UK buyers: Contact Whatnot Support to request a withdrawal.
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