About Giveaways on Whatnot

Whatnot Support June 25, 2026 07:22

Giveaways let sellers offer items for free during a show.

Winners are selected at random by Whatnot and announced publicly during the show.

Giveaway basics
Types of Giveaways
Giveaway shipping & fulfillment
- Seller responsibilities
- Recipient responsibilities
Giveaway policies
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Giveaway basics

Giveaways can run for up to five minutes, giving users time to enter.

Sellers can draw a winner early or wait until the Giveaway timer ends. When timer reaches zero, a winner is selected automatically by Whatnot and announced publicly during the show.

Once a Giveaway starts, it can't be paused or canceled.

To enter a Giveaway, you'll need a shipping address and payment method saved to your Whatnot account. You must also be present in the show when the winner is selected to be eligible to win.

Cash Giveaways aren't allowed on Whatnot, except for collectible currency. In limited circumstances, Whatnot may approve currency Giveaways through active partnerships with appropriate safeguards and oversight. For more information, visit our Prohibited or Restricted Items Policy.

Types of Giveaways

There are three types of giveaways sellers can offer during a show:

Standard Giveaways

Standard Giveaways allow viewers in a show to enter once the giveaway is live.
Sellers can limit standard giveaways to domestic users (based on the seller's location).

Follower-Only Giveaways

These work the same way as Standard Giveaways, but only users who follow the seller can enter the giveaway.
Sellers can also limit entries to domestic users based on the seller's location.

Buyer Appreciation Giveaways (BAGs)

Buyer Appreciation giveaways are intended to show appreciation for users who have made a purchase during a seller’s show.
Available in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and France, Australia, Austria and Belgium.
- Sellers can choose whether to allow international buyers to participate in Buyer Appreciation Giveaways, or to have it as domestic buyers only.
Users who want to enter must make a purchase AFTER the giveaway is created to qualify.
- Exception: United States and Canadian Users can enter for free by filling out a web form found on the giveaway details page.
Sellers and buyers must use the mobile app to create or enter a Buyer Appreciation giveaway.
Sellers may not use buyers appreciation giveaways to run paid entry raffles; including sweepstakes, lottery, derby games, or similar. Accounts found violating will be actioned under our policies.
Sellers must include rules pertaining to the giveaway; these rules vary based on seller location.
- For United States users, visit US Terms of Service (see “Whatnot Promotions and Giveaway Rules” to learn more).
- For UK, France, Germany, Belgium and Austria users, visit EU Terms of Service (see “Section 15. Giveaways” to learn more).
Sellers must ship the giveaway item regardless of who wins.
For guidance on how to Create a Buyer Appreciation Giveaway or Enter a Buyer Appreciation Giveaway please see the linked help center articles.

Visit Giveaway Rules and Requirements for more info.

Giveaway shipping & fulfillment

Seller responsibilities

Sellers are responsible for all giveaway shipping costs, including international shipping if International Shipping is enabled.
Giveaway shipping costs are deducted directly from the Seller's Whatnot balance when the Giveaway is run. If the Seller's balance doesn't cover the shipping cost, the balance may become negative. The amount owed will be deducted from future earnings.
To avoid inaccurate shipping charges, select a shipping profilethat matches the packaged weight of the item.
Ship giveaway items within two business days, just like any other order on Whatnot.

Recipient responsibilities

Recipients are responsible for any applicable customs duties, import taxes, and fees on international shipments.

Giveaway policies

Consequences for Giveaway policy violations

Engaging in prohibited Giveaway behavior, or failing to fulfill a giveaway, may result in account action. This may include a temporary or permanent loss of access to the ability to run giveaways. You will be held responsible for unfulfilled giveaways and, in some cases, may be billed back for the estimated value of the giveaway.

You will receive an email and notification if your account is not in good standing and you have lost access to creating and running giveaways. To understand more about Whatnot’s policies and how we enforce them, please see our Policies and What Actions We Take.

As a reminder, any sellers running giveaways or other promotions are responsible for following all applicable laws as outlined in our Terms.

Prohibited Giveaway behavior

No denying a winner: You must not deny a user the item they won during a giveaway. Winners are not required to react in any way to claim their prize at the time of the drawing.
Disclose prize in advance: You must disclose what the giveaway winner will receive before running the item. This disclosure may be in the applicable listing and/or in the livestream. Surprise Products may be given away provided the mystery item remains on screen until fully opened.
No downgrading, withholding or changing prize based on who wins: Sellers must not downgrade, withhold or change the giveaway prize based on who wins, for example:
- You may not deny a giveaway winner based on whether they follow you on social media.
- You may not downgrade the prize if the winner has not made a purchase (or upgrade the prize based on a buyer winning).
- You may not deny a winner because you suspect programmatic entry; if you suspect giveaway abuse please report the user in our in-app reporting flow for Whatnot to review.
- You may not add requirements to win a giveaway outside of what is included in Whatnot's giveaway feature.
The following restrictions are included in Whatnot's giveaway:
- Limit entries to followers only.
- Limit entries to domestic users (based on seller location) only.
- Limit entries to buyers who have purchased an item in your livestream and users who enter for free via a web form.
Shipping and fulfillment: You must fulfill the giveaway item within Whatnot's standard shipping timeframe. Orders must be shipped through Whatnot in order to ensure fulfillment.
No purchase necessary: Requiring purchase to win a giveaway is prohibited and you will be subject to investigation. In many jurisdictions; it is illegal to require a purchase to enter a giveaway. For example, this includes:
- Requiring a buyer to spend above a certain amount in your livestream to qualify for a Buyer Appreciation Giveaway.
- Hosting Buyer Appreciation Giveaways without an alternative method of entry (AMOE).
No stopping a giveaway: Once started, a giveaway can't be paused or canceled. A winner will be automatically drawn at the end of the five-minute time limit.
Comply with laws: Giveaways must comply with our Giveaway Rules and Requirements, Terms of Service, and applicable laws and regulation.
No future redemption: Do not offer giveaways for redemption in a future stream. All giveaways must be completed within the livestream in which the giveaway was run.
No circumvention: Sellers must not circumvent Whatnot's giveaway rules in any way, including by hosting a buyer appreciation giveaways without an alternative method of entry (AMOE) or by listing an excessive number of buyers appreciation giveaways that are not run.
No mechanical or wheel-based randomization: Randomization cannot be done through a physical machine. In other words, distributing items based on results from items like a vending, gumball, pinball machine, or a raffle drum is not permitted. Additionally, sellers may not use randomizer wheels. This includes physical wheels, and digital wheels run through third-party websites and streaming software.

Permitted behavior

Sponsored giveaways permitted outside of marketplace: Listings or solicitations to sponsor or fund a seller's giveaway is permitted provided any such listings do not appear in the marketplace. Any such listings will be removed from the marketplace.
Sellers may promote and establish targets for running giveaways, such as stating a giveaway will be run at a certain sales goal or time of day.

Participating in Giveaways

We want our whole community to participate in and enjoy giveaways, which requires giveaways to be fair for all users.

Each user is allowed one entry per eligible giveaway and must submit entries manually. If we identify giveaway abuse, violation of our terms, or giveaway rules, such as entry into an unnatural number of giveaways, we may suspend eligibility to enter giveaways. We reserve the right to cancel any giveaway order where the winning entrants violated our terms or giveaway rules, such as accounts entering a single giveaway using multiple accounts.

We detect violations and determine limits through automated signals, and if needed, human review. If you suspect a user is abusing our giveaway feature, please report it to us through our in-app reporting flow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If I enter a giveaway and leave the livestream before it’s run, will I still be entered to win the giveaway?

No, if you leave the livestream before the giveaway is run, you will be removed from the list of entries. However, if you rejoin the livestream before the giveaway is run, you’ll be automatically re-entered into the giveaway.

Who pays for giveaway shipping?

Sellers pay for shipping on giveaways, including international shipments. Giveaway shipping costs are deducted from the seller's Whatnot account balance when the giveaway is run.

Recipients are responsible for any applicable customs duties or import fees on international shipments. Whatnot doesn't reimburse giveaway shipping costs.

I don’t have any money in my Whatnot account. Are the shipping costs still taken from my account?

If your account balance doesn't cover the shipping costs when a giveaway is run, your balance will become negative.

The amount owed will be deducted from your future earnings, and your balance may return to positive as you continue earning.

To make sure you're charged the correct shipping costs, make sure the shipping profile you choose for your giveaway item matches its true packaged weight.

Can I run a giveaway while an auction is in progress?

Yes. Once you start a giveaway, you can continue running auctions and selling items as usual while it's active.

What happens if I don't receive my giveaway item?

Sellers are required to ship out all items won in the giveaway. However, if the seller hasn’t shipped your giveaway within the standard shipping timeline or if the item was lost in transit, please contact Whatnot Support.

What happens if the item I won in a giveaway is damaged?

Whatnot cannot provide a refund to the giveaway winner since they did not purchase the item.

How do I tell if a user is present when they win the giveaway?

Sellers can’t ask the winner of a giveaway if they are present in the chat. However, when a user enters a giveaway but leaves the livestream, they will be automatically removed from the list of entries for that giveaway. If the user returns before a winner is drawn, they will be automatically entered into the giveaway again.

Can I ask users who enter the giveaway to follow me or others on Whatnot, TikTok, or other social platforms?

A user is allowed to enter the giveaway as long as they meet the restrictions allowed by Whatnot. Sellers can’t add their own restrictions to enter a giveaway, including requiring users to follow them or others on other social media platforms.

Sellers cannot deny the winner the giveaway prize for any reason.

As a viewer, what information do I need to enter giveaways?

Giveaways are free to enter but a user will need to have their payment info and shipping address on file to enter giveaways even though they will not be charged for shipping or any associated costs related to the giveaway.

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