Buying on Whatnot

Purchasing in Live Shows

First things first: You must have a payment method and shipping address saved to your account in order to make purchases in shows. To add this information, visit Account > Payments & Shipping.

In-Show Buying Formats

Sellers on Whatnot have access to several sales formats. When you're viewing a live show, you might see some or all of these formats. Here's a breakdown:

Auction

Auctions are the most popular way to sell products in shows. All auctions use the "Bid" button; just swipe the button to the right to place a bid. You can also tap the "Custom" button to enter the highest bid you're willing to place. Once you enter a custom bid, we'll automatically bid for you up to the price you entered.

1. Standard Auctions. These auctions run for a set amount of time specified by the seller — anywhere from just a second or two to several minutes. In this format, a few seconds of time will be added to the clock each time a buyer places a new bid to allow other buyers a chance to beat that bid. Once the clock expires, the highest bidder wins.
2. Sudden-Death Auctions. These auctions are the same as standard auctions, except we don't add a few seconds to the clock after each bid. These auctions can be more dramatic by giving buyers a chance to win the auction by swiping at the last second. Sudden-death auctions have a skull icon displayed next to the auction clock.

Buy It Now

Buy It Now products are fixed-price items that sellers have listed in a show. You can browse them any time by tapping the Buy It Now tab in the Seller's Shop. If you see something you want, you don’t have to wait for an auction — just grab it instantly. Sellers will often highlight BIN items live on screen too, so you can see the product up close before you buy.

Flash Sale

A flash sale is just like a Buy It Now product, except that it's offered at a discounted price for a short period — sometimes for just a few seconds — during a show. Some sellers will rapidly run multiple Flash Sales one after the other, so act quick!

Giveaway

Giveaways are free products that many sellers offer as incentives or rewards to their buyers. If a seller is running a Giveaway, you'll see a "Giveaway" box at the top of your screen while you're viewing a live show. Just tap the box to enter the Giveaway. Sometimes, the seller may limit entry to followers or to people who have made a purchase in that show. Giveaways are always free, but buyers are generally responsible for shipping costs.

Break

Breaking is a common format in our trading-card categories. In a break, a seller allows buyers to purchase shares of a box or pack of cards.

1. Random Spot. Buyers purchase one or more of several spots, either through an auction or Buy It Now format. Each spot is then randomly assigned a team, character, number, or slot. Once all spots have been purchased, the seller opens (or "breaks") the pack or box, and its contents go to whoever owns the spot that matches what’s pulled. For example, in a Pokémon card break, a buyer who purchases “Spot 3” might receive all cards featuring Grass-type Pokémon, if that’s how the break has been organized.

2. Pick Your Spot or Pick Your Team. Buyers choose specific spots (like a favorite sports team or character) rather than receiving them randomly. Once all spots are sold, the pack or box is opened and each buyer receives all the cards for the team, character, or spot that they've purchased. This format offers buyers more control, but popular teams, characters, or spots will usually cost more.

3. Hit Draft. All cards or items in a pack or box are revealed first. Buyers then purchase a spot in a draft, either by bidding for a specific spot or being assigned one randomly. Buyers then take turns picking their favorites based on their draft order.

4. Pack Break. Each buyer purchases a pack within a box before the box has been opened. Once the box is opened, each buyer receives an entire pack from that box. The packs are then usually opened one by one on camera, but some sellers offer each buyer the option to keep the pack sealed.

Purchasing Outside of Shows

You don't have to be in a live show to make purchases on Whatnot. There are four ways to make purchases outside of shows, all of which can be done by visiting each product's details page.

1. Buy It Now. Buy It Now products are sold at a fixed price and can usually be purchased at any time. Just click the “Buy Now” button on the details page for any But It Now product to immediately purchase the item at that price. Sometimes, sellers choose to reserve a Buy It Now product for a show; those products can be purchased only while that show is live.

2. Make Offer. Some sellers allow you to offer a lower price on a Buy It Now product. When that option is available, click the "Make Offer" button to offer a price below the displayed price. If a seller accepts your offer, the transaction will process automatically. Offers expire after 30 days, or once you delete them.
   
3. Pre-Bid. If a seller has reserved a product for an in-show auction, you'll see a "Pre-Bid" button on the product details page that allows you to bid on that product before the show starts. When you place a pre-bid, we’ll automatically bid for you—up to your maximum amount—once the show begins and the item is run, even if you’re not watching. We won't place bids higher than your specified limit. If you’re watching the show and have pre-bid, we’ll still place automatic bids for you, up to your set maximum. You can also bid manually if you want to go higher.
   
4. Auction. Some sellers use an auction format to sell products outside of their shows. These auctions might run for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks. They work just like auctions in shows, but tend last longer. To place a bid, swipe the "Bid" button or tap "Custom" to enter the highest amount you're willing to pay. If you choose a custom bid, Whatnot will automatically bid for you up to the price you've entered.