Direct messages for buyers Direct messages for buyers
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Direct messages for buyers

Whatnot Support Whatnot Support

Direct messages (DMs) let you communicate with sellers and other Whatnot users directly on the platform.

As a buyer, use DMs to:

  • Ask questions about a seller’s products
  • Coordinate shipping details
  • Resolve order issues directly with sellers

Keeping conversations on Whatnot helps protect both you and sellers, and allows us to support the transaction if something goes wrong.

On this page: 

If you’re looking for seller-specific guidance, see Direct messages for sellers.

Use direct messages safely

All messages on Whatnot must follow our Community Guidelines.

To help protect our community: 

  • Keep buying, selling, and payments on Whatnot. Don’t ask for or accept payment, purchases, or sales outside the platform.
  • Don’t share personal contact information to move transactions off-platform. This includes phone numbers, email addresses, or social media handles.
  • Report users who ask to move transactions off-platform. If another user asks you to buy, sell, or pay outside of Whatnot, report the conversation so we can investigate and help keep the community safe.

Whatnot can’t provide support for transactions that happen outside the platform. Participating in or encouraging off-platform activity may result in account action, including suspension or ban.

To help protect users and prevent fraud, Whatnot may review messages sent on the platform.

Access messages in your Inbox

You can access all of your messages from your Inbox on the Whatnot app or web.

To open your Inbox: 

  • Tap the messages icon on the Home screen. 

Your Inbox includes: 

  • DMs you’ve sent and received. 
  • Any support requests you’ve sent to sellers. 

If you have selling access, you’ll see additional tabs in your Inbox. Learn about direct messages for sellers

Note: If you’ve communicated with our Support team, those messages will appear in your email, not in your Whatnot Inbox.

Send a message

You can send a message from several places on Whatnot, including your Inbox, orders you’ve purchased, and people’s profiles. No matter where you start, all conversations will appear in your Inbox.

Keep in mind: 

  • You can only message someone if they're opted in to DMs and they haven’t blocked you. 
  • You can create group messages with up to 20 users.
From your Inbox
  1. From Whatnot’s Home screen, open your Inbox (message icon).
  2. Tap Compose.
  3. Enter the username.
  4. Tap Start message.
  5. Type and send.
From an order you’ve purchased
  1. Open your Activity tab.
  2. Select the order.
  3. Choose Message the seller.

Manage messages in your Inbox

Use these tools to keep your Inbox organized and follow up when needed.

Mark as unread

Mark a message as unread if you want to come back to it later.

To mark a message as unread:

  1. While viewing the message, tap the menu icon (three dots).
  2. Select Mark unread.
Archive messages

Archive conversations you no longer need to keep your Inbox tidy. You can access archived messages again at any time.

To archive a message:

  1. While viewing the message, tap the menu icon (three dots).
  2. Select Archive.

To view archived messages:

  1. From the Home screen, tap your Inbox (message icon)..
  2. Tap the menu icon (☰).
  3. Select Archive.
View message requests

If you don’t already have a connection with someone (for example, you don’t mutually follow each other), their message may appear as a request instead of showing in your Inbox automatically.

To view your message requests:

  1. From the Home screen, tap your Inbox (message icon).
  2. Tap the menu icon (☰).
  3. Select Message requests.

Block or report someone from messages

Blocking someone prevents them from interacting with you again. If you report a message, our Trust & Safety team will review it.

  1. Open the message. 
  2. Tap the menu icon (three dots). 
  3. Select Block or Report. 

Learn more about blocking and reporting.

Turn direct messages on or off 

You’re automatically opted into DMs, but you can turn them off at any time.

Keep in mind: Turning off DMs limits your ability to communicate with sellers 1:1 and may affect your buying experience.

To turn DMs on or off:

  1. Tap or click your Account icon. 
  2. (On web) Go to Account Settings. 
  3. Select Preferences. 
  4. Toggle Direct Messages on or off. 

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