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Whatnot publishes two fees, not one. Commission is a percentage of the item’s final sale price — the hammer. Processing is 2.9% + $0.30 of the checkout total, which is the hammer plus whatever the buyer paid for shipping and tax. A page that says “Whatnot takes 8%” is describing the first line and silently dropping the second.
commission = commission rate × min(hammer, cap) — no cap means the whole hammer.
processing = 2.9% × (hammer + shipping charged + tax) + $0.30
payout = hammer − commission − processing
That last line is Whatnot’s own “net earnings” definition. Shipping the buyer paid is not added to payout; it is there to cover the label. Leftover after your costs is payout + shipping charged − label − what the lot cost you.
No shipping, no tax, 8% commission, 2.9% + $0.30 processing — the numbers on Whatnot’s US help article.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hammer | $50.00 |
| Commission (8% of $50) | $4.00 |
| Processing (2.9% of $50 + $0.30) | $1.75 |
| Total fees | $5.75 |
| Payout | $44.25 |
Effective take on the hammer: 11.5%, not 8%.
The lot most live-sellers actually run. Same 8% + 2.9% + $0.30.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hammer | $20.00 |
| Buyer-paid shipping | $5.00 |
| Commission (8% of $20) | $1.60 |
| Processing (2.9% of $25 + $0.30) | $1.03 |
| Total fees | $2.63 |
| Payout | $17.38 |
Effective take on the hammer: 13.1%. Of the $1.03 processing, $0.15 is from the postage. That slice is why “just charge shipping” is not free, and why the free-shipping comparison exists.
On the published US comics / TCG / sports / toys row, commission is 8% only up to $1,500. The $900 above the cap is 0%.
Commission is $120.00, not 8% of $2,400 ($192). Processing on $2,400 with no shipping is $69.90. Total fees $189.90, payout $2,210.10. The cap kept $72.00 that a flat 8% page would have taken. The cap is labelled limited-time — confirm it on the lot.
The Whatnot seller payout calculator runs this same arithmetic on your own hammer, postage, tax, label, and cost, with category presets you can overwrite from your statement. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
On Whatnot’s published US default, a $50 hammer with no shipping or tax is $4.00 commission (8%) plus $1.75 processing (2.9% of $50 + $0.30) = $5.75 in fees and a $44.25 payout. That is Whatnot’s own worked example.
Yes. Processing is 2.9% + $0.30 of the checkout total — hammer plus buyer-paid shipping and tax — not of the hammer alone. A $20 card with $5 postage is $1.60 commission + $1.03 processing = $2.63, 13.1% of the hammer, not 8%.
No. Whatnot’s published US help article applies the 0%-above-$1,500 rule to comics, TCG, sports singles, toys & hobbies, and coins. Other categories still commission the whole hammer. The cap is labelled limited-time; confirm it on the lot.