Profit and pricing
Whatnot fee calculator
Work out Whatnot's seller fees on a sale, what you keep, your profit after the item cost and the price an item needs to sell for. Starts from Whatnot's published US rates, each editable.
Commission by tier
Whatnot's US rate for your category and sales tier, on the sale price.
Processing included
The payment fee on the buyer's total with shipping and tax.
Price to sell for
What an item needs to sell for to keep the amount you want.
Whatnot fee calculator
Free to use, no sign-up. The example values are Whatnot's own worked example from its seller fees page. Change any of them and the result updates as you type; nothing you type leaves your browser.
Whatnot fees on a 10.00 sale
1.56
The buyer pays 10.00 + 4.99 shipping + 0.85 tax = 15.84.
Commission: 8% of the 10.00 sale price = 0.80. Shipping and tax are not included.
Payment processing: 2.9% of 15.84 + 0.30 = 0.76.
You keep 8.44 of the 10.00 sale price. Whatnot's fees take 15.60% of it.
Formula
commission = category rate for your tier * sale price
payment processing = 2.9% * (sale price + buyer shipping + sales tax) + 0.30
you keep = sale price - commission - processing - shipping you cover - other fees
profit = you keep - item cost
price to keep a target = (target + 0.30 + 0.029 * buyer shipping) / (1 - commission rate - 0.029), with no taxRates as published on Whatnot's help center for US sellers, checked on . Rates change, and promotional rates override them while they run, so confirm yours on Whatnot's seller fees page or in Seller Hub before you rely on a figure. Convertica is not affiliated with Whatnot.
Short answer
A Whatnot fee calculator takes the commission for your category and tier on the sale price alone, 8% at the Standard tier in most categories, then adds 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing on what the buyer pays with shipping and tax. On Whatnot's own example, a $10.00 item, the fees are $1.56.
- Whatnot's commission is charged on the sale price only. Shipping and the sales tax the buyer pays are not included.
- Payment processing is 2.9% of the buyer's total, shipping and tax included, plus $0.30 per transaction, and applies at every tier.
- Commission falls by tier: your sales in a four-week period set the rate for the next one, from 8% at the Standard tier down to 3.5% in some categories at Tier 6.
- Coins sell at 4% commission at the Standard tier, and listed categories pay 0% commission on the part of a sale over $1,500.00 while Whatnot's promotion lasts.
- Subtract the item cost, and any shipping you cover, from what Whatnot leaves you to get the profit on a sale.
How are Whatnot fees calculated?
Whatnot fees on a sale are two charges: a commission on the sale price of the item, at the rate for its category and your tier, and a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 on everything the buyer pays. Whatnot's own example on its seller fees page works like this.
- An item sells for $10.00. The buyer also pays $4.99 shipping and $0.85 sales tax, $15.84 in all.
- Commission at 8% on the $10.00 sale price only: $0.80.
- Payment processing: 15.84 × 0.029 = 0.45936, plus $0.30, rounds to $0.76.
- The fees are $1.56, and the seller keeps $10.00 - $1.56 = $8.44, 15.60% of the sale price in fees.
Whatnot's page gives the commission in this example, $0.80; the processing line is this page's arithmetic from Whatnot's published rate. Whatnot publishes no rounding rule, so this calculator rounds each fee to the nearest cent, half up. Your order receipt in Seller Hub shows the exact figures.
The buyer's shipping is not in what you keep: by default the buyer pays for the Whatnot shipping label. If you offer free or capped shipping, the part you cover is a cost to you; enter it under shipping you cover.
How to use the Whatnot fee calculator
- Pick the category and your tier. The calculator fills in Whatnot's US commission rate for that pair; type another rate if you have a promotional one.
- Enter the sale price, the buyer's shipping and the sales tax. The tax is an amount, as it shows on the order.
- Turn on the high-value rule if the sale is over $1,500.00 in a category Whatnot lists for it.
- Add the costs that apply. Shipping you cover, other fees and the item cost give what you keep and the profit.
- Set a target. Optional: the amount you want to keep, and the result shows what the item needs to sell for.
Whatnot commission rates by category and tier
Whatnot's commission rate for a US seller depends on two things: the category of the show or listing, and the tier your total sales reached in the last four-week period. Every category starts at 8% at the Standard tier except coins at 4%, and the rates fall as your sales rise. This is Whatnot's published US rate card.
| Category | Standard $0 to $14,999 | Tier 1 $15,000 to $34,999 | Tier 2 $35,000 to $49,999 | Tier 3 $50,000 to $99,999 | Tier 4 $100,000 to $249,999 | Tier 5 $250,000 to $499,999 | Tier 6 $500,000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports | 8% | 7.75% | 7.5% | 7.25% | 7% | 6.75% | 6.5% |
| TCG (trading card games) | 8% | 7.75% | 7.5% | 7.25% | 7% | 6.75% | 6.5% |
| Fashion | 8% | 7% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Other Collectibles | 8% | 7.25% | 6.5% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Coins | 4% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.55% | 3.5% |
| Other | 8% | 7% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Source: Whatnot's seller fees page, read on . Where the card marks a category's lowest public rate, the higher tiers repeat it. Rates as low as 3% are custom terms for the highest-volume sellers, not on the public card.
How do Whatnot's sales tiers work?
Whatnot's tiers count your total sales across every category in one 28-day period, and the tier you reach sets your rates for the next period. Sales do not carry over between periods; cancelled orders, private shows and local pickup are taken out of the total. A rate is locked for the whole period, so crossing a threshold midway lowers the rate from the next period.
How much does Whatnot take from a $100 sale?
At the Standard tier rate of 8%, Whatnot takes $11.34 from a $100 sale with $4.99 buyer shipping and no tax: $8.00 commission and $3.34 payment processing, which leaves $88.66. A seller on a 5.5% tier rate pays $8.84 on the same sale.
| Sale price | Commission at 8% | Processing | Fees | You keep | Fees as a share of the price | Fees on coins at 4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.08 | $0.47 | $0.55 | $0.45 | 55.00% | $0.51 |
| $5.00 | $0.40 | $0.59 | $0.99 | $4.01 | 19.80% | $0.79 |
| $10.00 | $0.80 | $0.73 | $1.53 | $8.47 | 15.30% | $1.13 |
| $25.00 | $2.00 | $1.17 | $3.17 | $21.83 | 12.68% | $2.17 |
| $50.00 | $4.00 | $1.89 | $5.89 | $44.11 | 11.78% | $3.89 |
| $100.00 | $8.00 | $3.34 | $11.34 | $88.66 | 11.34% | $7.34 |
| $250.00 | $20.00 | $7.69 | $27.69 | $222.31 | 11.08% | $17.69 |
| $500.00 | $40.00 | $14.94 | $54.94 | $445.06 | 10.99% | $34.94 |
| $1,000.00 | $80.00 | $29.44 | $109.44 | $890.56 | 10.94% | $69.44 |
The $0.30 per transaction and the processing on shipping weigh most on cheap items, which matters for $1 starts in live auctions: an item that sells for $1.00 pays $0.55 in fees and leaves $0.45.
Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping and tax?
Whatnot charges no commission on shipping or sales tax: its seller fees page says commission is calculated on the sale price of the item, and shipping and taxes paid by the buyer are not included. The payment processing fee is different. Whatnot calculates it on the total order value the buyer pays, including buyer-paid shipping and taxes, plus the fixed fee.
Some states also tax Whatnot's own fees. Whatnot's page on taxes on commissions and fees lists the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico and West Virginia for the commission, and Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia for the processing fee. Whatnot deducts that tax from your earnings; add it under other fees if it applies to you.
Is there a lower Whatnot fee for sales over $1,500?
Yes, while Whatnot's limited-time promotion runs. In Comics & Anime, Toys & Hobbies, Coins & Money, Trading Card Games, Entertainment Cards, Sports Singles, Bags & Accessories, Jewelry & Watches, Whatnot charges 0% commission on the part of a sale price over $1,500.00, and the usual processing fee on the full amount. Whatnot's own example, a $2,000 sale at 8%, pays $120.00 commission instead of $160.00; with $58.30 of processing the seller keeps $1,821.70. Sports breaks and surprise products are excluded. Details: Whatnot's high-value orders page.
What does an item need to sell for on Whatnot to keep a set amount?
To keep a set amount after Whatnot fees with no sales tax, add the $0.30 fixed fee and the processing on the buyer's shipping to the amount you want, then divide by one minus your commission rate minus 0.029. To keep $25.00 at 8% with $4.99 buyer shipping, the item has to sell for $28.55.
sale price = (target + 0.30 + 0.029 * buyer shipping) / (1 - commission rate - 0.029)- Target plus the fixed fee and the processing on shipping: 25.00 + 0.30 + 0.14471 = 25.44471.
- The fee rates on each dollar of the sale price: 0.08 commission and 0.029 processing, so the divisor is 0.891.
- Divide: 25.44471 / 0.891 = 28.55747, so the item has to sell for $28.55.
- Check it: the fees on $28.55 are $3.55, which leaves $25.00.
With sales tax the calculator keeps the tax rate of the sale you entered: at Whatnot's example rate of 5.67% of the item and shipping, keeping $25.00 takes $28.62. The shortcut fails: a $25.00 sale pays $3.22 in fees, but selling at $25.00 plus those fees, $28.22, raises the fees again and leaves $24.64, $0.36 short. In an auction the figure is the lowest winning bid that keeps your amount, a useful floor for a starting bid.
| To keep | Sell for | Whatnot fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $11.75 | $1.75 | $10.00 |
| $25.00 | $28.62 | $3.62 | $25.00 |
| $50.00 | $56.73 | $6.73 | $50.00 |
| $100.00 | $112.95 | $12.95 | $100.00 |
| $250.00 | $281.61 | $31.61 | $250.00 |
Whatnot profit calculator: profit after fees and costs
Your profit on a Whatnot sale is the sale price minus Whatnot's commission and processing fee, minus any shipping you covered, minus what the item cost you. Enter the item cost in the calculator to see it. Here is one illustrative sale.
- A card sells for $40.00 at 8% with $4.99 buyer shipping and no tax: $3.20 commission and $1.60 processing, $4.80 in fees.
- You keep $35.20. Less the $15.00 item cost: a profit of $20.20, a 50.50% margin on the sale price.
- If you cap the buyer's shipping at $1.99 and cover the other $3.00, processing falls to $1.52 and the profit to $17.28.
To make $20.00 of profit on the same card, enter it as the amount you want to keep: the calculator says it has to sell for $39.78. Work out a margin or a markup from your own figures with the margin calculator, and profit over a month, after supplies and overheads, with the profit calculator.
If you also sell on your own website
Many Whatnot sellers also run a store of their own, where the per sale cost is a card or PayPal fee instead of a commission; the PayPal fee calculator works it out the same way. There you pay for the traffic, so the share of visitors who buy matters more. If you have your own store page, Convertica's free CRO audit checks it: the first screen, calls to action, forms, trust, mobile, speed and AI agent readiness, ranked by likely impact.
How can I lower my Whatnot fees?
You lower Whatnot fees mainly through the commission, because payment processing is the same at every tier. Each point below comes from Whatnot's own help center.
- Reach a higher tier. Sales across all categories in one 28-day period set next period's rates, so a busier period lowers the rate after it.
- List in the right category. Coins sell at 4%, and Whatnot treats listing in the wrong category to get a lower rate as fee avoidance.
- Use the high-value rule. In the listed categories, the part of a sale over $1,500.00 pays no commission while the promotion runs.
- Count shipping you cover. Free or capped shipping can help a show, and the part you pay comes out of your profit.
- Check promotional rates. New seller and category promotions override your earned rate while they run, and those sales still count toward your tier.
How to calculate Whatnot fees in Excel or Google Sheets
To calculate Whatnot fees in Excel or Google Sheets, put the sale price in A2, buyer shipping in B2, sales tax in C2 and your commission rate in D2 as a percentage. The commission is =ROUND(A2*D2,2), processing is =ROUND((A2+B2+C2)*0.029,2)+0.3, and what you keep is the sale price minus both. The same formulas work in both programs.
| To get | Formula | Cells |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | =ROUND(A2*D2,2) | Into E2 |
| Payment processing | =ROUND((A2+B2+C2)*0.029,2)+0.3 | Into F2 |
| What you keep | =A2-E2-F2 | Subtract shipping you cover too |
| Profit | =A2-E2-F2-G2 | Item cost in G2 |
| Price to keep a target | =(H2+0.3+0.029*B2)/(1-D2-0.029) | The amount to keep in H2, no tax; round up to the cent |
Related calculators
Whatnot's fees are one cost between the winning bid and the profit. These calculators cover the rest of the sum, and the other marketplaces.
See all free tools and how they fit together.
Whatnot fee calculator FAQ
How does a Whatnot fee calculator work?
A Whatnot fee calculator multiplies the sale price by your commission rate, then adds 2.9% of the buyer's total plus $0.30 for payment processing. On Whatnot's example, a $10.00 item with $4.99 shipping and $0.85 tax, that is $0.80 + $0.76 = $1.56, leaving $8.44.
What are Whatnot's seller fees?
Whatnot charges US sellers a commission on the sale price, set by category and by sales tier, 8% at the Standard tier in most categories and 4% for coins, plus payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 on the buyer's total. Show promotion and boosts are optional extras.
How much does Whatnot take from a $100 sale?
At the Standard tier rate of 8%, Whatnot takes $11.34 from a $100 sale with $4.99 buyer shipping and no tax: $8.00 commission and $3.34 payment processing. You keep $88.66. At a 5.5% tier rate the fees are $8.84.
Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping?
Whatnot does not charge commission on shipping: its seller fees page says commission is on the sale price of the item and that shipping and taxes paid by the buyer are not included. The payment processing fee is different and is charged on the buyer's total, item, shipping and tax together.
How do Whatnot's commission tiers work?
Your total sales across all categories in a four-week period set your tier, and the tier sets the commission rate for each category in the next period. In the US the Standard tier is $0 to $14,999 and Tier 6 starts at $500,000. Tiers reset every 28 days, and crossing a threshold lowers the rate from the next period.
Is there a lower Whatnot fee for expensive items?
Yes, in some categories while the promotion lasts. Whatnot charges 0% commission on the part of a sale price over $1,500.00 in categories such as trading card games, coins and money, and sports singles. On a $2,000 sale at 8%, the commission is $120.00 instead of $160.00. Payment processing still applies to the full amount.
How do I calculate my profit on Whatnot?
Take the sale price, subtract the commission, the payment processing fee and any shipping you chose to cover, then subtract what the item cost you. A $40.00 sale with $4.99 buyer shipping pays $4.80 in fees and leaves $35.20; after a $15.00 item cost the profit is $20.20.
What does an item need to sell for on Whatnot to keep a set amount?
With no sales tax, add $0.30 and 2.9% of the buyer's shipping to the amount you want, then divide by one minus your commission rate minus 0.029. To keep $25.00 at 8% with $4.99 buyer shipping, the item has to sell for $28.55. Use it to set a starting bid you can live with.
Do I pay sales tax on Whatnot fees?
In some states. Whatnot's help center says it collects sales tax on its commission in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico and West Virginia, and on the payment processing fee in Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia, at reduced rates in some. The calculator leaves this out; add it under other fees.
How do I calculate Whatnot fees in Excel or Google Sheets?
With the sale price in A2, buyer shipping in B2, sales tax in C2 and your commission rate in D2 as a percentage, the commission is =ROUND(A2*D2,2) and processing is =ROUND((A2+B2+C2)*0.029,2)+0.3. What you keep is =A2 minus both.
