In a world often spotlighting young entrepreneurs, a different kind of success story is emerging on Whatnot—one that highlights seasoned sellers harnessing their expertise and passion to thrive in live shopping. These sellers, with backgrounds as diverse as vintage jewelry, trading cards, and collectibles, are not only adapting to the fast-paced digital marketplace but excelling in it. Their journeys demonstrate the power of embracing innovation, staying true to one’s passions, and finding community in unexpected places.

As we look to 2025, search trends on Whatnot point to key themes shaping the future of your business: authenticated collectibles emerging as alternative assets, storytelling deepening connections, and category lines blurring as live shoppers diversify—from cards to rare plants, vintage fashion to ancient coins. 

With great power comes great responsibility. Believe it or not, when Peter Parker's Uncle Ben said that exact quote, he was referring to being a moderator on Whatnot. Moderators also known as ‘mods’ on Whatnot are individuals chosen by the seller hosting the show to connect with the chat and help maintain a good experience for everyone during the show.

As we move into mid-November, the holiday season is officially here! It's a crucial time for buyers and sellers alike, and at Whatnot, we're excited to share a few expert tips to help you stand out, maximize your sales, and make the most of this festive season.

At Whatnot, our mission has always been to empower your business growth and foster community through commerce. Over the past year, we introduced Referral Codes alongside our existing Referral Links, offering more ways for you to share savings and attract new buyers to your shows.

Today, we’re unveiling a new initiative designed to further support sellers and encourage purchases: Whatnot Affiliates. This program allows you to earn commissions by sharing your favorite products or shows—whether your own or those from sellers you admire—with your friends and followers on other platforms.

Two video tutorials to help you when it’s finally time to begin your liveshow!

Three must-watch tutorials to get you ready to host your first Whatnot show

As part of our efforts to streamline info for sellers, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our revamped Seller Academy homepage!

This new design conveniently lays out all seller resources in a simple-to-navigate page with quick navigation by topic. We’ve also added some totally new resources to Seller Academy like Community Guidelines & Policies, the @whatnotsellers Account, Blog Updates, and Platform Status!

In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to give a big shout-out to all the amazing AAPI business owners leaving their mark on the Whatnot community. We commend and celebrate their entrepreneurial endeavors, inspiring hard work, and their ongoing success. In this blog post we’ll highlight the stories, achievements, and awesome contributions of a few incredible sellers on Whatnot.

Embarking on the journey of becoming a successful Whatnot seller requires not only a passion for your particular interests but also a solid understanding of Whatnot itself and all it has to offer. In our mission of empowering Whatnot sellers to turn their passions into businesses, we've curated a list of the most helpful resources.

Prepare your Pokéballs because today is National Pokémon Day! Trainers and enthusiasts across the globe will be celebrating the launch of the very first Pokémon games, released in Japan back in 1996. Three years ago Whatnot brought livestream shopping to the world of Pokémon TCG and never looked back. Today, a Pokemon card is sold every second on Whatnot, where you can find thousands of sellers offering singles, slabs, sealed products, and so much more.

One of the exciting challenges that comes with starting on a new platform is gaining a following. There are plenty of ways to use in-app tools, social media, and your creativity to make it easier to gain an audience and build your brand. We want all of our sellers to succeed and find their community, so here are some tips to help you market your business on and off Whatnot.

We’re just at the beginning of the next chapter for online shopping, and the next chapter for Whatnot too. As we look ahead, I’d like to take a moment to reflect and thank you for the incredible journey over the past year, and give you an update on our key priorities: helping you grow your business and succeed, continuing to expand to new categories and communities to bring more people to Whatnot, and building products and craft policies to ensure a trustworthy buying experience for everyone.