Get people in your first whatnot show

Spunky Supply
Oct 24, 2025
6 min read

Screenshots of how I show my items on Whatnot.

"Well, there went another 3-4 hours of my life I will never get back. Had another live show and didn't sell anything. Again! Had 6 viewers at one time but no one stuck around. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I invited, promoted on here and Whatnot. Didn't matter. I spent hours prepping my items, setting up my camera and lights and still....nothing." -post from a Whatnot sellers Facebook group

First, let me say, I'm not an expert. I have a show once every 2-3 months. Still, I consistently sell 70+ items in a 2-3 hour show.

No disrespect to this seller, but simply setting up your show and promoting it in seller groups isn’t what brings people in. It’s about who you’re promoting to and how you’re setting up your show.

So then what would have worked?

We'll get there, but first, let's talk about who is buying on Whatnot.

Get comfortable with selling below value

Before I was a reseller, I was a Whatnot shopper. I was sucked into Daily Refinement's incredible shoe deals and unboxing shows in the Storage Unit category. Getting a good deal is truly addictive.

I'm no different than any other Whatnot shopper. We like a steal. This means you should plan on selling your item below eBay prices.

Also, many WN buyers are resellers themselves, looking for items to stock their shop with.

Then why sell on Whatnot if you can get more elsewhere?

Great question. The truth is, Whatnot isn’t ideal for every reseller or every situation. But here's what it is good for:

Bulk buyers (like me!). When I buy in bulk, my goal is to make 3x my investment. Once I hit that goal, everything else is extra profit. I use Whatnot to sell these leftovers from bulk purchases.
Clearing out old inventory. Need to get rid of the old, to make way for the new? Instead of donating or letting them sit, you can move them on Whatnot to make extra money.
Faster turnover. You can move a lot of inventory in one live show instead of waiting weeks or months for individual eBay sales.
Way less work. You save time. On other platforms, you have to take pictures and write long descriptions for each item. On Whatnot, you just show the item live, describe it, and move on to the next item.
Building your brand & community. Whatnot lets you show your personality and connect directly with buyers. When you cultivate a following based on your brand, you build trust. People will come back for the deals and you.

In short, other platforms will help you maximize your profit. With Whatnot, you maximize speed, volume, and brand recognition.

So, how do you get buyers to your first show?

There’s nothing wrong with promoting your shows in Whatnot seller groups...I mean, it certainly doesn’t hurt. But ask yourself: do the people in those groups really match your customer demographic?

One of many tape measures I misplaced during the show.

For me, they don't. Most Facebook users tend to be older than my usual audience, and while I do share my shows with Y2K sellers, Whatnot seller groups include a wide mix of sellers, and there's no guarantee my posts will hit the right ones. Instead of promoting there, be intentional. You can actually use Whatnot itself to get your shows in front of the right customers.

Here how:

Schedule your show in advance...like a month or two. Give your show time to accumulate bookmarks, and give yourself time to promote it. If you post and promote it a few days ahead, people might miss it altogether.
- Bonus tip: Do your research to figure out the best day and time to set your shows up. For me, I'll never have shows on the weekends or mornings. My shows do better on an evening in the middle of the week.
Pre-list your best items. (Yes, this is so so important) Take your quality pieces, and add them to your show at the same time you book it. Treat it like an eBay listing-- take good photos and add detailed descriptions with trending style keywords like “fairycore,” “emo,” or “coquette.” This is really how people find your shows...they're literally searching "fairycore cami" on Whatnot. Do whatever you need to do to get your products to show up in search. If they bookmark or pre-bid on those listings, they’ll get notified when your show goes live.
But bring random pulls. What you don't want to do is only run prelisted items. If viewers see everything you’ve got up front, they’ll look and leave. Random pulls will keep a buyer's attention, and they'll stick around so that they don't miss a good deal.
Don't run your popular items right away. If you teased a popular piece in your thumbnail or prelistings (like a babydoll cami or Juicy purse), don’t run it first. The second you start your show, people will beg you to run it.
I know, I know...you're a people pleaser.
But avoid the temptation, because once you run it, it's gone. People will continue to ask for it the rest of the show, and leave when you say it's sold. Instead, plan to run it halfway through and let the chat know it's coming up. It forces them to hang out and see what else you have.
Hang or display clothing you have available in the background. I have a mannequin that I style before I start a show, and I leave her in view. People will ask me to run stuff on the mannequin all night. After I've run something on her, I just take a minute to re-dress her so I can keep that momentum going. You can do the same by keeping your clothing rack in view, or hanging them on the wall behind you.
Don't discount TikTok. There is still a huge misconception that TikTok is for "young people." Millennials use it almost as much as Gen Z, and Gen X+ users are growing fast. I only have 1k followers on TikTok, but that doesn't matter (thank God lol). TikTok’s algorithm pushes content based on interest, not followers. A preview video of my Whatnot show might only get 20 likes, but I get at least one bookmark from those videos, and I've had a lot of people reference my TikTok in the chat.

Tips for your first show

Don't do $1 starts. For some reason, everyone thinks $1 starts are required for a successful show. That only works if you have a massive following or do Whatnot full-time. Make each sale worth your time.
Let’s put that into perspective. Whatnot takes an 8% commission and a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per sale:
- If you sell something for $1, you'll earn .59 cents (Ouch, a roll of tape costs 6x that).
- If you sell something for $3, you'll earn $2.37.
- If you sell 10 items for $1, you'll pocket $5.90.
- Raise the starting bid to $3 and sell 10 items, and you'll pocket $23.70.
  
  Huge difference.
Treat WN like a community, not an auction. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the Whatnot subreddit, it’s that people hate when sellers yell things like “Bid it up, chat!” or “Come on, this is worth $500 and it’s only at $20?!”
Your buyers are humans, not wallets. Greet them, thank them by name, and make them feel welcome.
Bring stickers to number your random pulls. I try to keep all the random pulls in order on a hanger, but things can get chaotic. Numbering your random pulls makes it way easier to keep track during the show and when you’re shipping.
Have a tape measure on hand. Actually, have several. This is so you can give measurements if someone asks. Bring multiple because you'll lose one or two mid-show.
Do giveaways, but don't break the bank. Giveaways are optional, but they keep people engaged. I giveaway Y2K vending machine stickers as giveaways because they're so stinking cute. I've found them in units and thrift shops, so they're cheap and cost just .30 cents or so to ship.
Reduce shipping (only if you're comfortable). For Y2K clothing, I can fit around 15 items in a large flat-rate box. I set my max shipping at that cost ($9.21) and use Whatnot’s five free shipping adjustments per week if someone needs a bigger box (which is rare). I’ve never run out of adjustments in one show. When people hit free shipping, they'll continue to buy more.
Schedule your next show before you go live. They like you, they really like you. Have your show ready in your profile, and promote it throughout the show. They will come back!