How to Set Up Whatnot Shipping Before Your First Show

New streamers before their first or second show. Before the show. Beginner. 7-min read.

On Whatnot, buyers pay shipping at checkout by default, and the price comes from your settings and item weights. Mistakes show up after the sale, as underpaid labels, extra postage or buyers charged far too much for a lot of small items. Shipping settings for a show cannot be changed once the show starts, so this work happens before you go live.

How Whatnot Decides Shipping

For show orders, Whatnot uses three layers:

• Shipping profiles on each listing: the packed weight, and sometimes dimensions, of the item.
• Default shipping settings in Seller Hub: who pays, which services are offered, Free Pickup, and whether custom profiles are used.
• Show settings: changes for one show, which carry over if the show repeats.

Orders placed outside of shows do not use your Seller Hub settings. They use the item's shipping profile and the most cost-effective eligible service.

Steps

1. Weigh one item fully packed. Include the mailer, top loader, bubble wrap or box. Whatnot's example: a 12 oz item in 8 oz of packaging is a 20 oz packed weight, which fits the 1–2 lb profile.
2. Pick the matching shipping profile on every listing. Too low and the label may be underpaid, so you pay a carrier adjustment or the package can be refused. Too high and buyers overpay.
3. Create a custom profile for items that stack in one mailer. In Seller Hub > Shipments > Shipping Profiles on web, or Seller Hub > menu > Shipping Settings > Shipping Profiles in the app. Set a fixed weight for additional items so each extra item adds only its own weight, not another full mailer.
4. Use max bundle size only when items cannot share a box. Once the limit is reached, orders split into separate shipments, and each shipment has its own shipping cost.
5. Review your Seller Hub defaults. In the app, open Seller Hub > menu > Settings > Shipping Settings. On whatnot.com, US sellers can open Shipments > Shipping Settings. Some options, such as Buyer Pays Max, can only be changed in the app for now.
6. Understand what a shipping cap does. A max shipping cost limits what the buyer pays, not what the label costs. If the label costs more, you cover the difference.
7. Check the show's own shipping settings before you start it. Edit the scheduled show and scroll to Shipping Settings. You cannot change them once the show is live.
8. Plan for international buyers. International shipping is turned on automatically for eligible buyers and cannot be turned off. For US sellers, Whatnot picks the USPS service: First-Class Package International for packages up to 4 lb worth under $400, Priority Mail International above that.
9. Fix mistakes before drop-off. Before a label exists you can bundle items. After the label is generated but before drop-off you can change weight, dimensions or service on whatnot.com. Sellers get 5 free shipping adjustments a week; beyond that, the extra cost comes out of your balance.

Worked Example

Whatnot's own example: an art print weighs 2 oz and the mailer weighs 3 oz. With incremental weight set, one print ships at 5 oz, two at 7 oz and three at 9 oz.

Example: without a custom profile, each print carries its full 5 oz packed weight. Three prints bundled would be priced as 15 oz instead of 9 oz. Across a comic or card lot of 20 items, that gap is what turns a small envelope into a heavy parcel at checkout.

Labels and Printing

• Labels come as 4 × 6 in for thermal printers or 8.5 × 11 in for standard printers.
• You need a printer. Whatnot does not support QR code labels at the post office. A local print shop or shipping center works if you do not own one yet.
• Use Whatnot labels unless you are approved for Bring Your Own Label (BYOL). Another label can break tracking and delay your payout.
• Drop packages with the carrier within 2 business days of the sale. You can scan packages in the app before drop-off to share proof of shipment.

Common Mistakes

• Entering item weight without packaging.
• Setting a low shipping cap and assuming it lowers the label cost.
• Leaving default settings from a different product type when you change what you sell.
• Starting the show before checking its shipping settings.

Checklist

• One item of each type weighed fully packed
• Shipping profile chosen on every listing
• Custom profile with additional-item weight for stackable items
• Seller Hub default shipping settings reviewed
• Show shipping settings checked before going live
• Printer and 4 × 6 in or 8.5 × 11 in labels ready
• Plan to drop off within 2 business days

SaleTrail is warehouse software for live sellers that tracks inventory, picking and packing after each show.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Whatnot.