Correct, cost. Not made. You, I, and the world of resellers in this blog talked before about how important it is to think about certain things before making rash decisions. That’s why we hold the good old fashioned eBay auctions, to allow our customers ample time to consider what they’re purchasing before they purchase it. With WhatNot on the rise however, I wanted to give it an honest effort so that I could come back to you all and reveal to you my feelings on the platform. Let’s talk about them and dive into how WhatNot cost me, shall we?
So What Is WhatNot?
If you haven’t yet heard of WhatNot and you resell products for a profit online, check it out when you have the chance. Today I’d like to talk to you all about how my experience using the platform has been, (both buying and selling), and what the pros and cons (in my opinion) of it are.
When we talked before about bringing back eBay auctions to our store, we did so because of 2 reasons. One, this is still a business and traffic makes the world go round. Auctions bring traffic, and traffic brings sales. And two, because ample time to consider spending your hard earned dollars on something means a lot to us, as we feel the same here at Rooted Drawers about our hard earned dough. Because that, simply, is what it is. Hard earned.
Platforms like WhatNot, and similar options to shop like the Posh Shows option now available on Poshmark, have since done eBay’s 7 day auctions a disservice. While there are several top notch sellers absolutely killing it on there, there are a lot of us small to medium sized sellers that just don’t stand a chance.
We’re going to cover a few topics today about what parts of WhatNot we love, how WhatNot cost me, and those that we well, don’t love so much.
Put on your listening ears peeps.
Getting Started On WhatNot
This post may get some backlash, and I’m okay with that. Every seller is different, which means every business is different as well. When we all start succumbing to just one platform because everyone else is doing it, well then our business models will no longer differ.
Once I heard of this platform about a year ago, I signed up. I then had second thoughts, enjoyed our 7 day eBay auctions, and let it sit idle for nearly 12 months. It had to be too good to be true, right??
Then one day before quitting my last regular day job, I got a message. It went something like this…
…Hi Shelby! We took a look at your application and think that you could do well on this platform. Let us know if you have any questions on how to get started….
Of course, I felt great. They liked what I had to offer (since WhatNot actually makes you send pictures of your inventory during the application process!), and I was eager to earn some extra dough without that extra day job and also some new knowledge to share with my peers. (That’s you!)
Once my application was fully accepted, they pushed me through to begin. No seller orientation required…which is part of the reason I didn’t finish it out previously.
The acceptance took no time at all, hours or minutes really. This made me more eager to get started. Since I had a rep, (for like a whole 2 days…eye roll), it was super simple to get answers and start up. P.S. That was the only quick responses I had during my whole experience. Kind of a bummer to say the least in comparison to eBay’s customer service options.
She recommended I get a nice background and some categories ready to begin my first shows…and to give it about 2 months to find out if it was working out which she said was the average that sellers start to see great results. And now, 2 months in, I can see why.
The WhatNot Sales Rollercoaster
Since that first day, I had a few great sales days, and a lot of not so great ones, including a big handful of total flops. Yuck to that.
Now, if you guys sell online, you’ll know very well that those $0 sales days do come and go at times. Fortunately though, they are now fewer and farther in between since we’ve been at it for years. Keep forging ahead my friends! The work does pay off if you’re able to find the right path for you.
WhatNot was not that path. For me, at least. I have slight envy to those who it is, because well, I’m human after all. But it also has shown me how grateful I am to the biggest beast of them all, the OG and master of the platforms, eBay.
There’s a lot of hate that gets dropped around eBay and sometimes I agree with a little. But since dipping my toes in most of the other platforms over the years, one thing continues to become more and more clear to me.
Stick with what you know.
I’m not saying you can never dream bigger, never expand or think outside the box, but I am saying that once you become really good at something…hell, even if you’re not really that good at it…don’t give up.
Have you ever heard the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it?” I’m going to apply that here.
I like to consider myself an okay eBayer. For the most part, I try to do the right things, abide by their rules and keep my store moving forward. They’ve treated me well back, and because of that healthy relationship I’ve been able to go full-time into my reselling career. (Bet you didn’t think you could make a reselling a career, eh?)
Related: Planning To Scale Your Reselling Business In 2024
The Costs of WhatNot Sudden Death
And then…
WhatNot arrived. With their glitches, their $1 starts and their confusing shipping. They honed in on the last minute bidders and frankly are taking advantage of buyers with their 5 second sudden death auctions. Like, literally. 5 seconds?
When’s the last time you got a paycheck? This may hit personally, but I’m sure dropping 30 bucks on WhatNot in 5 seconds or less wasn’t on the to-do list.
Whether or not auctions are starting at $1, these can usually only take place in larger sellers accounts. Which also means, the accounts with a larger following, which in turn leads to these bids running much higher than $1.
Great for the sellers, yes. But for the buyers? This leaves zero time to think about what you’re spending your money on, or really, even how much you’re spending! It’s typically hard to tell since the timer goes so fast most times.
After 2+ months of trying out different categories and setups, I’ve decided that WhatNot is not for me. Peacing out permanently? Perhaps not. But for now, I say so long.
Why WhatNot Is Not For Me…. For Now
Today, after struggling to make even one sale on the live show, I was sitting near my inventory for eBay annoyed and misunderstanding why I chose to have a show over organize my bins. You see, I’ve been beginning to realize that WhatNot supports the idea of easy money, and quite frankly for the larger portion of the population that just doesn’t exist.
If I had the funds to invest thousands into NWT (new with tags) pallets and designer items to run at $1 auctions, would I? No. As I believe that’s devaluing the item itself, which in turn leads to devaluing the overall market for the item…which in turn makes it increasingly more difficult to be a successful small or medium sized reseller.
eBay is hard. It takes time, planning, dedication and monotonous activities like listing and photographing and shipping and so on. WhatNot takes these as well, but in a different form.
I’ve tried many different shows, setup in different ways. $1 starts, higher starts, lower shipping, flat rate shipping, different categories, different genders, different room setups, multiple backgrounds, multiple hosts, you name it.
They all lead to one thing. How WhatNot cost me. Time and money. My understanding that no matter what, consistency remains key. Let me tell you how that fits in here.
If WhatNot were to be my primary platform, I may spend additional time prepping, picturing items for the catalog to allow for prebids, and setting specific shipping prices for each individual item. However, as WhatNot is more of a “quantity” platform, this idea takes entirely too much time.
So, after trying that way, I went the route of no pictures, pulling one item after the next. But, neither allowed enough time for requests, or for too many questions from the chat.
Even if I were to consistently sell the same thing day after day, (which they encourage like with any platform), even if I were to set the same costs, same shipping, and prepped the same exact way, one thing would remain certain. It would not be profitable until I was able to gain a large enough following to allow for more than 10 or so persons in the chat at once, *without adding promotions!*
And today, an epiphany struck me when staring at those eBay bins.
Good things take time.
Related: The Reselling Crossroads: Finding Balance Between Quality and Quantity
Time Is Money – How WhatNot Cost Me Big
Some are lucky enough to face overnight success. That’s great, and I’m glad for them. But for most of us, that isn’t the case. We need to simply put in the work, keep grinding, and eventually get to the point where we can say sayonara to the day job.
During my time online the last many years, I’ve learned something. Time costs money.
WhatNot has at this point in time cost me around $10,000 this year. Here’s how WhatNot has cost me.
If you’re familiar with eBay, you’ll know that with each day, each week, and each month, your 90 Day Sales on the app or your Seller Hub screen can either rise or fall. Currently, we’re stagnant. Here is why I’m pointing the finger at WhatNot for being so enticing to come over to.
The last few years this number has risen and fell due to situations in my personal life, or obligations with other jobs outside of my reselling career. But a few months into 2023, we started to make headway again. That number continued to rise…until October 7th…just two days after purchasing our hanging rack for the background of our soon-to-be WhatNot shows.
Now, I’d chalk this up to a mere coincidence, but once noticing this stat, I kept digging. Hind sight can really get the best of you sometimes!
On October 25th, we held our first show. Since then, we’ve dedicated portions of our week to set up, plan and pull items for these shows. We’ve held several a week, at different times and sometimes at the same time to see if consistency would work. Then, those buyers filled up on our stock, and requested a new show. Leading me to understand that we’d need to find more inventory or hold shows at different times to encourage new buyers.
During that time, we spent countless hours each day on the show, shipping, and planning for the next one…which is all precious time that could have been well spent on our good friend eBay.
Don’t Be A Reseller Of All Platforms, Be A Master Of One
What do I mean when I say “how WhatNot cost me $10,000 this year”? Our 90 Day Sales has risen only once since October 5th. That number was on track to create an additional $10,000 in revenue before the years end. Specifically, by December 30th we were to hit our goal.
Because of investing our time, energy and resources since then into WhatNot, we are much further from that goal than previously anticipated. While also adding additional stress and overwhelm to ourselves with new inventory floating around in our storage area that needs new homes.
If you’re a fan of our sister page, Habitual Balance, you’ll know that we strive very hard to stay on track with our mental health over here. When we’re out of alignment in our well-being, our business suffers as well.
During the last two months, I’ve been more stressed trying to juggle both platforms growth, as well as the regular tasks that take place both personally and professionally. Which is essentially why I’m writing this post for you all today.
Making a quick buck is absolutely possible, but it’s just unrealistic for the average reseller. Flipping is something that takes energy, effort, and a ton of knowledge, something that I’m always looking to build on. It also takes investment, which include both time and money.
Do you have these 5 things to offer if you’re thinking about starting up a new platform?
I used to think that doing it all was the way to go. However, as I get older and (like Dad may say), a little wiser, I’m beginning to develop an understanding of why holding one platform nearer and dearer may just be the key to overall success.
When you can focus 100% on one thing, you’re more likely to accomplish that goal. Multi-tasking is not always executed properly and that’s probably because in those situations, we’re just not able to give something our all.
Which is why I’m challenging you to take a step back during the last month of this year and see where your business lays still. Has it become stagnant in a certain area? Is it overwhelming you in another? What are some changes that you could make to take it to the next level?
For us, multi-tasking is on its way out. If you’ve visited our other platforms recently, you’ll notice they’re no longer in use. We’re going to put our eggs in one basket and trust that eBay has our back moving forward as it has all these years.
What does the future look like for you?
Thank You For Reading “How WhatNot Cost Me $10,000 This Year”
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported us thus far on our journey including today’s post about how WhatNot cost me $10,000 this year. At Rooted Drawers, we deeply appreciate your ongoing readership. We hope that you will continue to visit us in the future. Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions below.
We’re always open to receiving advice, suggestions, or even hearing your own related stories! We make it a priority to remain active in the comment section and will respond to any questions promptly. We invite you to explore more helpful tips and tricks on Our Blog Posts Page while you’re here. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on our future articles!
P.S. (This will also snag you a super sweet discount code to shop our store on ebay!) If you are struggling with your journey, Rooted Drawers is here to help. Allow our team to work closely with you for an ENTIRE quarter, side by side. You’ll come out at the end feeling refreshed in your business with a new mindset and new goals to crush!
Get in touch! We look forward to making your dreams in the world of reselling come true.
Talk to you soon!
BONUS! Try Flyp For Free!