Getting started
Moving from Whatnot to auctions on your own Shopify store
Sellers who move auctions from Whatnot to their own Shopify store keep the bidding format their buyers know, own the customer relationship and email list, and pay Shopify's payment processing plus a 5% success fee instead of Whatnot's 8% commission plus 2.9% + $0.30 processing.
By the Auction Now team · Updated September 19, 2026 · 6 min read
Whatnot is a great place to find buyers. It's a worse place to keep them. Sellers who've built a following there eventually notice that every sale pays a commission, the buyers belong to the platform, and there's no store to send people to between streams. Adding auctions to your own Shopify store doesn't mean leaving Whatnot; it means having somewhere that's yours.
What you keep
- The auction format. Timed auctions with soft close (Whatnot's *popcorn bidding*) and max bids work the same way on your store with Auction Now.
- Urgency and the live feeling. Countdown, real-time bids, outbid alerts. You can still go live on social and point people at the auction page.
- Your Whatnot channel. Most sellers run both. Use the stream for discovery and the store for repeat buyers.
What changes
| Whatnot | Your Shopify store + Auction Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees on a sale | 8% commission + 2.9% + $0.30 processing (US) | 5% success fee + Shopify Payments processing (typically 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic) |
| Customer list | Whatnot's | Yours — every bidder is a Shopify customer |
| Payment | Whatnot payouts | Your normal Shopify checkout and payouts |
| Discovery | Whatnot's feed and categories | Your own traffic: email, social, SEO |
| Unpaid winners | Platform process | Automatic next-bidder fallback, ban tools |
Whatnot fees vary by category and volume tier; check their current schedule. Shopify processing rates depend on your plan and region.
A migration that doesn't lose buyers
- Set up your Shopify store (or use the one you have) and install Auction Now. Turn on customer accounts.
- Run your first store auctions on items your Whatnot regulars already want. Announce them on your stream and in your Whatnot bio.
- Offer a reason to bid on the store: combined shipping, first look at new inventory, or store-only lots.
- Collect emails. Every bidder becomes a customer; ending-soon alerts bring them back automatically.
- Keep streaming. Use Whatnot for reach and your store for margin.
Free to install. No monthly fee — a 5% success fee only when an auction sells.
Install on Shopify