What a whatnot giveaway costs, shipping included

whatnot giveaways are free for the winner, shipping included. The seller pays the item and the whole label, from $4.47. What three a show cost, and the sales that cover them.

Updated September 25, 2026 · 4 min read

A whatnot giveaway is free for the winner, shipping included. The seller pays for the item and the whole shipping label, $4.47 at the smallest Ground Advantage weight, and whatnot charges no commission or processing on it. Free or capped shipping settings don't apply, so you pay the full label even in a buyer-pays show.

-$22.41

What 3 giveaways of a $3.00 item cost a show, labels included. The first 3 average $20.00 orders pay for them.

Where the money goes

One giveaway

Item priceThe winner pays nothing: $0.00
Commission and processingNothing is charged on a $0 sale: $0.00
Label you payTaken from your balance when the giveaway runs: -$4.47
What the item cost you: -$3.00
Cost of one giveaway: -$7.47

The Weekly Orders Report lists a giveaway as an Order Earnings row, buy format Giveaway, amount -$4.47. It can't see the item, so add that cost yourself or giveaway-heavy shows look cheaper than they were.

Over 4 weeks at 3 shows a week, that's $268.92. It may be well spent on a following, and it still belongs in each show's profit.

Sales to cover them

An average $20.00 trading card order nets $8.88 after fees, the card's cost and a refund allowance (show break-even guide). A giveaway pays off when its winner, or the viewers it kept, buy more than its cost. This uses the standard 8% commission; from September 21, 2026, sellers with $15,000 or more of sales in four weeks pay less.

Keep the cost down

Match the shipping profile to the packed weight. On the 1 lb profile the same item ships at $7.75 and costs $10.75.
If you ship abroad, limit entries to domestic users.
A Buyer Appreciation Giveaway is for viewers who buy after it's created. US and Canadian viewers can also enter free through a web form on the giveaway page.
Ship within two business days. An unfulfilled giveaway can sometimes be billed back to you at its estimated value.

Did they pay off?

The show break-even calculator counts giveaways as fixed costs. For past shows, whatROI reads giveaway rows from your Weekly Orders Report, adds each item's cost, and shows how many winners bought in that show or within 30 days.

What sellers ask next

Are whatnot giveaways free?

For the winner, yes. They pay nothing for the item and nothing for shipping. The seller pays both: the item they give away and the full shipping label.

Who pays shipping on a whatnot giveaway?

The seller, every time, international included, taken from your balance when the giveaway runs. Free and capped shipping settings cover show orders only.

Does whatnot charge fees on a giveaway?

No. On a $0 sale commission and processing are zero, so the report shows only the label: -$4.47.

How much does a giveaway cost?

The item plus the label: $7.47 for a $3.00 item on a $4.47 label, $22.41 for 3 a show.

What if my balance cannot cover a giveaway label?

It goes negative, and whatnot takes the difference from future earnings.

Do giveaways help the whatnot algorithm?

whatnot doesn't publish how it ranks shows, so nobody outside whatnot can say. What you can measure is whether winners and the viewers who stayed bought anything. whatROI counts that for each show.

Can I limit who enters a giveaway?

Only with whatnot's options: followers only, domestic users only, or a Buyer Appreciation Giveaway (which must also offer a free way to enter). You can't add your own conditions, such as following you on another app.