whatnot shipping: labels, caps and bundles
Buyers pay whatnot shipping by default, from $4.47, and you still pay 2.9% processing on it. With a cap: who covers which part of the label, and what bundling costs you.
Updated · 6 min read
By default the buyer pays shipping, and all of it buys the label: whatnot's USPS price plus a small operational fee. You can instead pay all domestic shipping in a show, or cap what each buyer pays. Either way you pay 2.9% processing on buyer-paid shipping, and each win pays its own $0.30 fixed fee.
$2.90
What a $5.00 cap costs you on a three-item box: $2.75 of label, plus processing on the buyer's $5.00.
Label prices
Ground Advantage, the US default, in the contiguous 48 states:
| Packed weight | Label |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 oz | $4.47 |
| Over 4 oz to 8 oz | $4.85 |
| Over 8 oz to 12 oz | $5.25 |
| Over 12 oz, under 1 lb | $6.75 |
| 1 lb to 5 lb | $7.75 |
| Over 5 lb | From $9.69, by weight and distance |
The shipping profile sets the weight, priced at the top of its range: 8-11 oz ships as 11 oz.
For cards, turn on the envelope (First-Class Mail Letter) before a show: $0.78 up to 1 oz, $1.09 to 2 oz, $1.39 to 3 oz. It covers trading card games, sports cards and stickers won live, up to 5 items, 3 oz and $20.00 per shipment. The Flat Rate Box is $12.99 over 1 lb in live shows until November 1, 2026.
Three wins, one box
A buyer wins three $10.00 items on the 8-11 oz profile. Smart Bundling charges each win the box price so far, less what the buyer already paid.
- First win: 11 oz, a $5.25 label; buyer pays $5.25.
- Second win: 22 oz, the 1 lb to 5 lb tier at $7.75; buyer pays $2.50.
- Third win: 33 oz, still $7.75; buyer pays $0.00.
One $7.75 label, against $15.75 for three boxes: the buyer saves $8.00. Some categories add less than the profile weight per item: cards and LEGO on 0-1 oz add 0.5 oz, comics on 4-7 oz 2.5 oz, diecast cars 3 oz.
Buyer pays, cap or seller pays
| Setting | Buyer pays | Label you pay | Processing on shipping | You pay in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | $7.75 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| Cap at $5.00 | $5.00 | $2.75 | $0.15 | $2.90 |
| Seller pays | $0.00 | $7.75 | $0.00 | $7.75 |
Caps and seller pays cover domestic buyers in shows only. For a contiguous US seller, Alaska, Hawaii and US territories pay standard rates. You always pay giveaway labels. Set it per show or as a default; it locks when the show starts.
With a 1 to 5 lb box at $7.75, the old $9.21 default cap only kicks in over 5 lb, on a Flat Rate Box or on Priority Mail.
What bundling costs you
One box is still three checkouts: each pays commission, processing and its own $0.30 fee, $0.90 in fixed fees here. See the fees guide.
Get the weight right
- Weigh items packed. A heavier box needs an adjustment: 5 free a week for US sellers, then you pay the difference. Lighter boxes are never refunded.
- Use Priority and Flat Rate packaging only for those labels. On Ground Advantage, USPS can return it and bill you about $20.00.
- US sellers now pay some USPS carrier adjustments for packages that don't match the label. whatnot covers most, and you can appeal within 45 days.
Your own shows
The shipping calculator has this box filled in. For past shows, whatROI reads seller-paid labels, giveaways included, from your Weekly Orders Report and takes them off each show's profit.