Commission, processing fees, and payouts explained — so you know exactly what Whatnot takes from every sale.
Whatnot operates on a commission model. As of 2026, Whatnot charges Australian sellers approximately 8% of the final sale price as a seller fee. On top of this, a payment processing fee applies — typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. These fees are deducted before your payout is issued, so the amount that hits your bank account is already net of these charges.
Understanding this is critical for correct bookkeeping. Your gross revenue — the amount buyers actually paid — is higher than your payout. If you only record payouts in your books, you're understating revenue and potentially misrepresenting your financial position to the ATO.
The seller commission on Whatnot is the platform's primary revenue source. This fee is calculated as a percentage of each item's hammer price — the winning bid at auction. For a $100 item, you'd pay approximately $8 in commission. Over the course of a busy show, these fees add up quickly and represent a meaningful business expense.
This fee is fully deductible as a business expense on your Australian tax return. Keep records of total commission charged each month so you can accurately claim this at tax time. For a broader look at how to handle platform fee deductions, see our eBay fees accounting guide — the principles apply across platforms.
Whatnot uses a third-party payment processor to handle buyer payments. The processing fee — typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction — covers the cost of card processing. Like the seller commission, this is a legitimate deductible business expense. It's deducted automatically before your payout, so you'll need to reference your Whatnot seller dashboard to see the breakdown of each transaction.
Whatnot sellers who ship items are responsible for postage costs. These can either be charged to buyers as a separate shipping fee or absorbed by the seller. Shipping costs you pay out of pocket are fully deductible as a business expense. Keep your Australia Post receipts or shipping platform records so you can claim these accurately.
The correct approach to Whatnot bookkeeping is to record gross sales as your revenue, then record seller fees, processing fees, and shipping as separate expense line items. This gives you an accurate picture of your profit margins and ensures your tax return reflects true business activity.
Many Whatnot sellers make the mistake of recording only net payout amounts. While this feels simpler, it obscures your real revenue and makes it harder to calculate accurate profit per item — which matters for understanding your business and for COGS calculations. For more on this approach, see our reseller bookkeeping guide.
Whatnot's ~8% seller fee is broadly comparable to Depop (also around 10% total) but higher than eBay's typical final value fees for many categories. The trade-off is that Whatnot's live format can drive higher average selling prices, particularly for collectibles, trading cards, sneakers, and vintage clothing. For a head-to-head comparison, see our Whatnot vs eBay guide.
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