Is Whatnot a Scam? 

If you’re thinking of using Whatnot, you need to know: Is Whatnot a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Whatnot is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when using this marketplace. 

What Is Whatnot?

Whatnot describes itself as a “live shopping marketplace.” 

It was founded in 2019 and is based in the US. 

Buyers can explore more than 250 item categories on Whatnot, including fashion, Pokemon cards, and sneakers. 

Whatnot sellers can present their items in livestream videos or put their items for sale as traditional listings on a “standard” marketplace.

Whatnot charges a percentage sales fee as well as payment processing fees. 

Is Whatnot a Scam?

No, Whatnot is not a scam. It’s a legitimate live-stream shopping platform. 

However, user reviews of Whatnot are mixed:

• 2.0 out of 5.0 stars (from 624 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 4.8 out of 5.0 stars (from 395,903 ratings) on the App Store. 
• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 139,694 ratings) on Google Play. 
• 3.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 11 reviews) on Google. 

On Trustpilot, for example, there are a few satisfied users and many frustrated ones. 

One user enjoyed finding bargains and appreciated the friendly community. Another praised the fast refund after a mistaken payment.

However, multiple users reported being banned without explanation, sometimes shortly after signing up, and experiencing difficulty contacting support or receiving clear communication.

Numerous people claim that there is no real buyer protection, refunds are often denied, and disputes are ineffective. Others complain about lost packages, incorrect items, and high or unclear shipping costs.

There are also reports of fake items and scams. 

On online forums like Reddit, people also report mixed experiences.

Some Reddit users claim that the review system on Whatnot is flawed, stating that truthful reviews with ratings lower than five stars are often removed, and reviewers are banned from live streams. 

Some people point out that since Whatnot is a marketplace, your experience will likely depend on the individual sellers you interact with. 

If you’re going to use Whatnot, people recommend joining the Whatnot subreddit, where you can ask others about their experience, including with individual sellers. 

Whatnot is not Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited and has an “F” rating on the BBB site. (See also: Is the BBB a Scam?)

Whatnot Buyer Protection Program

According to the Whatnot website, Whatnot has a Buyer Protection Program.

Whatnot says it will provide a refund for:

• Incomplete (i.e., one or more items missing) items.
• Incorrect items.
• Items that are not as described or inauthentic.
• Packages that were not received. 

Buyers must submit their refund request within 14 days of delivery, although some items have specific deadlines. 

Whatnot says that buyers may have to return the item before receiving a refund. Items have to be in the same condition as received. 

Whatnot says that “opening a product or removing tags may disqualify your order from being refunded or reduce the refund amount.” 

Online, people report having difficulties with Whatnot refunds. 

For example, one person said: “I asked for a refund for a broken gold bracelet and was denied because I had a previous return.”

In its terms of service, Whatnot says that it does not sell or purchase any items itself and that sellers and buyers are responsible for the transaction. 

Whatnot “does not sell, purchase any goods or products itself, take title or possession of the goods, either for itself or on behalf of Users or others. While Whatnot may help facilitate Transactions, Sellers and Buyer are solely and entirely responsible for the Transaction, including without limitation the listing of Items and any applicable product warranties.”

Security

We could not find much information about Whatnot’s security measures. 

In its privacy policy, Whatnot says it uses a “combination of physical, technical, and administrative safeguards” to protect your data. 

However, it does not specify what these safeguards are. 

Whatnot also states that it has internal policies and procedures governing how it collects, uses, discloses, stores, protects, and destroys personal information. 

Privacy 

Whatnot explains the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it in its privacy policy.

It collects the following personal information:

• Account data, e.g., first name, last name, postal address, phone number, and email address.
• Credentials data, i.e., government-issued ID. 
• Payment and purchase data, e.g., credit card numbers and transaction details. 
• Additional seller identity data, i.e., if you’re a seller, Whatnot will collect additional identification details from you, such as your date of birth and tax identification number. 
• Communication data, e.g., email address, mailing address, and phone number.
• Survey data. 
• User content data. 
• Livestream clipping, i.e., including your image and voice.
• Local pickup data, i.e., if you use this service, What not will collect your postal address information.
• Promotions data. 
• Event data.
• Business development data.
• Job applicant data.
• Other information, i.e., any other information you decide to share with Whatnot. 

Whatnot collects the above information directly from you.

It also collects certain personal information automatically, such as your device data and usage data. 

Plus, it collects information from other sources. For example, it may collect your personal information from publicly available sources, social networks, and advertising and marketing partners. 

Additionally, Whatnot may use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, and other technologies to collect information about you. 

Whatnot collects this data to deliver its services, communicate with you, verify your identity, comply with legal obligations, process job applications, improve its services, tailor its content and ads to you, and make automated decisions. 

It says it may combine your publicly available personal information with other information it collects from you for analytics and lead generation purposes. 

It may also use your de-identified and aggregated information for purposes not listed in its privacy policy. 

Whatnot can share your personal information with service providers, business partners, payment and transaction fulfillment providers, affiliates, other users and website visitors (i.e., user content), advertising partners, APIs/SDKs, and law enforcement. It may also disclose your information in the event of a merger or acquisition. 

Data may be stored or processed outside your country.

Whatnot says it retains data as long as necessary for business/legal purposes. Data will be deleted or anonymized when no longer needed. It does not provide specific timeframes. 

In its terms of service, Whatnot states that by sharing user content through the app, you grant the company permission to use your content, name, likeness, and voice for promotional and platform purposes.

For example, Whatnot says: “You also waive any and all rights of privacy, publicity, or any other rights of a similar nature in connection with your User Content, or any portion thereof.” 

Users have certain privacy options, such as the ability to opt out of email and phone communications. 

Depending on where you live, you may also have additional privacy rights, such as the right to request access, correction, and deletion of your personal data. 

So, Should You Use Whatnot?

Depends. 

Whatnot can be a good choice for buying and selling in niche communities.

However, it’s not the best platform for privacy. 

How to Use Whatnot Safely and Privately 

• Don’t overshare on your Whatnot profile. Use a nickname or pseudonym instead of your real name and leave optional fields blank (or make them generic). 
• Be smart when streaming. If you’re using Whatnot to sell items via video streams, don’t show any identifying details, like your face, surroundings, or other personal information. 
• Turn off app permissions. Turn off Whatnot’s access to features it doesn’t strictly need, like your contacts, microphone, and, particularly, your location. In its privacy policy, Whatnot says, “With your consent, we may also collect precise location-based information via our mobile application.”
• Watch out for scams. Verify seller’s ratings and reviews before purchasing anything from them. If you’re not sure if a seller is legitimate, ask on the Whatnot subreddit (r/whatnot). Don’t move away from Whatnot to another platform to communicate or pay, as that voids buyer protection. 
• Opt out of email communications. If you don’t want to receive emails from Whatnot, you can click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email from Whatnot. You will still receive emails from Whatnot related to any transactions you make and other non-promotional communications. 
• Opt out of texts. You can also opt out of receiving Whatnot texts by responding to any of their texts with “STOP” or by updating your preferences in your account. 
• Opt out of cookies. You can opt out of cookies and interest-based advertising by adjusting your preferences on your browser/device, though Whatnot warns that its services may not work properly if you do that. 
• Exercise your privacy rights. Depending on where you reside, you may have certain privacy rights, such as the right to access your personal information, the right to request correction of your information, and the right to request deletion of your data. You can exercise your rights by emailing privacy@whatnot.com.