What is Whatnot?

 

Livestream shopping continues its victory march. The global live commerce market was valued at $172.86 billion in 2025, and is predicted to hit a whopping $2.55 trillion by 2033. 

China, the original home of livestream shopping, is one of the main drivers for this growth. The market is estimated to be worth around US$822 billion (5.86 trillion yuan) in 2024 and is expected to grow to US$1.1 trillion (8.16 trillion yuan) by 2026.

Between 2024 and 2025, livestream viewing time grew by 6% to 36.4 billion hours, and livestream apps gained increasing popularity.

 

Whatnot is definitely one of those apps.

 

 

Introducing Whatnot

Co-founded in 2019 by ex-Facebook employee Greg Lafontaine and his friend Logan Head, Whatnot is one of the newest - and fastest-growing - social marketplaces in eCommerce.

 

The original idea behind Whatnot was to create a platform of exchange for fans of collectible items, like baseball cards and comic books. Sports fans may find this familiar; after all, this is what Notable Live is all about.

 

Although the idea is not new, the means to achieve it definitely is: Whatnot is a livestream platform, allowing sellers to create and broadcast videos of themselves introducing their products.

 

 

Timestamped screenshot created with our browser extension tool screenseal of whatnot.com’s homepage

 

Download screenseal for free!

 

 

This type of selling is live, engaging, and interactive, as close to a brick-and-mortar shopping experience as possible, right from the comfort of your home. No wonder it’s steadily growing in popularity.

 

As does Whatnot. Once the idea took off, new product categories were introduced, new sellers flocked to the platform, and now you can buy new and second-hand clothing, electronics, toys, and many other popular categories.

 

In July of 2026, Whatnot had around 20.19 million monthly visitors. Sales can be either fixed-price or auction-based, and are usually conducted during the time a livestream is on.

 

Sellers with an already established social media following may find it easier to set up shop on Whatnot than those starting from scratch. Also, people who have an engaging online persona and are able to quickly create meaningful connections with viewers have more luck in making a sale.

 

However, the vendor onboarding process is easy, and social commerce enthusiasts can start selling once their seller application is approved by Whatnot. Moreover, the platform also offers to help with shipping by allowing sellers to create and download shipping labels via their Whatnot dashboards.

 

 

Advanced sustainability

Livestream shopping can shine a spotlight on any product - including second-hand items. This type of attention can definitely contribute to increasing the sustainability of e-Commerce and the global economy in general.

 

In contrast to badly lit pictures of used items, would-be customers can get an almost hands-on experience of a pre-loved product, as introduced by its current owner. Presenting items like this can boost their appearance and enhance their chance of being bought again and again.

 

 

Livestream shopping vs IP rights

Despite all the advantages of livestream selling, there are quite a few drawbacks for brands to consider. These all stem from the lack of control companies have over their products’ appearance and representation.

 

Brands can definitely control how their products are displayed in brick-and-mortar stores, and may even have a bit of say in how the product listings appear on various online marketplaces; livestream shows tend to be much less organized and controllable than other selling environments. Brands are at the mercy of livestream hosts, and in the case of less professional, less experienced sellers, products may appear in quite an unfavourable light.

 

Find out why product representation matters!

 

Another, even more serious problem here is the issue of IP-infringing products. Because of the individually streamed videos, the likelihood of counterfeit, grey market, lookalike, or any other IP-infringing products emerging on the platform is quite high.

 

And although Whatnot promises to vet every seller, counterfeiters are known to be resourceful when it comes to concealing their true identities.

 

 

Screenshot of whatnot.com promising to vet every seller

 

 

In fact, we have already encountered fraudulent sellers infringing on our clients’ IP rights in their livestreams on Whatnot.

 

 

Brand protection on Whatnot

Livestream shopping as offered on Whatnot demands a different approach to IP protection than classic e‑Commerce because infringements often appear in the video itself rather than in titles or descriptions. While keyword monitoring can flag suspicious listings, it cannot reliably catch visual cues, spoken claims, or temporary content that disappears when a stream ends, which is why effective enforcement must combine automated signals with human review.