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Whatnot

These are community guidelines rather than full terms of service, focusing on seller requirements and user conduct rules. The platform requires sellers to ship within two business days and can take account action for various violations. Users must be over 18, and the platform prohibits various activities including gambling, harassment, and fee avoidance.

TOS reviewed:September 2026
View Original TOS

The Bottom Line

AI-generated summary of the terms as we read them. Opinion, not legal advice.

These are community guidelines rather than full terms of service, focusing on seller requirements and user conduct rules. The platform requires sellers to ship within two business days and can take account action for various violations. Users must be over 18, and the platform prohibits various activities including gambling, harassment, and fee avoidance.

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Notable Clauses

Account Responsibility for OthersAccount responsibilityVERIFIED

“All actions and activities that occur on your account are your responsibility and will reflect on your account record. This includes conduct by guests, content featured or rebroadcast, and employees' streaming and fulfillment.”

Translation: You're held responsible for anything anyone else does on your livestream, even if you can't control them.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy
Broad Content Removal PowerMisinformationVERIFIED

“If content is found to be detrimental to our community on Whatnot, we reserve the right to remove it.”

Translation: They can remove any content they decide is harmful to their community, with no specific definition of what that means.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy
Broad Account Action AuthorityCommunity PoliciesVERIFIED

“When a user violates these policies, we take proportional action based on that user's previous violations, and the severity of the violation.”

Translation: They can penalize your account however they see fit based on their judgment of what's proportional.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy
Off-Platform Behavior EnforcementOff-platform activityVERIFIED

“Additionally, in rare instances, we may take action against individuals because of behavior off of Whatnot if the behavior poses a significant threat to the health of the Whatnot community or individuals.”

Translation: They can ban you for things you do completely outside their platform if they think it threatens their community.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy
High Value Item Seller LiabilityWhatnot's High Value Loss Reimbursement PolicyVERIFIED

“Whatnot will reimburse buyers at the market price of a high-value hit card if it is missing, and bill back the seller.”

Translation: If a high-value card goes missing, they'll charge you the full market price even if it wasn't your fault.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy
Clear Shipping RequirementsShipping requirementsVERIFIED

“To maintain a positive buyer experience, we require that sellers ship items within two business days of the sale.”

Translation: They set a clear, reasonable shipping deadline instead of vague terms like 'promptly'.
VERIFIEDView proof →
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Anonymous · Privacy

Protect Yourself

ACTIONABLE

Settings and actions you can take to limit your exposure

MEDIUM IMPACT

Review Seller Performance Metrics

Check your seller dashboard regularly to monitor shipping times, cancellation rates, and customer ratings before they become problems

How to do it:
  1. Log into your Whatnot seller account
  2. Navigate to your seller dashboard or performance metrics
  3. Review shipping times, fulfillment rates, and customer feedback weekly
HIGH IMPACT

Document Shipping and Item Condition

Since you can be charged for missing high-value items, always photograph items and get tracking for valuable shipments

How to do it:
  1. Take photos of high-value items before shipping
  2. Use shipping services with tracking and insurance
  3. Keep all shipping receipts and documentation
MEDIUM IMPACT

Set Clear Stream Rules

Since you're responsible for guest behavior, establish and communicate clear rules for anyone appearing on your streams

How to do it:
  1. Create written guidelines for guests and co-hosts
  2. Brief anyone appearing on your stream about Whatnot's policies
  3. Have a plan to end streams if guests become disruptive
LOW IMPACT

Use Sensitive Content Toggle

Toggle on sensitive content warnings for streams that may contain profanity or mature items to avoid policy violations

How to do it:
  1. When creating a new show, look for the 'sensitive content' toggle
  2. Enable it if your stream will have profanity or mature content
  3. Always use this for comic books with nudity or similar items

Better Alternatives in Shopping

These shopping services have a higher Rights Score on their terms

Disclaimer: The clauses shown above are excerpts from publicly available Terms of Service documents. Ratings and severity levels reflect community and AI assessment, not legal advice, factual claims, or determinations about a company's legality or intent. Clauses marked “VERIFIED” have been confirmed as exact quotes from the source document. Clauses marked “AI-extracted” were identified by AI and may contain errors. Always verify against the original TOS.

Get notified when Whatnot updates their TOS

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By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.