Whatnot UK Fee Calculator (2026)
Live-selling on Whatnot? Work out your real take-home after commission, VAT on the commission, and payment processing.
How Whatnot fees work in the UK
Whatnot charges UK and EU sellers two fees on every sale. The first is a commission — 6.67% of the item price on most categories, or 4% on Coins & Money — with VAT at 20% added on top. To keep things honest, this calculator shows the commission with VAT already included, so the standard rate appears as 8% (6.67% × 1.2) and Coins & Money as 4.8%. The commission is charged on the hammer price only, not on shipping.
The second fee is payment processing: 2.42% + £0.35 per order, charged on the full order total including shipping. This is the equivalent of the card-processing fee you'd pay on any platform.
So for a £30 item with £3.50 shipping, you're looking at roughly £2.40 commission (incl. VAT) plus about £1.16 processing — a total around £3.56, or just over 10% of the £33.50 order.
If you're VAT-registered, you can reclaim the VAT portion of the commission through your VAT return, so your real cost is closer to the headline 6.67%.
The £1,500 high-value rule
One thing worth knowing if you sell high-ticket items: on most categories, Whatnot only charges commission on the first £1,500 of an item's price. Anything above £1,500 on a single item is 0% commission (payment processing still applies to the whole amount). This calculator assumes items under £1,500 — if you're selling a £2,000 collectible, your effective commission rate will be lower than shown.
Tax + reporting still apply
Whatnot is a digital platform covered by HMRC's reporting rules. If you pass 30 sales OR around £1,700 of sales in a year, Whatnot shares your details with HMRC. That's separate from whether you owe tax — see the HMRC platform reporting checker and the trading allowance calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Whatnot take per sale in the UK?
UK sellers pay a commission of 6.67% + VAT on most categories (4% + VAT for Coins & Money), plus payment processing of 2.42% + £0.35 per order. With VAT included, the commission is effectively 8% on standard items, and the combined effective rate is typically around 10-11%.
Is VAT added to Whatnot's commission?
Yes. Whatnot adds 20% VAT on top of the commission. So a 6.67% headline commission works out to 8% with VAT included, which is how this calculator displays it. If you are VAT-registered, you can reclaim the VAT through your VAT return, bringing your real cost back down toward 6.67%.
Does Whatnot charge commission on shipping?
No — the commission percentage is charged on the item (hammer) price only. However, the payment processing fee of 2.42% + £0.35 is charged on the full order total, which does include shipping.
What is the £1,500 high-value rule?
On most categories, Whatnot only charges commission on the first £1,500 of a single item's price. Anything above £1,500 has 0% commission, though payment processing still applies to the whole amount. This calculator assumes items under £1,500.
Do I have to pay tax on Whatnot sales?
Possibly. If you're selling for profit and exceed the £1,000 trading allowance, the profit is taxable. Separately, Whatnot reports sellers who pass 30 sales or about £1,700 in sales per year to HMRC under digital platform reporting rules. The two thresholds are independent.