Seller Protection

  • Sell with confidence

    When you sell on Whatnot, you're running your business in front of a real, live audience. Most of the time, orders go smoothly. For the rare times something goes wrong, Seller Protection has your back so you can keep showing up for your community.

  • Why we offer Seller Protection

    Running a business means the occasional hiccup—a carrier delay, a buyer dispute, a package that goes missing in transit. On most platforms, that's your problem to solve. On Whatnot, it's ours too. When you've done the right things, we step in so those moments don't derail your shop.

  • Whatnot covers sellers when:

    • A carrier is at fault: Packages are lost, delayed, or misdelivered after timely drop-off.

    • A buyer disputes a charge: We manage chargebacks and payment disputes directly, so you're not stuck fighting banks.

    • A buyer's abusing the process: We catch fraudulent claims or abusive refund patterns, and handle it behind the scenes.

    • It’s not clear what happened: We may share the refund cost with you if we can't determine whether an issue came from packaging, shipping, or another cause.

  • Protection starts before you ship

    Most of our trust work happens before anyone needs protection. Our systems work around the clock to help spot suspicious claims and unusual return patterns before they reach you, catching problems early so you don't have to deal with them later.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. Seller Protection covers you when we confirm a carrier loses or mishandles a package, when we determine a buyer filed an abusive claim, and when chargebacks come through. When you've shipped on time, described items accurately, and responded to buyers, we step in so one bad order doesn't land on you. In cases where responsibility for an issue isn't clear, we may share the cost too.

    However, to keep things fair for everyone, these safeguards aren’t unlimited. Whatnot will reassess a seller's eligibility for coverage if we see recurring issues.

  • No. There's no status level to qualify for. If you're shipping on time, listing accurately, and responding to buyers, you're covered.

  • If you're on Seller Provided Support, you get the first chance to resolve it directly with the buyer. If it can't be resolved, our team reviews the context (like tracking, messages, listing details, and account history on both sides) before deciding who covers what. A refund to the buyer doesn't automatically mean you're at fault.

  • Use any of these: a drop-off photo captured with the in-app Shipment Scanner, a Whatnot Manifest or individual carrier scan form, or a carrier acceptance receipt. Without valid proof of drop-off, you may be responsible for refund costs on late shipments.

  • You can appeal any refund decision. Include anything that adds new context—photos of packing or the item's condition, carrier documentation, messages, or timelines. Appeals work best when they provide information that wasn't available during the original review.

  • Yes. We manage payment disputes directly with the banks, so you don’t have to fight them yourself.

  • Refunds tied to late shipments without proof of drop-off, missing high-value items, violations of our Community Guidelines or prohibited items policy, and cases where you haven't responded to a buyer or Whatnot Support within two business days.

    We want to help, but to keep things fair for everyone, these safeguards aren't unlimited. When we see recurring issues, we'll reassess a seller's eligibility for coverage.