How I’ve Made $400,000 In Sales on Whatnot In Less Than 9 Months

Saving money on made 400 000 sales does not have to be complicated. We rounded up the essentials so you can spend less and skip the guesswork.

Key Takeaways

• Do you want to learn how to make money on Whatnot?
• Have you ever wondered if you can sell products online without showing your face, building a website, or even having a big audience first?
• Whatnot is a live selling app where people buy and sell products through livestreams.

Do you want to learn how to make money on Whatnot?

Have you ever wondered if you can sell products online without showing your face, building a website, or even having a big audience first?

Whatnot is a live selling app where people purchase and sell products through livestreams. And, while that may sound intimidating at first, it can actually be a beginner-friendly way to start an online business.

Today, I’m excited to share an interview with Josh Garrod, who has generated around $400,000 in sales on Whatnot in less than 9 months.

Josh is part of Marketplace SuperHeroes, a company that has been teaching people how to build online income streams for more than a decade. He sells sealed trading card products through live shows, and what’s really interesting is that buyers never even see his face. They just see the products on screen and hear his voice.

In this interview, Josh talks about:

• What Whatnot is
• How live selling works
• How much money he has made
• What a beginner may be able to earn
• What kinds of products you can sell
• Whether this can be a good business for someone who is shy or introverted.

Josh also shares what startup costs may look like, how he finds products to sell, what challenges people may face, and the steps someone can take to get started. And by the way, most of their students didn’t even know what a trading card was when they got started, so don’t worry if you’re completely new to this world!

Josh and Marketplace SuperHeroes also put together a free live training called How They Made $247,840.96 in 125 Days Using a Free Phone App You’ve Probably Never Heard Of. In this training, you’ll learn how this app did $11 billion in sales last year, how Josh made $247,840.96 in just 125 days, why they think this opportunity feels like Amazon in 2012, and how beginners may be able to make their first sale in under 7 days. If you want to learn more about selling on Whatnot and see why so numerous people are excited about it, click here to register for the free training.

How I’ve Made $400,000 In Sales on Whatnot In Less Than 9 Months

If you want to learn how to start a side hustle selling on Whatnot, this interview is a excellent place to get started.

1. Tell us your story! Who are you, and how did you get started selling on Whatnot?

My name is Josh Garrod, and I’m a husband and father of three boys based in England.

I’ve always been interested in finding new ways to earn income, especially online. I’m naturally curious, and I enjoy learning how different businesses and side hustles work.

I first came across Whatnot completely by accident. At the time, I wasn’t looking for a new business. I simply noticed people selling products through live video streams and became curious about how it all worked.

The more I watched, the more interested I became. What stood out to me was that it felt very different from traditional online selling. Instead of creating a website, running ads, or listing products on a marketplace and waiting for shoppers to arrive, sellers were interacting with buyers in real time. It was fast-paced, entertaining, and community-driven.

As someone who enjoys learning about different ways people make money online, I found the concept fascinating. I started paying attention to what successful sellers were doing, how they interacted with viewers, and why people kept coming back to their shows.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a try myself.

Like most people when they start something new, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t an expert in live selling, and I certainly didn’t expect it to become a major source of income. I’m also a bit of an introvert!! Initially, I saw it as an experiment and an opportunity to learn something new.

What happened next surprised me. The platform was growing at an incredibly rapid rate, much faster than I expected, and I quickly realised there was a genuine opportunity for ordinary people to build an income stream through live selling.

Whatnot combines community, entertainment, and selling in a way that I hadn’t really seen before. That combination is what initially attracted me to the platform, and it’s still one of the reasons I enjoy it today.

Josh’s Whatnot account.

2. What is Whatnot, and how does it work for someone who has never used it before? Is there room for new Whatnot sellers? Do you just need a phone? Why is Whatnot popular?

Whatnot is a live-selling app where people can purchase and sell products through live video streams.

The easiest way to explain it is to imagine a mix between eBay, QVC, and a social media livestream. Instead of listing an item and waiting days or weeks for someone to purchase it, a seller goes live, shows products on camera, talks to viewers in real time, and can run quick auctions or fixed-cost sales during the stream.

For someone who has never used it before, it can feel a little strange at first, but once you see it in action, it makes a lot of sense. Buyers join a live show, watch the seller present items, ask questions in the chat, and then bid or purchase directly inside the app. Everything is handled through Whatnot, including payments and the order process, which makes it very beginner-friendly compared to trying to build a full ecommerce store from scratch.

One of the reasons Whatnot has become so popular is because it feels more personal than normal online shopping. Buyers are not just scrolling through static product photos. They are interacting with a real person, chatting with other people who enjoy the same niche, and taking part in the excitement of a live show.

There is absolutely still room for new sellers. In fact, I would argue that we’re still in the early stages of live selling as a whole. There are huge numbers of buyers joining the platform every day, and numerous categories are still underserved.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that they need an existing audience before they can succeed. That simply isn’t true. When I started selling on Whatnot, I had no audience, no following, and no community waiting for me. I started from scratch. Since launching in October 2025, we’ve grown to more than 38,000 followers on the platform.

The reality is that buyers come to Whatnot looking for products, entertainment, and community. If you can provide a good experience and show up consistently, the platform gives new sellers an opportunity to get discovered.

You also do not need a complicated setup to get started. Technically, you can start with a phone, some products to sell, and a space where you can stream. Over time, you may want to improve your lighting, camera angle, packaging process, and overall setup, but you do not need to have everything perfect on day one.

I think Whatnot is popular because it brings back something that is missing from a lot of online shopping: interaction. People like buying from people. They like asking questions, seeing the product live, feeling part of a community, and enjoying the entertainment side of the sale.

That is what makes it different from simply listing products on a marketplace. On Whatnot, the seller is not just selling items. They are hosting a live shopping experience.

3. Where does this work?

I’m based in the United Kingdom, and we’ve seen people successfully implement this business model in multiple countries, including the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, and others. The principles are the same regardless of where you’re located. 

The US market is even bigger than the UK!

We’ve worked with people from a variety of backgrounds and locations who have gone on to generate sales and build successful businesses using the same model. 

For anyone interested in checking whether their country is currently supported, Whatnot maintains an up-to-date list here: https://help.whatnot.com/hc/en-us/articles/360061195812-Seller-location-currency-requirements

4. How do you make money on Whatnot? What exactly are you selling, and how does the live selling process work?

My business focuses on sealed trading card products, which are packs and boxes containing random cards inside.

The basic model is simple: I purchase products from retailers or suppliers, then resell them live on Whatnot.

During a stream, I run short auctions for the products I’m selling. Viewers can bid instantly by swiping on their phone, and when the timer ends, the highest bidder wins.

Some buyers might only purchase one item, while others will purchase multiple items throughout the stream. Whatnot handles the payments and keeps track of the orders, then once the stream is finished, I package everything and ship it out.

So at its core, the business is buying inventory at one cost and selling it for more during a live show. The skill comes from choosing the right products, keeping the stream moving, and making the buying process feel fun and simple.

If you want to learn more about the exact types of trading cards I’m selling, we’re putting on a free training session this week to share all the details with you. Click here to register now.

5. If someone is shy or introverted, can this still be a good business for them? Why or why not?

Absolutely.

In fact, I would describe myself as quite introverted. If you’d told me a few years ago that I would be running live shows for hundreds of people online, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

I think a lot of people assume that successful sellers are naturally outgoing or love being the centre of attention, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. Like any new skill, confidence comes with practice.

I was definitely nervous when I started. The first few streams felt uncomfortable because I was doing something completely new. But after a while, I realised that viewers weren’t expecting perfection. They just wanted someone genuine who could help them enjoy the experience.

One thing I’ve found is that live selling is very different from public speaking. You’re not standing in front of a room giving a presentation. Most of the time it feels more like having a conversation with people who share a common interest.

As my confidence grew, I became more comfortable developing my own style and personality on stream. In some ways, it allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and become more confident in other areas of life too.

So yes, I think introverts can absolutely succeed on Whatnot. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room. You don’t need to be naturally charismatic. You just need to be willing to start before you feel completely ready and give yourself time to improve.

Final Thoughts

Before you check out, double-check made 400 000 sales against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.

Originally published at makingsenseofcents.com.