Whatnot Launches First Nationwide US Ad Campaign, Expands In Europe
Whatnot is launching its first national advertising campaign and expanding its European operations as the rapidly growing live shopping marketplace looks to attract more mainstream shoppers and open new opportunities for sellers amid increasing competition from eBay, StockX and other platforms.
The company announced its new "Take a Shopping Trip" campaign October 21, featuring New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo alongside real Whatnot sellers in a commercial that will debut during the Giants game October 25 before expanding to other major NFL and NBA broadcasts.
The campaign follows Whatnot's $545 million funding round in August, which valued the company at $20 billion. Whatnot also released a new consumer trends report this week showing continued growth in fashion, beauty and other categories beyond its original collectibles business.
Whatnot sellers generated more than $8 billion in sales during the first half of 2026, exceeding the platform's total for all of 2025, and the company says it is on pace to more than double last year's live sales.
The 30-second commercial, titled "Cam's Trip," shows Skattebo opening the Whatnot app and moving through a series of livestreams, purchasing a one-of-one rookie card of himself from sports card seller Backyard Breaks, a cut of steak from Butcherstar and a fork from vintage and home décor seller House of Coop.
It's an unusual combination of purchases, but one that reflects Whatnot's efforts to introduce the platform as a destination for more than collectibles. Rather than relying on celebrity endorsements alone, the campaign also prominently features actual sellers and their livestream communities.
Andy Tu, Vice President of Marketing at Whatnot, explained the decision to put sellers at the center of the campaign:
There is no Whatnot without our sellers, so bringing them into our first campaign was the goal from the start. Every live show has its own seller, its own community, and its own surprises.
The television advertising will continue through the end of the year with placements during Dancing with the Stars, The Voice and Bravo programming, along with streaming, digital, audio and social media advertising and outdoor placements in New York and Los Angeles.
Two additional commercials focused on fashion and collectibles are planned for the coming months, though Whatnot has not disclosed how much it is spending on the campaign.
According to its 2027 Consumer Trends Report, released October 20, fashion now generates more orders than any other category on Whatnot, with order volume more than doubling year over year and the number of fashion buyers and sellers also doubling.
Beauty orders have nearly tripled over the same period, while Toys & Hobbies orders increased 140% and the number of toy buyers more than doubled. Food is also gaining traction, with US shoppers spending 350% more hours watching food livestreams year over year as the number of shows tripled.
Trading cards remain a substantial part of the business, with more than 100 million sports cards sold on Whatnot so far in 2026 and Pokémon card order volume and buyer counts more than doubling year over year.
Whatnot says more than 650,000 new buyers join the platform each week, though it has not disclosed its total active buyer count. The company previously reported a similar weekly figure for people joining the platform in August, along with a 170% year-over-year increase in cross-category purchasing.
The company's international expansion is also continuing, with a new European headquarters in Dublin and plans announced October 20 to double its Irish workforce over the next 18 months. It currently employs more than 130 people in Ireland and is hiring across engineering, artificial intelligence, operations, strategy, and trust and safety.
Whatnot says its Dublin engineering team already develops core buying, selling and payment systems used across the global marketplace, with new AI positions focused on automating product listings and other administrative tasks for sellers.
More significantly for marketplace sellers, Whatnot plans to allow Irish small businesses to sell directly on the platform beginning in 2027, expanding access in a market where demand from buyers has already grown substantially.
Whatnot says the number of Irish shoppers making purchases each month has increased nearly fivefold over the last two years, with most orders currently fulfilled by sellers in the UK, Germany and US.
Purchases of Irish heritage items, including collectible crystal and sporting memorabilia, have more than tripled over the past year, with US buyers accounting for just over half of those purchases.
CEO Grant LaFontaine highlighted that opportunity in the announcement:
We're also opening the platform to small businesses in Ireland next year, so local shops and entrepreneurs can reach the people already shopping on Whatnot in Ireland and around the world, who will then be able to discover the creativity and talent of Irish businesses and entrepreneurs.
Whatnot has not yet announced a specific launch date or detailed eligibility requirements for Irish sellers.
These investments are taking place as established marketplaces increasingly compete for a share of livestream commerce, particularly in categories where Whatnot already has a significant presence.
eBay is currently offering selected sellers 0% commissions on eBay Live sales through October 29, following its September expansion of self-service Live registration and a promotion offering qualifying sellers up to $100 in matched sales for completing their first livestream.
The company introduced standardized US Live commission rates in July, charging 4% for select categories and 6% for most others, plus separate payment processing fees. Whatnot followed in September with new volume-based seller fees, taking direct aim at eBay's practice of calculating commissions on shipping and taxes as well as the item price.
Liz Morton
StockX has also entered the competition, launching StockX Live in July and expanding into NBA, NFL and MLB trading cards earlier this month, including card breaks and other formats already popular among Whatnot sellers.
Whatnot says it has nearly 60% of the live shopping market across North America and Europe, while eBay has reported approximately eightfold year-over-year GMV growth for eBay Live. However, eBay has not disclosed actual Live merchandise volume or buyer and seller counts, making direct comparisons difficult.
