Field guides
Run better breaks.
Long-form playbooks from inside the breaker world. Strategy, economics, OBS setup, format comparison. No fluff, no padding, written by people who ship live shows.
Before you read
What running card breaks on Whatnot actually involves
A break looks simple on stream: a box gets opened, cards fly, buyers react. Behind it is a small business doing three jobs at once. Before the show you buy product, pick a format, and price spots so the break covers the box, supplies, and Whatnot fees with something left over. During the show you sell every spot, record who owns which team, randomize on camera when the format calls for it, and call each hit out to the right buyer while chat keeps moving. After the show you sort the hits, pack and ship them, and check what the break really made once fees come out of the payout.
New breakers often learn those jobs the expensive way: spots priced off the 8% headline fee instead of the real all-in rate, a hit mailed to the wrong buyer, a box opened before the last spots sold. These guides are written to shortcut that. Each one covers one part of the job with real numbers, worked examples, and checklists you can use on your next show.
Start here
Which guide to read first
Brand new to breaking
Start with the complete guide to running a break. It walks the whole night in order, so the other guides make sense. Then learn the formats, because a random team break is the safest first show, and read the fee guide before you set a single price. Leave OBS for when you are ready to put a board on screen.
- How to run a sports card break on Whatnot
- Break formats compared
- Whatnot fees explained
- OBS setup for Whatnot
Already running shows
Go straight to the money. The fee guide shows exactly what you keep at each spot price, including why $5 spots lose a bigger share than $50 spots. Break math turns that into per-box and per-case profit, break-even prices, and dollars per hour. If you are still retyping buyers between chat, a spreadsheet, and your stream, the tracking tools comparison is next, and the formats guide covers adding PYT or mixers.
Every guide
What is a card break? | sports card breaks explained
Spots, breaks vs personals, how a live break runs for buyers and breakers, the main formats, real costs, and Whatnot's break rules.
What you'll learn: What a card break is and what a spot buys you, how breaks differ from personals and pack breaks, a live break start to finish from both sides, random, PYT, hit draft, divisional and mixer formats, where breaks happen, honest cost and value math, the rules in Whatnot's Card Breaks Policy, red flags, and buyer protections.
Best for: Collectors curious about breaks, first-time buyers, and anyone deciding whether a spot is worth it.
Read the guide →
PYT break: how pick your team breaks work | pricing guide
What a PYT break is, how to tier 32 teams so the board covers box cost and Whatnot fees, what happens to unsold teams, and PYT vs random.
What you'll learn: What a pick your team break is, what drives each team's price, Premium/Mid/Value tiers as a method, a worked example that recovers box cost plus Whatnot fees, Whatnot's rules for unsold spots, PYT vs random pros and cons, the Card Breaks Policy rules, and a free PYT price sheet.
Best for: Breakers moving from random breaks to PYT, or anyone unsure how to price 32 teams.
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Is Whatnot legit? | an honest review for buyers and sellers
Who runs Whatnot, how payments and Buyer Protection work, what sellers must do, common scams, red flags, and a fair verdict.
What you'll learn: Whether Whatnot is a real company, how payments flow and when sellers get paid, Buyer Protection claim windows and what is not covered, seller verification, shipping and authenticity rules, common scams and complaints, how breaks are policed, red flags, and how buyers and sellers protect themselves.
Best for: Buyers about to make a first purchase, and sellers deciding whether to list on Whatnot.
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Themed break nights | a year of Whatnot break ideas
Holiday and Black Friday nights, New Year, Big Game week, the NFL Draft, March brackets, release days and Halloween, with Whatnot's giveaway rules and a monthly calendar.
What you'll learn: How to theme a show for every season: theme ideas, product picks by type and show titles for Black Friday and the holidays, New Year, Super Bowl week, the 2027 NFL Draft, March basketball, release days and Halloween; giveaways run only through Whatnot's giveaway tool; what the Card Breaks Policy never allows; and a month by month planning calendar.
Best for: Breakers planning themed shows for the year ahead.
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How to sell on Whatnot | the 2026 beginner's guide
Apply in the app, get verified, run your first show, price with the real fees, ship on time, and get paid.
What you'll learn: Eligibility and verification, the in-app seller application, scheduling a first show and starting auctions, turning on seller tools, fees with a worked $50 example and the new tier rates, shipping in two business days, payout timing, and how the new seller bonus works.
Best for: Anyone about to apply to sell on Whatnot, or in their first month.
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How does Whatnot work? | buyers and sellers explained
Shows, auctions, sudden death, Buy It Now, giveaways, payment, shipping, buyer protection, and seller payouts in plain English.
What you'll learn: What a Whatnot show is, how standard and sudden death auctions, Buy It Now, pre-bids, and giveaways work, how payment, shipping, and Buyer Protection work, how sellers get paid, and where card breaks fit with the platform's break rules.
Best for: Curious buyers and would-be sellers who want the whole picture first.
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Whatnot terms explained | raids, mods, sudden death, and more
What a raid, a raid train, a mod, a sudden death auction, and a form filler mean on Whatnot, plus the rules and etiquette behind each.
What you'll learn: How raids work and how to start one, what a community raid train is and the rules that still apply, what a mod can do and how to add one, how sudden death differs from a standard auction, why form fillers have the same right to win a Buyer Appreciation Giveaway, and a short glossary of other Whatnot terms.
Best for: New sellers and viewers who keep hearing Whatnot slang in chat.
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How much is shipping on Whatnot? | a seller's guide
Who pays, current US label prices, plain white envelopes for cards, bundling, labels, and the two business day shipping deadline.
What you'll learn: Who pays shipping, shipping profiles and the current Ground Advantage and plain white envelope prices, Smart Bundling, prepaid labels and insurance, how to change shipping settings, the two business day deadline and what late shipping costs, packing cards, international orders, and how shipping affects fees.
Best for: Sellers setting up shipping, or anyone whose labels or shipping charges keep surprising them.
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Can you sell on Whatnot without going live? | the Profile Shop
What sells from your Profile Shop with no show, what still has to happen live, how long listings stay up, offers, and fees.
What you'll learn: How Buy It Now listings sell from your Profile Shop without a show, which formats still need a live show, how to list an item step by step, how long listings stay up and when to use Vacation Mode, handling offers, fees on out-of-show sales, and how to make shop listings sell.
Best for: Sellers who want sales between shows, or who are not ready to stream yet.
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Where do Whatnot sellers get their inventory? | sourcing guide
Wholesale and liquidation, Whatnot's Wholesale category, distributors and card shops, collections, and repacks, with the rules for each.
What you'll learn: The main sourcing channels compared, how Whatnot's Wholesale category works, where breakers get sealed boxes and cases now that direct Topps accounts are closed to new breakers, buying collections, the repack rules, authenticity and condition rules, resale certificates, and landed cost math.
Best for: New sellers looking for product, and breakers planning where their next case comes from.
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How to run a sports card break on Whatnot | the complete guide
From buying your first case to shipping the last hit. The end-to-end playbook every new breaker needs.
What you'll learn: The whole night in eight steps: a beginner-friendly product, a format, spot prices that cover the box and fees, cameras and OBS, tracking buyers live, shipping hits safely, and logging profit.
Best for: First-time breakers, and anyone whose shows still feel chaotic.
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Whatnot fees explained | the real cost of selling on Whatnot
What Whatnot really takes from each sale, why cheap spots keep less, and how to price with fees built in.
What you'll learn: The 8% Standard commission and the new tier rates, the 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee, why the fixed $0.30 hits cheap spots hardest, a take-home table by spot price, the high-value sale rule and why breaks are excluded, refunds, and a formula for pricing with fees built in.
Best for: Anyone setting spot prices or checking a payout.
Read the guide →
Break math | how much do Whatnot card breakers actually make?
Honest profit math for box, case, and small product breaks, with break-even spot prices and dollars per hour.
What you'll learn: Worked profit math for a single box, a full case, and a small product break, break-even and target spot prices, what stalled spots cost you, and why dollars per hour matters as much as margin.
Best for: Breakers deciding between boxes and cases, or asking if the hours are worth it.
Read the guide →
OBS Studio for Whatnot | stream setup for card breakers
Whatnot's current OBS method through Show Tools, the 1080x1920 canvas, a camera setup that keeps the whole break on screen, and your board as a browser source.
What you'll learn: Whatnot's current OBS method (WebSocket connection from the Show Tools page, a new stream key filled in for every show, the 1080x1920 vertical canvas), a camera setup that keeps the whole break on screen, scenes, audio, a live break board as a browser source, and the errors that stop shows from starting.
Best for: Breakers moving off a phone-only stream.
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Break formats compared | random, mixer, PYT, and more
Which format fits your product, your audience, and your margin, with the tradeoffs breakers actually hit.
What you'll learn: How random, pick your team, mixer, and division breaks work, the risk each one puts on you, worked pricing for every format, and a decision guide for what to run next.
Best for: New breakers picking a first format, and veterans adding PYT or mixers.
Read the guide →
Best break tracking tools for Whatnot in 2026 | honest comparison
Google Sheets, Etsy templates, custom overlay designers, and live board software, compared honestly, including where each beats us.
What you'll learn: Spreadsheets, paid templates, custom overlay designs, and live board software compared on cost, stream presence, and how much typing each one costs you mid-show.
Best for: Breakers whose tracking is slowing their shows down.
Read the guide →
Free tools
Tools that pair with the guides
The guides explain the why; these do the work. All of them are free and none of them need an account.
- Whatnot fee calculator: enter a sale value and the number of orders, see the commission, processing, and what you keep. Pairs with the fee guide.
- Break profit calculator: box cost, spot count, and price in, net profit and break-even out. Run it before you list a break, not after the payout lands.
- Sports team wheel: spin NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL teams or your own list for fantasy draft order, video game franchise picks, or pick'em pools. Whatnot's Card Breaks Policy does not allow randomizer wheels on Whatnot, so for random-team breaks there, use the randomizer in Whatnot's built-in Breaks feature.
- Break templates: spreadsheets for Excel or Google Sheets with every team listed, for tracking buyers and profit by hand.
- All free tools: every wheel, calculator, and template in one place.
The board itself
Want the overlay these guides keep mentioning?
What a Whatnot overlay is, what the live break board shows on stream, and the three-step OBS setup, all on one page. You type a buyer's name once and the board on your stream updates in about two seconds.
See the Whatnot overlay →