Whatnot Is Redefining E-Commerce—And Handing Power Back to the People

Whatnot Is Redefining E-Commerce (For the Better)

The Internet wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

When it first roared to life with dial-up tones and blinking AIM icons, it felt raw and alive. Anyone could launch a business from their bedroom. Sell mixtapes to Tokyo from Tampa. Start a revolution with nothing but an idea and a connection.

For a while, we believed.

Then the suits showed up. AOL chat rooms vanished. Napster got nuked. MySpace became a graveyard.

What began as an open frontier was fenced off and run by corporate giants.

There were milestones along the way. Video chats made us feel closer. Social media gave us new ways to connect. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter promised to give everyone a voice.

Then commerce took over. eBay let us auction attic treasures. Amazon trained us to expect speed and scale. Etsy brought handmade goods to the world.

But let’s be honest: these platforms, as groundbreaking as they were, became polished and corporate. Sellers became vendors. Buyers became data points.

Whatnot broke that cycle.

It merged the best of everything—video, community, and commerce—into one platform. A marketplace where the seller and buyer take center stage. Where your phone becomes a live studio, a storefront, and a social hangout all at once.

This wasn’t just a marketplace reboot. It handed power back to the people.

Commerce Handed Back to the Consumer

Founded in 2019 by Grant LaFontaine and Logan Head, Whatnot turned every seller into their own TV channel, every phone into a storefront, and every live stream into a chance to connect, create, and cash in.

In just six years, they have:
✅ Raised $485 million in funding
✅ Hit a $3.7 billion valuatiovn
✅ Expanded to millions of users across the US, UK, and beyond
✅ Become home to categories from comics and sneakers to luxury bags and Pokémon cards

And it’s not just everyday sellers taking notice. Major influencers like GaryVee are shifting from Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch to Whatnot. Watch one of Gary’s lives on those other platforms and you’ll see: “Not giving stuff away here, come hang on Whatnot.”

“This isn’t just another app. It’s the biggest reality show on the planet and you’re invited to star in it.”
– @ILoveFreezeDried, fellow streamer

“Run that shit. That’s how you build six figures streaming on your phone.”
– @KORYMANX, streamer and author of Run That Shit

KoryManX wrote the playbook—literally. His book Run That Shit has become a bible for hustlers on the platform, showing how to turn a phone and Wi-Fi connection into serious money. This year, he’s on track to cross seven figures in revenue, proving that Whatnot isn’t just a side hustle. It’s a business model.

Why This Feels Different

I’ve been streaming since the ’90s. Back in 1997, I founded SimplyRadio.com, one of the first Internet radio stations. We were empowering indie artists before “creator economy” was even a phrase.

But those early tools got swallowed up too. Shoutcast was bought by AOL Time Warner. Mp3.com was absorbed by Universal Music. MySpace disappeared.

Streaming didn’t feel this personal again—until now.

Whatnot hands the mic back to us. Suddenly, you don’t need a record label or a retail lease. You don’t need a million followers or a billion views to make revenue. With Whatnot, all you need is a phone, a decent internet connection, and something to sell.

And people are selling everything: comics, sneakers, designer handbags, vinyl records, sports cards, Hot Wheels, Pokémon, collectibles of every kind—even luxury watches and fine art.

Every stream is its own storefront. Every seller is their own channel. Every buyer gets a front-row seat.

My Story: From Tech Sales to Live Hustle

Last year, my job at a major tech firm disappeared overnight during a financial shakeup. I wasn’t ready to jump back into corporate life.

Meanwhile, my son was buying comics on Whatnot nonstop. Watching him, something clicked.

I dusted off my DJ gear, cracked open boxes of vinyl I’d saved since my teenage years, and went live. That first stream paid the rent.

In six months—working only about 10 hours a week while still juggling global enterprise sales—I brought in nearly $40,000 in sex months on Whatnot. That’s more than most retirees I know, and I was having fun doing it.

Today, I’m running a social experiment: streaming five hours a day for two weeks straight. After just five days, I pulled in $2,000 without leaving my house.

This is the new economy. For me, it’s my new 401(k).

Want In? I’ll Help You Start

Thinking about it? Here’s the deal.

🎯 For Buyers – Sign up with my referral link and we both get $5 to spend:
👉 https://whatnot.com/invite/simplydealz

📦 For Sellers – Here’s my seller referral link:
👉 https://whatnot.com/s/UiG0MXfl

I’ll even help you get started. For a small fee, I’ll show you how I turned part of my two-car garage into a nearly six-figure resale operation. I’ll walk you through sourcing, shipping, logistics, and scaling.

This isn’t theory. It’s real.