How to Grow on Whatnot: From 0 to 10,000 Followers in 1 Month

Starting on Whatnot can feel overwhelming for newcomers, especially when faced with brutal competition- it’s an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs, but growing your account to 10,000 followers in just one month requires careful planning, the right products, and consistent engagement. However, some sellers have cracked the code and managed to grow their accounts on the rampage in a short amount of time. Take Mike- he began his journey with nothing but a handful of products and a passion for vintage sneakers. Within just one month, he was able to grow his Whatnot account from zero to 10,000 followers, hitting incredible sales milestones along the way.

Finding Your Niche and Supply: The foundation of Your Success on Whatnot

Identifying Your Niche

The first step to starting or growing your Whatnot is choosing your niche. A niche gives you the opportunity to carve out space in a crowded marketplace, where you can cater to a specific audience. For instance, a study from Shopify found that niche products in trending categories grew 40% faster than general merchandise in the past year. Whether you’re passionate about fashion, tools, or collectibles, choosing a niche helps build a targeted audience eager to buy what you have to offer while creating a unique experience that sticks with your followers. It not only makes your products more appealing but also builds trust.

A niche can be anything from a specific category- like outdoor gear or vintage toys- to more unique ones, like pallet sales, where you buy a wholesale pallet of mixed items and resell them individually. This model has grown in popularity because it allows sellers to offer a diverse inventory without the need for large upfront investments.

Tip: Explore different categories on Whatnot to see what other sellers are offering, and look for any gaps or missing niches. For example, you might notice there’s a demand for vintage tools but not many sellers offering them. That’s a golden opportunity to step in and cater to that demand.

Sourcing Your Products for Whatnot

Once you’ve chosen your niche, the next step is sourcing your products. If you’re a beginner, the idea of stocking a full inventory might feel overwhelming. But here’s where online wholesale platforms can really shine, especially when you’re looking for variety and scalability. These platforms give you access to a broad selection of products, often at competitive prices.

Local Vendors: Consider sourcing from local vendors for bulk products. You can save on shipping costs while building relationships with suppliers in your area. Although this option can be pricier due to the vendors overhead costs they have to make up for by slightly overpricing their merchandise.
Online Wholesale Platforms: Platforms like Select Liquidation are excellent sources for finding bulk products. Platforms like this are particularly appealing because of the range of options they offer. You can source items by category or pallets of mixed goods, which means you get a wide variety of products in a single purchase. This can be especially useful if you’re looking to fill a niche or offer a broader selection to your audience.

Start with Low-Cost, Easy-to-Ship Items: If you’re on a budget, start by sourcing smaller, lower-cost items. These aren’t only easier to ship but also help you manage your inventory better as you figure out which items sell best. By starting small you’re minimizing your risk while refining your offerings to develop a loyal customer base.

Getting Your First 100 Followers on Whatnot: The Early Steps

Building Your Base

Your first 100 followers can be the hardest to gain, but they’re crucial for establishing a foundation for growth. At this stage, you’re looking to build your visibility and establish a presence in the Whatnot community. A great strategy for gaining your initial followers is to engage directly with your audience. Studies show that sellers who engage with their followers- whether by following them back or responding to their comments- see up to a 50% increase in growing their community.

Here are a few tactics to get started on building your base:

Join Facebook Groups: Search for groups that cater to Whatnot resellers or the specific niche you’re targeting. By actively joining discussions, you can gain followers that are interested in your product selection. This can also help you get an idea of how sellers interact with others.

Share Product Photos: Post eye-catching photos of your products, along with short descriptions that highlight their value.
Follow People Back: Many Whatnot resellers practice reciprocity! You can add “follow me and I will follow you back” at the ending of one of your group posts and watch your followers climb!

Streaming Daily

Streaming consistently is one of the best ways to build a following. You should stream daily for 3-4 hours to maintain visibility and engage with your audience. This consistency will help retain your current followers while attracting new ones. If people like you, they’ll want to see more of you! Here’s how to make consistent posting work for you:

Quality over Quantity: While it’s important to post regularly, the quality of your content is just as important- if not more. High-quality images, engaging captions, and a clear presentation of your products will grab attention and drive more followers.
Peak Posting Times: Timing your posts is also crucial. Find the peak times when your audience is most active and make sure you’re posting during these windows for maximum exposure. This may include late night streams, as certain time zones can be more active during those hours.

The Reality of Early Growth: Expecting to Lose or Break Even

Be Prepared for Slow Growth

The reality of being a beginner on Whatnot is that you might not see huge profits right away. Many sellers experience periods where they either break even or lose money. It’s important that you don’t get discouraged.

Focus on Relationships, Not Profits: During your early stages, prioritize building relationships with your followers. Interact with them, answer questions, and create a community feeling. This ensures followers or even first timers will want to keep up with you.
Test Smaller Items First: A good way to build trust with your audience is by selling smaller, lower-cost items. They’re easier to ship, less risky for new buyers, and sell faster. It’s important to understand that many new followers may not be ready to purchase higher-priced items until they’ve built a relationship with you.

1,000-10,000 Followers: Time to Get Serious

Woohoo you’ve reached 1,000+ followers, it’s time to ramp up your giveaways to take your growth strategy to the next level. The key to continuing your momentum is maintaining excitement, increasing engagement, and offering value to your growing community.

Ramp Up Your Giveaways

Giveaways are one of the most powerful tools for engaging your audience, creating excitement, and expanding your follower base. Here’s how to take it up a notch:

Giveaways to Maintain Engagement:

Frequency is Key: As your follower count grows, your audience will expect more engagement from you. By running more giveaways- every few minutes or during significant milestones in your stream- you create a sense of urgency and excitement. This encourages viewers to stay tuned, interact more, and invite others to join in.
Surprise Element: Keep your followers and viewers on their toes by occasionally surprising them with unexpected giveaways. This keeps your stream fresh and engaging.
Create a Sense of FOMO: Limited time or flash deals make followers feel like they need to act quickly or they’ll miss out. The shorter the timeframe for entry, the more likely followers will stick around for the chance to win.

Invest in Larger Purchases

As you build traction and your follower count grows, it’s time to take your sourcing strategy to the next level by investing in larger, higher-value products. This is where you can really start to scale your inventory and boost your profits.

Why Invest in Bulk Purchases?

Better Deals with Bulk Sourcing:

Bulk buying allows you to lower the per-unit cost of your products, which means higher margins when you sell them. You get better deals from suppliers, which gives you the opportunity to expand your inventory and offer more products to viewers. In turn, this attracts a wider variety of buyers, increasing your chances of making more sales in streams. For example, you purchase mixed pallets like Amazon LPN’s from an online wholesale supplier and receive a wide variety of products that are quick too sell and easy to ship.
Diverse Inventory:

Bulk purchases help your diversify your product range without constantly sourcing new inventory. Pallets that contain a mix of popular products, allow you to test different items in one purchase. This is important when you want to experiment with various niches.
Increased Sales Opportunities:

Having a broader selection to offer buyers means you can cater to more customers and increase repeat purchases.
Scaling to Meet Demand:

As your follower count grows, so does demand for a greater variety of products. Having as larger inventory on hand lets you meet this demand while maintaining a steady flow of merchandise to sell. The higher your inventory, the less likely you are to run out of stock, keeping your views engaged and buying from you consistently.

The Cost of Bulk Purchasing

While this may require a significant upfront investment, the potential rewards far outweigh the risk. Full truckloads of mixed pallets can range between $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the supplier and the quality of merchandise. However, this investment is a necessary step for serious sellers looking to scale their business quickly.

Tips for Sourcing and Expanding Your Inventory

Sourcing and managing your inventory is crucial once you have built a strong following. It’s important to diversify your stock to appeal to different kinds of buyers while also maximizing your profit margins. By establishing strong relationships with suppliers and diversifying your product categories, you can meet demand and expand your Whatnot business.

The Importance of Diversification:

Why Diversify?

Appeal to a Broader Audience: By diversifying your inventory across multiple categories like collectibles, tools, apparel, and beauty products, you can reduce the risk of relying on one product type or niche. Different customers have different preferences, so giving them a variety of items ensures you’re keeping the attention of more potential buyers. It also helps you adapt quickly to market shifts, making it easier to adjust when certain categories on Whatnot experience a dip in demand.
Adapt to Market Trends: Market demands are constantly shifting. If you rely on a single product, it can become outdated or less popular over time. Having a variety of items in your inventory gives you the option to pivot and cater to current trend, giving you. Competitive edge.
Lower Risk: By offering a mix of categories, you lower the risk associated with market fluctuations.

Working with Wholesale Suppliers:

When it comes to sourcing, working directly with wholesale suppliers can greatly benefit your bottom line. Establishing long-term relationships with suppliers helps you access better deals, exclusive products, and better terms.

How to Maximize your Sourcing

Build Strong Relationships:

To maximize your sourcing, it’s essential to build strong relationships with your suppliers. This will lead you to better pricing, priority access to high-demand products, and exclusive deals. Regular communication and long-term business commitments can lead you to discounts or early access, giving you an upper hand on other sellers.

Sourcing Directly from Manufacturers:

By skipping middlemen and buying directly from manufacturers or bulk wholesalers, you save on the markup. This allows you to offer lower prices to your viewers and increase your profits.

Cost Savings and Efficiency:

When you buy products from wholesale suppliers you’re purchasing items in larger quantities at significantly lower per-unit prices compared to retail. This lower cost means that when you turn around and sell those item on Whatnot, you can price them competitively while still making a solid profit. The more you buy, the better deals you usually get- especially when you build a good relationship with the supplier.

In addition to cost savings, wholesale purchasing gives you access to products that can be harder to find or higher in demand, which can help drive sales on Whatnot where unique or unlimited items perform well.

Scaling Your Whatnot Business

Hitting Milestone Like 10,000 Followers on Whatnot:

Hitting 10,000 followers on Whatnot is huge- it means you’ve built trust, perfected your niche, and people are paying attention. But with more followers comes more opportunity and responsibility. This is the perfect moment to shift from hobby mode to something more structured. Take some time to evaluate your sourcing, sales, and shipping processes.

You’ve Hit 10K- Now What?

When your side hustle starts feeling like a real business, it’s time to treat it like one! This could mean hiring part-time help to manage shipping and prep, setting up dedicated space for your operations, or using inventory management tools to stay organized. It’s also a great time to build your brand- think custom packaging, consistent visuals, maybe even a logo or a small website. These details build your credibility and keep customers coming back.

Remember to ask yourself these questions to grow your inventory strategically:

What items are your top sellers?
What categories get the most engagement?
Are customers asking for restocks or similar products?

Also think of investing in structure by:

Hiring part-time help to manage shipping or prepping orders.
Setting up a dedicated inventory and packaging space.
Using tools to track inventory, sales, and expense.
Creating branded packaging.

Final Thoughts: From Zero to 10K- And Beyond

Growing your Whatnot account from zero to 10,000 followers in just one month is ambitious- but extremely possible with the right strategy, consistency, and mindset. From finding a niche and sourcing smart to building relationships with your audience and suppliers, each steps plays and important role in your journey!

The early days might feel slow, and at times you might break even or take a small loss- but don't let that discourage you. Every successful Whatnot seller started exactly where you are now: with a few products, a goal, and a willingness to learn.

As you grow, remember that scaling your business is about more than just numbers. It's about creating a brand, a community, and a presence people remember and want to come back to. Whether you're just getting started or you're approaching the next milestone, stay consistent, stay engaged, and stay passionate.