Whatnot App for Comics - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

[@tchavezjr]

Whatnot is addictive. Sometimes see some good books you don’t see normally or didn’t know existed. It’s been very good

[@nerdyoldwoman9651]

As a buyer, I don't like Whatnot. IMO, the format lends itself to less valuable books/ more modern books. Unless I know and trust a seller, such as yourself, Whatnot is no good for buying a book that is not brand new or in a pristine slab. If I'm bidding on a silver or bronze book, or one >$50, I want high quality photos of the important parts of the book (corners, spines, staples, etc) to examine. The FOMO/ getting caught up in the time restriction to punch the bid button is not what's best for me as a buyer. And God awful, loud music makes my ears bleed.

[@BrysComics]

Great points!

[@pziglor4786]

1 Buyer regulation that is really important - rate your experience. If they suck, make sure you rate that experience. Any seller that sends me a book in a bubble envelope will never get another dollar from me. Any seller that sends me a book outside of a bag/board, never get a penny.

[@suphiljones4609]

I love your breakdowns and opinion on most things comics. thanks bro!!

[@bigness95]

I'm a pretty big fan of whatnot. Although I did go crazy on blind pull sells when I first found out about it.

[@kirbycarpenter9775]

What not is bad if you get Fomo. As a buyer be prepared to spend some money. You can get caught up quick in bidding situations.

[@joaquinrubio3230]

Thanks for video but I only buy comics I dont sell my stuff

[@AmirOnzo-vp5pq]

Love the energy and info! Thank you so much!

[@bustouttv3454]

Been thinking about Whatnot...thanks for the info...

[@KrowpherBacon]

Haven’t used whatnot yet but you just peaked my interest.

[@RexxCollects]

Been apart of whatnot for a very long time... use to buy a bunch of pops and moved to comics. I spend money too easily on it so I have to pace myself.lol. it's actually fun and has an awesome community.

[@albertorivera8702]

I have to admit my experience as a buyer so far its been very entertaining. I do find it hard to find sellers that have books im looking for and most are just selling filler 1 dollar books. I have to say i did feel like sdcc what not streams did seem glitchy and easily manipulated due to fomo and hype. There were a few sudden death auctions that seemed rigged because you can bid up really high with seconds left and trap others in a much higher bid

[@817mborja]

Most buyers and sellers can recognize and denounce troll bids during sudden death. After that, most chats I've been in have had rather helpful audiences who would then point you towards the process of canceling an order more often than not with the buyers where withal and participation in order to get the show moving. Sellers and moderators can also kick and ban at their discretion. Sudden death is actually the more rare form of transaction on whatnot with people actively requesting it when its a known occurrence on someone's show. Best chance of steals with sudden death.

[@sixstrng]

I saw a ton of people selling snake oil, books that will be worthless very soon. I think people that don't have much experience are buying those books. Just because a book is made out of something special doesn't mean its going to be worth much.

[@wardenbrosRC]

The toughest part starting out is the battle of selling cheap books to avoid huge losses and selling higher value books to get people in the show. I have never had more than 20 people in a show so it’s a scary proposition throwing up a decent key. You can start them at $20 like Bry said, but then you end up selling nothing and people leave because they like the $1 starts. When I first started selling a year ago there weren’t a ton of comic sellers. It took 3 months to get approved to sell. Now, you’ve got 10 other people to fight for viewers at almost all decent hours of the day. Sometimes more. Hopefully the number of buyers is scaling up with the number of sellers.

[@lattiedavis5450]

great content! I Like Whatnot, but still a noob at it.

[@AdamRaia]

I've bought on Whatnot and enjoy it

[@Jagdosh]

Bry's Whatnot exclusive coming? Maybe not with that first email LOL

[@BrysComics]

😂😂😂😂

[@WalkerJoe23]

Not a dig at you at all. But you might want to tell people that you also get a $10 credit if they sign up with your link as well. The rich get richer.🤷

[@FascinatingFlounder]

It’s $10, relax. Pretty sure by this point 99% of people know that both parties get $10 with every single referral link these days.

[@WalkerJoe23]

@@FascinatingFlounder Per my last email.... it wasn't a dig at Bry. Transparency goes along way. That's all.

[@BrysComics]

Lmao I don’t think this is the right use of the term the rich get richer

[@bryanbartrop5091]

Great information on the app Bry!

[@chadfontoura]

Only thing “bad” about your WhatNot sale today were those 2 Justice League Magic Mike homage covers. 😂😂😂

[@BrysComics]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@FireflyComics]

I’m a frequent buyer from Bry on Whatnot. He is a top notch seller. He is one of the few that I routinely buy from. Good deals, good books and excellent service and transparency. I can’t recommend him enough.

[@BrysComics]

Thank you so much!!

[@basementbrotherscollectibles]

Bry having to explain to the socialist mindset what capitalist drive is. Lol. Congrats to you and ComicTom for your success. You guys earned it.

[@BrysComics]

😂

[@GymLeaderRay]

I joined the WhatNot game late too lol

[@JC_COMICSANDCOLLECTIBLES]

As a day 1 seller. I feel for new sellers. Very hard to have success unless you're already established in the IG or YT community. The App feels oversaturated and im a seller with 10k+ followers across all social media.. The App itself, the experience, is great tho. I'll gladly pay a fee for the convenience on the backend. Whatnot is great and I can def see it being around for a while. Like most apps it has its pros and cons but the pros def outweigh the cons for me at this point.

[@BrysComics]

Totally agree and congrats on your success!

[@instakillbill2263]

Way to get me pumped up BRY. too many people wallow and make excuses. You paid em with a reality check. Good on you.

[@johnnyblaze5567]

Very informative video Bry.. Some people like pictures, videos or 'whatnot' 😉.. How about a point of view video of one of your episodes so some viewers can get a taste of the format and how it works.. Thanks Bry.

[@BrysComics]

That’s a great idea!

[@kevinkowalski5030]

As a buyer on WhatNot I absolutely do not watch channels that don't list out the books they are going to be putting up in their auction. If they have their list as Comic 1, Comic 2, Comic 3... then I'm out.

[@BrysComics]

Totally understandable!

[@Lithograph_Comics]

I know a lot of buyers love the excitement of a live auction, but I'm not one of them. I find live auctions more anxiety-inducing than anything. That said, I've been jumping into a couple of the sales here and there just for the experience, and I'm sure at some point I'll become comfortable with it.

[@BrysComics]

Some sellers are just plain fun to hang out with! I’ve had many belly laughs watching Skeff and the only thing I ever bought from him was “beard oil” which was actually just a way to donate money to him 😂😂

[@grahammann5669]

Keep up the good work Bry

[@jacob_comics]

I still think Whatnot is not for me...

[@robertdeveau7445]

Until there's a way I can easily look at the current auctions going on at any time of the day and know which streams will have the books I'm interested in, I will stick to my regular sources. I don't have time or patience to go through each auction one by one, and do not buy modern books which seems to be the bulk of the auctions at this moment.

[@BrysComics]

Yeah it’s not very efficient for stuff like that

[@ronaldbourgeois1255]

Do you have any videos of unboxings or buying collections coming up.

[@BrysComics]

Collection vid on Wednesday!

[@charlesupshaw6132]

You're the best

[@bobgeiger7882]

Just discovered whatnot last week. Very addicting. Love the giveaways. Bidding is scary though as $30 can shift to $300 in a micro second.

[@Vp-jt3vl]

Great thoughts!

[@billyuscategui]

Ill check it out

[@TheNewManMedia]

eBay actually announced that they will be tackling the live auction realm. Definitely will be a strong contender with an already strong built in customer base - I will say the ease and comfort of using whatnot comes with its own set of problems (tech and bad apples) - but it’s still a very new business and there will be growing pains.

[@bennettbennettsb]

I'm thinking eBay is going to die soon and now they're charging GST and HST when I sell something and when I buy something they get me coming and going I'm done with eBay

[@PropiaPersona]

Higher fees and items will sell for less when ebay comps are checked.

[@michaelmaggio3414]

Amen brother!

[@jasonsalazar7126]

It's a whole different ballgame . Different customer , lots of moderns , I basically only bid on your stuff. I've gotten too much garbage from others and lately it glitches costing bids. Honestly if it would get better I might be a cheerleader for it lol

[@southerncomicgeek1626]

All great points.

[@shannonmiller8334]

I might have to check out your next show. How long do they run?

[@BrysComics]

Usually a couple hours…

[@TheHartViper]

Great info Bry. Did the SDCC WhatNot live stream rounds and feel I got what I wanted, but can see the hype and FOMO will break the undisciplined. Had a troll in one bidding up their own bids but thankfully got called out and blocked fairly quickly. Thanks for the seller perspective!

[@keithkovalic]

I took about a six month break from Whatnot and just opened it for the first time this past weekend. It was crazy how many angry and bad sellers were on there. A drunk husband and wife even stopped their stream because they were about to get in a fistfight. Highly entertaining, but not the people I would want to buy books from. Same thing with the guy whose books looked PERFECT, but he was smoking in his shop during the stream while his girlfriend presented the books. They looked amazing, but I can't even imagine what they smelled like.

[@BrysComics]

Wooooow

[@dudejrryan]

I love the shipping on whatnot. Buy one book & the next shipping charge is a lot cheaper

[@SBAVoltronProdt]

😂 you’re never gonna make it in this business kid

[@BrysComics]

😂

[@imatonkatoo]

I’ve downloaded the app but I can’t get my head around it. Is it all live selling? So have to be on at a certain time? My problem with that is I’m in the uk 🇬🇧 so there’s a time difference.

[@BrysComics]

Yeah it’s 100% live…

[@imatonkatoo]

Really enjoyed todays show.

[@hybridhubris]

I'm not 100% convinced on Whatnot. I like your shows, and a few other sellers, but I feel like quality of sellers and books varies WILDLY

[@donaldcleveland5300]

I saw a well-known vinyl dealer FALL APART on his first WhatNot show. What perplexed him was that he hadn't filled out international shipping and entered too high a weight for USA shipping. In other words, he made some errors, and when asked "why is this" he just LOCKED UP his brain and couldn't answer, or even speak in whole sentences.

[@crzdcolombian]

I agree with most of what you said. I saw you and Erod getting murdered on it. You own a store a lot of local shops near me have left the platform because of them getting killed on it. It’s lot of giveaways or steals to “buy followers”. As a person who uses the hobby to pay for itself. I can’t afford to get murdered for 2 months to get 1k followed to get 50-60 people to show up on a show. I use whatnot to buy slabs or big books and then just flip it on eBay for 2-3x the money. Even a bigger company like Torepedo comics when they started I bought 50-60 slabs from them for $30-60 for signed cgc books. Sold them 200-350 on eBay.

[@sidneyrivera3578]

Being the “little guy” on WhatNot does suck. Sometimes your are giving stuff away, even when it’s not the “giveaway”. I’ve been with your for years and really enjoy what you are doing. Keep grinding bro!✌🏼

[@safcollectibles8423]

I haven’t figured out how to add to my want list. It’s been kinda hard finding books for my pc. Im wondering if that would help. Are thinking about making a navigation video for whatnot? I didn’t make the cut to sell, so I don’t know there. Due to low stock (200+ w/keys, no slabs), no exp and no social media. I’ve seen some bad sellers so I don’t know. I’ll keep the grind though and we’ll see how it goes!

[@bronzevillecomics2581]

I’ve been selling on whatnot for about 3 months and I’ve gotten to the point where I tend to have enough people on the room so that buyers are competing with each other for books - most sell for around FMV and occasionally a couple of folks will get FOMO and drive that price up. I’ve had a lot of success with themed auctions (X-Men, Spider-Man, Conan, etc). I also use IG to post videos of me flipping through the books that will be for sale, that’s been very successful.

[@snootches]

From what I’m seeing WN has been great. I’m considering doing my own show - dollar books bundles and stuff just clear out my collection and some sort of bigger books that I’m offloading either because I’ve upgraded or putting that $$$ to a bigger key. There have been streams that I just join with no real intention of buying but are just fun to watch. The one that had the AF15 was just cool to see.

[@GBTWC]

I like the sellers that don’t know what they’re selling the best

[@BrysComics]

😂 I see your point

[@littlekoalas6174]

Bry, dude that's like saying no I don't want to invest in Microsoft or Google. I guess you've learned from your mistake,we all make them. What Not is just gonna get bigger. I'll reach out to you on What Not. Great video Bry 👍

[@CBs_Bill_from_Montana]

I loved What Not but got screwed too many times with grades. I’m ok with someone over grading by one tier but not 2-3 tiers. I was a $4,000 month buyer for 6 months but I only buy from one person now.

[@peterkalos6271]

I see the value in whatnot from a seller perspective…and am considering becoming a seller to get rid of a portion of my collection. There are issues tho…First becoming a seller takes a while and if you have limited social presence can be even more difficult. I have no KZbin presence and small social media Accts. So I’m not their desired seller. Also, as you said…you will probably lose money the first 5-10 shows before and if you get a following. And lastly, it’s hard to complete on the popular days/nights. So it’s a survival game till you find your niche or groove.

[@bennettbennettsb]

The ugly that's easy being from Canada that would be shipping I'll pay more for shipping than what I pay for the actual comic book

[@low_keed6033]

I have yet to experience Whatnot, I feel I've been having an old man "get off my lawn" moment in my laggard ways in that I'm like here's another platform to follow🤦‍♂ But I'll say that's there's at least 3 other comic enthusiast/collectors/sellers I follow on IG that have been promoting their Whatnot. I give props in that I've been sure to comeback to this channel as I feel there's reliable consistency in the craft and content being provided🤙

[@HemiMichael]

I've seen so many sellers barely making sales! Then I've seen comics going for hundreds of dollars that a new series that not big. This last comic con I wasn't big on a lot sales on whatnot! The first weekend I spent hundreds of dollars over a few sellers. Had one seller keep putting it off for almost 2 weeks. She found it the 15th day!! Mailed it out! But whatnot gave me my money back! I just got my last order from whatnot! I'm done for a while!!

[@martykollmer5763]

I'm excited for your auctions. Dropped the follow and I cant wait to get some quality books!

[@mr-vet]

In my limited experience with whatnot, I think there are too many sellers focusing more on entertaining, running games/giveaways, and doing mystery items than actually running auctions. Maybe that’s what some buyers are into…..

[@UpTheDown7]

As someone who left whatnot as a seller and went back to ebay I think the biggest problem with it is that they funnel new buyers to the same handful of popular sellers. Which means if you're not already bringing a sizable audience w/ you to the app you're fighting the other 90% of sellers for scraps. Not worth the time/commission.

[@jesselynch1928]

PS. I do hate the giveaways. I always enter though. But find them distracting.

[@DarrenCarman]

over time Whatnot will improve and get better. Feels like its mainly US though, and postage is huge elsewhere. They may need to put money back in to make this fully global

[@NicksKixComics]

Super Solid advice by one of the best in the community, again.. Thanks for the consistency dude..

[@Zenmaster1]

I was addicted to Whatnot for about six months, but have pulled back dramatically to the point I rarely participate in a show as a buyer. It hit the wallet, no doubt, but the majority of the comics presented are fillers. The condition of the comics are also a lot to be desired. What typically looks near mint ends up being VF. Condition accuracy on eBay is much more reliable.

[@jesselynch1928]

Interesting comments. From a buyers point of view. It’s fun. But dangerous. Easy to get caught up on things and not realize how much you spend but a simple an easy solution is to write down a running total. Haven figured out how to win sudden death yet. You would think it would be easy but I find it’s not. I do appreciate the work you guys put in. I do like your channel a lot. Very cool stuff, good commentary, you treat people with respect which is very important to me.

[@pauljohnson7980]

Love some of the sdcc streams spent to Much like 2k , but see how hype and manipulation are being used . Also you talked about the big comic shops which I’m very picky anymore who i buy from even them as have gotten books not in condition stated . And as someone who will grade it now or maybe down the line that’s a no no so a lot of sellers I just will not buy from again due to that issue don’t say it’s mint and come with 3 cover breaks small or not . I paid 30 bucks and the problem I have with whatnot is holding the seller accountable unlike eBay where you can . Whatnot seems to let seller get away with it so beware of that . Still use app love some of the big boys do buy from a couple independent that bought from before but sample new people before I buy a lot from them or even bigger sellers Star does not mean your honest .

[@carsonsully3294]

I’m new to whatnot but I’ve enjoyed the few shows I’ve gone to ..you can definitely find some good deals ..I got kinda screwed on a mystery box show though

[@anastacialehman9231]

Been using WhatNot as a buyer for quite a while. Experience has been positive for the most part.

[@DanielGoldMcduckRose]

I like competitive ideas just not for me. As seller there’s a lot work trying to find best roi on books I’ve got on multiple platforms weather long term short term most of my stuff as a collection is going to leave. You kinda have build rep regardless whether it be eBay or Mercari instagram or marketplace. Best of luck to all.

[@adamchace]

The blind bags and wheel spins feel predatory to me on WN. Not all of them, but they prey on those who play the lottery to subsidize a small pool of winners. That’s not buying, it’s gambling.

[@OBeowulf]

I've been finding some great deals on whatnot. The giveaways are wild. Not sure if there was a comment on it but I'm wondering what kind of tax break if any sellers are getting for giving away so much

[@Larsen76]

I’ve only had one bad experience on whatnot. I got berated by a seller for “wasting his time” because I didn’t buy a book I’d asked to see. He started it way over what even anyone on eBay was asking. Other than that every seller has been awesome.

[@Subviolaceus]

Not a huge fan of the platform in its current form. Sellers need to consistently post their inventory and buyers need a universal search feature. Whatnot offers this with pops, so comics should not be a leap. As it stands now, it’s too much of a time suck trying to find items I want to purchase when I can do so much easier elsewhere. I have no problem with the live format if I know their are items I’m hunting in the stream.

[@johnkelsch6980]

I live in an area with limited access to comics and it is nice to go to whatnot, and bid on things at reasonable prices. Graded aren’t always accurate, but I haven’t had a bad experience yet.

[@TokkoMakko]

This definitely seems interesting. Just a shame for me that not many UK based sellers/buyers on there, as shipping costs are prohibitive for me!

[@garywoods3196]

Thanks for all the info Bry very much appreciated.

[@Jungle-Boogie]

I more expect eBay to try and buy out What Not, as per their usual actions when confronted with rising competition.

[@bennettbennettsb]

EBay is going to be done soon I've been on eBay for many many years now they're charging me HST and GST when I buy something and when I sell something they get me coming and going I'm done with eBay

[@nickmedina3674]

You should try the cgc boards. I really only buy from there to be honest although I bought an FF 55 CGC 2.5 from you

[@toney2817]

Outstanding content..I always look forward to your videos

[@sixstrng]

whatnot is fun and very entertaining. people need to do their homework on comics before they start buying tho. I saw some cover A books that came out that week sell for way too much money and it was because the guy was very charismatic and was selling fomo.

[@Notthatshaneblack]

Fantastic overview of the platform. As a user for well over a year I agree with your points as well as some of these comments. Hopefully the app will grow and allow more people to enter the selling community. 🤙🏻

[@zoso73]

I aee young guns like you and Tom working incredibly hard. The results show.

[@dakota11445]

Thanks for all of your knowledge for the community!

[@FELIX123SAINT]

I like whatnot. good deals, great giveaways and a cool place to just chill. Dont like the shipping charges though lol

[@jcarter-productions]

i like buying off whatnot, but i do not like the convention shows. The culture there is different, and i know we are buyers and we have a responsibility with our money but the sales at these shows is insane. Over all, i love whatnot and enjoy the app with the sellers i enjoy.

[@marciac2429]

Whatnot sucks. It is only for comic book stores or KZbin guys. It is not for the regular guys. Most of the time if your buying they jack up the prices too high on auctions

[@franciscomarquez3678]

Awesome insights Bry, thanks buddy.

[@jimchurchsr2860]

All good points you bring up - I agree I think Whatnot is a force and will be there for a long time -thanks for the info - as far as me selling I don’t think it’s a good idea for the little guy - people like you will do just fine

[@thoughttrain5069]

I agree with you about the technology regarding whatnot. I don’t care for the layout of the site. I am hopeful it is a work in progress.

[@bluelantern27]

Great thoughts man! You are completely right. If people want to make money they have to put in the effort and not expect things handed to them.

[@SR-rx4pk]

Some books come to you in not great condition. If you watch Ebay while buying can help.

[@leeniren3706]

The biggest challenge with Whatnot is that if you put an expensive book up at a starting bid of one dollar and only one person bids You could be out lots of money

[@doctornesneb3955]

Love your reviews! Keep up the inspiration. You’ll have your own LCS in no time.

[@waltcee]

That's great, glad whatnot is doing good. What is your thought on Shortboxed?

[@Nitewolf1976]

Love What Not! Ive been a small seller on there since May this year. I do it as a side hobby outside my normal work. I just run on Sundays early but even as a small seller i really enjoy the community and the repeat buyers i get.

[@jameslang861]

Bry, thanks for the great content. I just wish you did whatnot in the evening more. I need to win some more books.

[@MrVanillagorilla77]

I think the more I’m on Whatnot the more I understand a lot of people are there for the social experience and feel they can get more steals on the app than ebay, social media, etc. I think it make selling harder on other apps the more popular it gets.

[@nelvis_eats1192]

well sais ! Your channel has always been honest and that's why you are so successful . Your audience gets to see themselves in you as a collector . You selflessly show people how to do it themselves .