If you sell on Whatnot, giveaways can be one of the easiest ways to make your live shows more engaging, attract new viewers, and grow your follower count. Sellers commonly call them “givvys,” and you’ll see everything from stickers to gift cards to actual merchandise being given away during live shows.
The trick is choosing Whatnot giveaways that people actually want without spending more on the prize and postage than the giveaway is worth.
Here are some of the best Whatnot giveaway ideas, along with a few tips we’ve learned from running giveaways ourselves.
What Are Whatnot Giveaways, or Givvys?
A Whatnot giveaway is a free item that a seller gives away during a live show. Viewers enter through Whatnot, and Whatnot randomly chooses the winner.
There are several types of giveaways, including standard giveaways, follower-only giveaways, and Buyer Appreciation Giveaways.
For sellers trying to grow their accounts, follower-only giveaways can be especially useful because viewers must follow your account in order to enter. That can turn someone who wandered into your show into a follower who may see your future shows.
Giveaways also give viewers another reason to stick around. You can run auctions while a giveaway is active, so a givvy doesn’t necessarily have to interrupt your selling.
Why Run Giveaways on Whatnot?
Of course, giveaways cost you money. You’re paying for both the prize and its shipping. So why bother?
The biggest benefit is engagement.
A giveaway can help get people into your show, encourage them to stay longer, and make the stream more interactive. Follower-only giveaways can also help grow your Whatnot follower count.
They’re also a relatively inexpensive way to build some personality around your account. A small branded item may cost very little, but every time the winner sees it later, they’re reminded of your Whatnot shop.
The key is finding inexpensive, lightweight giveaways that don’t cost a fortune to mail.
Best Whatnot Giveaway Ideas
1. Stickers
Stickers may be the ultimate Whatnot givvy.
They’re inexpensive, easy to customize with your business name or logo, and incredibly lightweight. You could give away branded stickers, funny stickers related to your selling niche, or cute designs that fit the products you sell.
They’re particularly attractive because eligible sticker shipments may qualify for Whatnot’s USPS First-Class Mail Letter shipping.
As of 2026, Whatnot lists First-Class Mail Letter rates starting at $0.78 for eligible shipments weighing up to 1 ounce.
If you’re going to run a lot of giveaways, saving several dollars in postage on each winner can add up quickly.
2. Gift Cards
Gift cards are another popular giveaway because almost everyone wants one.
Instead of giving away a random product that only appeals to some viewers, consider a small gift card to a popular store or restaurant. Even a $5 gift card can create some excitement during a show.
Gift cards are also thin and lightweight, making them easy to mail. However, check your shipping method and Whatnot’s current eligibility requirements rather than assuming a gift card qualifies for First-Class Mail Letter shipping.
You could give away gift cards to places such as:
- Starbucks
- Target
- Walmart
- Amazon
- McDonald’s
- Dunkin’
- Local restaurants or coffee shops
A gift card that matches your audience can be even better.
3. Air Fresheners
Air fresheners are another fun, inexpensive givvy, especially the flat hanging kind. We’ve bought air fresheners from Kole Imports for 15¢ each.
They’re cheap enough to purchase in quantity and come in countless designs and scents. If you have branded air fresheners made for your business, they can double as advertising.
Just remember that the actual shipping method and postage will depend on the size, thickness, weight, category, and packaging.
4. Koozies
This is what we personally give away during our Whatnot shows.
Koozies are inexpensive, useful, and easy to have printed with your logo or business information. Ours weigh less than an ounce and fit inside a regular envelope.
However, they’re thicker than a normal letter.
Because of that thickness, we adjust our shipping setup rather than treating them exactly like a flat piece of paper. Our shipping profile is set to account for the extra thickness, which currently puts our cost at roughly $1.32 per giveaway.
For us, that’s still inexpensive enough to run multiple giveaways during a show while sending winners something they’ll hopefully use again.
5. Branded Merchandise
Think beyond stickers when it comes to branded goodies.
Magnets, keychains, bookmarks, buttons, patches, wristbands and other small promotional products can make inexpensive giveaways.
If you order them in bulk, your cost per item can be extremely low.
These can be particularly useful if you’re trying to build a recognizable Whatnot brand rather than simply selling miscellaneous products.
6. Small Items From Your Inventory
You don’t necessarily need to buy special merchandise just for giveaways.
Look around your existing inventory for inexpensive, lightweight products.
If you’re a liquidation or reseller account, you probably encounter plenty of small items that aren’t worth listing individually but make excellent giveaways.
Think beauty samples, small toys, trading cards, accessories, craft supplies, novelty products, collectibles or other inexpensive items.
A product that cost you 50 cents might generate far more excitement as a giveaway than it would profit if you sold it.
7. Items Related to Your Whatnot Niche
Some of the best giveaways are directly related to what you sell.
If you sell trading cards, give away a card. If you sell beauty products, give away a beauty sample. If you sell clothing, consider a small fashion accessory. If you sell toys, give away a small collectible.
The advantage is simple: the people entering are likely the same people who are interested in buying your products.
You may attract fewer giveaway-only viewers and more potential customers.
Pay Attention to Your Shipping Settings
This is where a cheap giveaway can suddenly become an expensive one.
Sellers pay the shipping costs on Whatnot giveaways, so always consider the packaged weight and dimensions, not just the cost of the prize.
Whatnot recommends choosing a shipping profile that accurately reflects the packaged item. Your shipping profile helps determine the shipping service and label generated for the shipment.
For eligible First-Class Mail Letter shipments, current Whatnot pricing is:
Up to 1 oz: $0.78
Over 1 oz to 2 oz: $1.09
Over 2 oz to 3 oz: $1.39
These rates can change, so double-check Whatnot’s current shipping rates before planning a large batch of giveaways.
Also, don’t assume that every lightweight item qualifies for First-Class Mail Letter shipping. Whatnot currently limits that service to qualifying shipments in certain categories, including stickers and cards.
Create Shipping Profiles Before Your Show
If you’re going to use the same giveaway repeatedly, setting everything up beforehand can save a lot of headaches.
Create the appropriate shipping profile for the item and verify the show’s shipping settings before going live. Make sure the weight reflects the giveaway plus its packaging.
This is especially important if you’re planning several giveaways. An extra few dollars of postage isn’t a huge deal once, but multiply it by 10, 20 or 50 giveaways and suddenly your inexpensive promotion isn’t so inexpensive anymore.
Don’t Make Your Givvys Too Expensive
You don’t need to give away a $50 product every 15 minutes to keep viewers interested.
For regular giveaways, I prefer inexpensive items and then occasionally mix in something more valuable.
For example, you might run several stickers, koozies or small products throughout your show and announce a larger giveaway toward the end.
That gives viewers something fun to look forward to without destroying your profit margin.
Use Follower-Only Giveaways to Grow Your Account
If your goal is gaining followers, consider making some of your giveaways follower-only.
Whatnot specifically allows sellers to restrict these giveaways to followers. When someone who isn’t following you tries to enter, they’ll be prompted to follow your account.
Just remember that you can’t create extra requirements outside Whatnot’s giveaway system, such as requiring someone to follow you on another social media platform before you’ll honor their prize.
Remember: You Pay the Shipping
One of the most important things for new Whatnot sellers to understand is that the seller pays giveaway shipping.
That makes the difference between a smart givvy and a surprisingly expensive one.
A $1 prize that costs $5 or $6 to ship is really a $6 or $7 giveaway.
That’s why our favorite giveaway items are generally small, inexpensive and lightweight.
Final Thoughts
Giveaways don’t have to be expensive to be effective on Whatnot.
Stickers, small gift cards, air fresheners, koozies, branded promotional items and inexpensive products from your existing inventory can all make great givvys. The best option is something your audience actually wants that doesn’t cost a fortune to buy and ship.
We use koozies because they’re inexpensive, useful and help promote our brand long after the Whatnot show ends. At around $1.32 in shipping per giveaway with our current setup, they’re affordable enough for us to give away regularly.
Experiment with different prizes and pay attention to which ones get the most entries and excitement. You may find that viewers get just as excited about a clever $1 giveaway as they do about something that costs considerably more.
And if your main goal is growing your audience, sprinkle in follower-only giveaways. A small givvy today could introduce someone to your shop who becomes a repeat customer tomorrow.
