In 2023, our only 7-figure sales channel was our website, an eight-figure beast. Amazon trailed as a distant second, bringing in $422,000.
That changed in 2024.
We expanded focus to secondary marketplace channels. Amazon more than doubled, finishing the year at $956,000. TikTok Shop launched and immediately claimed second place with $176,000 in revenue. eBay landed third at $92,000, almost doubling from $47,000 the year before.
Heading into 2025, with Meta and similar ad platforms becoming increasingly expensive, we doubled down on marketplaces. Why? Because marketplace growth doesn’t just generate sales. It creates a halo effect that boosts performance across all channels. Our goal became clear: build two additional 7-figure marketplace channels to complement our website.
Amazon was the front-runner. TikTok Shop, already strong out the gate, became our second-best bet.
Through April 2025, both are pacing well. Amazon has brought in $364,000. TikTok Shop hit $246,000, with 73% of that coming in just March and April, thanks to aggressive scaling efforts.
Now, a third contender is emerging.
Why We Chose Whatnot for Live Shopping
We knew we wanted to experiment with live commerce. Initially, TikTok Live or YouTube Shopping seemed like natural fits. But the Whatnot team reached out, and their approach won us over.
As of this writing, we’ve hosted four live shows on Whatnot. Here’s how they performed:
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Show #1 (Thurs 4/17, 4–6 PM EST)
Revenue: $3,434
Avg: $1,717 per hour -
Show #2 (Tues 4/22, 4–6:30 PM EST)
Revenue: $7,055
Avg: $2,822 per hour -
Show #3 (Thurs 4/24, 4–7 PM EST)
Revenue: $9,285
Avg: $3,095 per hour -
Show #4 (Tues 4/29, 4–6:30 PM EST)
Revenue: $5,129
Avg: $2,051 per hour
Before launch, we added 71 products to Whatnot, specifically items we had in large quantities of 50 or more units. We weren’t sure how many we'd get through in a single show, but by show #3, we had moved them all.
Show #4 saw a dip in both revenue and margin, likely due to product repetition. Our early theory is that repeated items create fatigue for recurring viewers.
We promoted the shows heavily across our channels, so it's unclear how many buyers came from the BattlBox ecosystem versus Whatnot’s native audience.
What We're Learning from Whatnot Live Shows
Several variables are shaping performance:
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Day and time of each show
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Viewer source (our social followers versus Whatnot users)
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Starting price strategy (we’ve only done higher starting prices to avoid losses)
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Auction frequency (single versus multiple runs of the same item)
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Product order and sequencing during the show
We’ve maintained around 100 live viewers per show, fluctuating between 80 and 160. Audience building takes time, but we’re off to a good start. We’ve grown from zero to 1,600 followers in just four shows.
We also run multiple giveaways:
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Follower Giveaways: Triggered every 30 minutes during the show
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Buyer Appreciation Giveaway: One per show, run at the end. Eligibility is based on making a purchase
Our next test is a 6 PM EST start time for show #5. We’re curious if that draws a larger after-work audience.
Operational Challenges and Solutions
Live shopping has a logistical hurdle. Our hosts aren’t based at the warehouse. Every product has to be shipped to Brandon (our lead host) or Austin (joining soon), which adds time and complexity.
We’re testing a live show directly from the warehouse next week. It’s a two-hour drive for Brandon and me. This setup isn’t scalable long term unless we assign a host based at the warehouse, but the benefits are clear. It allows us to feature low-quantity items we’d never ship individually.
Profit Margins and Buyer Behavior
Here’s where it gets really interesting.
Our profit margins so far:
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Low: 28.8% (Show #4)
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High: 43.95% (Show #2)
This includes COGS, Whatnot’s commission, shipping, and team bonuses. So it’s the true all-in number.
If these margins hold, Whatnot could surpass TikTok Shop in profitability.
And then there’s AOV (Average Order Value):
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TikTok Shop AOV: ~$20
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Whatnot AOV: $88
That’s more than four times higher.
Higher AOV means fewer transactions needed to hit revenue goals. It also suggests these Whatnot buyers are more aligned with our core BattlBox customer. Ideally, they enter our ecosystem, follow us on social, buy direct, or even become subscribers.
It’s early, but the potential is real.
What’s Next
We’re only four shows in, but Whatnot is already showing signs of being our next 7-figure sales channel. If we continue optimizing show structure, expand product variety, and grow our audience, the ceiling is high.
Live shopping is messy, unpredictable, and operationally intense.
But it’s also personal. It’s immersive. And when done right, it converts.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
We’ll be sharing deeper performance breakdowns, test results from the warehouse, and what we learn as we scale toward the million-dollar mark.
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