What is automatic label printing on Whatnot?

It means a small label prints on its own the moment an item sells during your live show, so you stick it on the item instead of hand-writing a buyer name or number. These are bin labels, also called sorting or ID labels. They are not shipping labels. Whatnot generates the shipping label from the Shipments page in Seller Hub, and you print those when you pack. Backstage prints the bin label live and hands you a manifest that already matches your bins when the show ends.

Do I need a computer running during my show to print labels?

Not with Backstage on iPad or iPhone. The iOS app is native and prints straight to a Bluetooth thermal label printer, or over Wi-Fi to a Brother QL or a Rollo or other AirPrint label printer, so you can go live from your phone and let the iPad handle labels with no laptop anywhere. If you prefer a computer, the Chrome extension prints through a small helper app on Mac or Windows using the label printer you already have installed. Both are on the same plan and the same login, so you can switch between them from show to show.

What prints on the label?

The bin label carries the buyer's bin number, large enough to read across the room, with their @username under it. A first-time buyer gets a star so you can welcome them on air. Giveaway wins print a giveaway label, and a sale waiting on payment prints a pending label so it does not get packed early. You can also turn on item labels that add the item title and lot number, and in both apps your shop name can print on the bin label instead of ours. Sizes are 2 by 1, 3 by 2 and 4 by 6 inches, plus 2 by 2, 3 by 3, 4 by 2, 4 by 3 and 4 by 4.

What if I do not own a thermal label printer yet?

You can still use Backstage. Backstage Live captures every sale and gives each buyer a bin number as they win. It also prints sheets of numbered bin labels in five formats, including plain letter paper and Avery sheets, so you can label your bins ahead of the show on the printer you already own, and it hands you a manifest when you end the show. When you want it hands-free, the Plus plan adds automatic thermal printing on desktop and native printing on iPad.

How is Backstage different from a label-only tool?

Backstage prints the label and also catches what slips past you live, such as giveaways to call, raids to thank, first-time buyers to welcome and sales still waiting on payment. It works out what each item actually earned after Whatnot's fees, builds a manifest matched to your bins, and on the Pro plan tracks consignment splits and payouts for items you sell for other people. It prints from a native iPad app and from Chrome on both Mac and Windows, on one plan.

How much does Backstage label printing cost?

Label printing is in the Plus plan: $24 a month at founding pricing, then $29. Plus includes the iPad and iPhone app, printing from Chrome on Mac and Windows, and Prep for listing your show ahead of time, all on one login. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

Whatnot Label Printing Software That Runs on iPad, Mac and Windows

Q: Which label printers work with Backstage?

On Mac and Windows, Backstage prints to any label printer installed on that computer, including Rollo, Munbyn and Rongta thermal printers. On iPad and iPhone, it prints to Bluetooth thermal label printers and has printed on the Jadens JD-268BT, the Nelko PL70E and the Rongta RP425. Since version 1.42 it can also print over Wi-Fi to Brother QL label printers, like the QL-820NWB, and to Rollo and other AirPrint label printers. If your printer does not work, tell us and we will test it. The app also works without a printer at all.

Backstage prints a bin label the moment an item sells on Whatnot, from an iPad or iPhone app or Chrome on Mac and Windows. Rollo, Munbyn, Rongta and more.

Backstage is a Whatnot label printer app: a bin label prints by itself the moment an item sells, with the buyer’s bin number and @username, so you never stop to write. It runs as a native iPad and iPhone app over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or in Chrome on a Mac or Windows computer, with printers like Rollo, Munbyn, Rongta, Jadens, Nelko and Brother. Label printing is in the Plus plan: $24 a month at founding pricing ($29 after), with a 7-day free trial.

If you sell on Whatnot, you already know the moment that costs you: an item sells, you grab a sticky note, you write a name, and the show stalls while you do it. Automatic label printing fixes that moment. Here is what it prints, how to set it up, and how it runs on an iPad, a Mac and a Windows computer on one plan.

Two kinds of labels, and only one prints live

Whatnot sellers deal with two different labels, and it helps to keep them straight.

Bin labels (also called sorting labels or ID labels) print live, the second an item sells. They carry the buyer’s bin number and username so you can stick the label on the item and drop it in the right bin without stopping to write anything.
Shipping labels are the postage. Whatnot generates them from the Shipments page in Seller Hub, in bulk on whatnot.com or one at a time in the app. You print those when you pack.

Automatic label printing is about the first kind. The payoff shows up at the end of the night: your sold pile is already sorted by buyer, each bin is one order, and the manifest matches what is on the table. Packing becomes a batch job instead of a hunt.

What Backstage prints, and when

Backstage watches your show and prints as sales land:

Bin labels and item labels from Backstage (names made up).

A bin label the second an item sells. The buyer gets a bin number on their first win and keeps it for the whole show. The number prints big, with their @username under it.
A star for a first-time buyer, so you can welcome them on air while they are still in the chat.
A giveaway label when a giveaway is won, so the winner’s item is tagged like everything else.
A pending label when a sale is waiting on payment, so that item does not get packed and shipped before the money clears.
Item labels, if you want them, with the item title and lot number added, for sellers who tag every item and not just the bin.

Labels print on 2 by 1, 3 by 2 or 4 by 6 inch thermal stock, with 2 by 2, 3 by 3, 4 by 2, 4 by 3 and 4 by 4 also available on both apps. In both apps your own shop name can print on the bin label. Nothing on the label needs a computer to decode: a bin number and a username are all a packer needs.

Pick the device you already have

You choose the device, and the plan does not change. Printer and label links on this page are affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, Backstage earns from qualifying purchases.

iPad or iPhone. Backstage Live for Whatnot is a native App Store app. It pairs with a Bluetooth thermal label printer and prints on the tablet itself, so there is no laptop to keep awake beside your show. Go live from your phone as usual; the iPad runs Backstage and prints the labels. It has printed from the iPad on the Jadens JD-268BT, the Nelko PL70E and the Rongta RP425. Since version 1.42 it can also print over Wi-Fi to Brother QL label printers and to Rollo and other AirPrint label printers. If the printer drops mid-show, the app keeps reconnecting, and labels that didn’t print wait and print by themselves when it’s back.

Mac or Windows. Backstage Live is a Chrome extension. With the Plus plan it prints through a small helper app called Backstage Print, using whatever label printer is already installed on that computer, such as a Rollo, Munbyn or Rongta. Install the helper, pick your printer and label size, print a test label, and turn auto-print on.

One plan, one login. Plus includes the iPad app, the desktop extension, label printing on both, and Prep for listing your show ahead of time. Run Tuesday’s show from the iPad and Thursday’s from the laptop; your settings and your shows travel with you.

What you get with Backstage

A bin label the moment an item sells, with a bin number per buyer that lasts the whole show.
Runs natively on iPad or iPhone, or in Chrome on Mac or Windows. On the iPad there is no computer to keep running.
One subscription covers iPad and desktop.
First-time buyers flagged on the label, and a pending-payment label for sales waiting on a card.
Net earnings per item after Whatnot’s fees.
Consignment splits and consignor payouts on Pro.

Whatnot’s own Sorting Labels are in beta for selected pilot sellers.

What happens after the last item sells

End the show and Backstage hands you a manifest that already lines up with your bins: every buyer, every item, the bin it went in, and what each item actually earned after Whatnot’s fees. If you sell for other people, the consignment tools on Pro split each sale to the right consignor from that same manifest. Then you head to Seller Hub for your shipping labels, and the packing is already done in your head because it is done on the table.

Setting it up

Choose your device. iPad or iPhone for a computer-free setup, or Mac or Windows if you run your show from a desk.
Get a thermal label printer and a roll of 2 by 1, 3 by 2 or 4 by 6 inch labels (other sizes work too; 3 by 2 uses a 2 by 3 roll). If you do not have one yet, Backstage Live’s PDF manifest and bin labels work on any printer while you decide.
On iPad: install Backstage Live for Whatnot, then in Settings, under Printer, tap Set up printer. Pair a Bluetooth printer there (not in the iPad’s Bluetooth settings), or choose a Brother on Wi-Fi or a Rollo or other AirPrint printer from the same screen. Print a test label.
On Mac or Windows: install Backstage Live from the Chrome Web Store, install the Backstage Print helper, pick your printer and label size, and print a test label.
Turn on auto-print (on the iPad it’s Auto-print labels, which starts Off) and go live. The first sale prints the first label.

Both start with a 7-day free trial. Plan details are on the pricing page.

Next steps

Prefer to keep the laptop closed? Read the auto label printer and bin sorter that needs no computer.
Already printing and want the show to end packed? Read how to ship Whatnot orders faster.
Questions about a specific printer? Ask us and we will test it.
What to buy, by job: the Whatnot seller toolkit, from label printers and bins to mailers and lights.