Seller Spotlight
Collectibletags
How live selling transformed a trade show hobby into a retail store with two Whatnot channels
+28K Items Sold
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+17K Followers
|
+750 Hours Livestreamed
|
⭐️ 4.9 Rating
|
+2.5K Reviews
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+28K Items Sold | +17K Followers | +750 Hours Livestreamed | ⭐️ 4.9 Rating | +2.5K Reviews |
Meet the Seller
After Chris and Winter launched CollectibleTags on Whatnot in 2022, they built a strong reputation for rip-and-ship wax shows. After shifting focus to TikTok Shop in 2023, they returned to Whatnot in 2024—where their business scaled rapidly.
Today, they own New Hampshire’s only Pokémon-exclusive store with a 30-person team working across both online and retail operations.
Prior to Whatnot
Chris and Winter started selling Pokémon cards in 2019 after Chris found his childhood collection.
Initially going to trade shows to buy, sell and trade, they found sales were too inconsistent to build a sustainable business.
After seeing early success on Whatnot, they expanded by launching on TikTok Shop in 2023, quickly achieving top 1% creator status selling packs through live streams.
Maintaining relevance on TikTok became difficult as sales velocity slowed and seller support was unreliable.
“We set a goal to hit within one year on Whatnot—we hit it in less than three months.”
- Chris, Founder, Collectibletags
When considering Whatnot
Chris worried initial Whatnot shows would be empty—given their smaller audience compared to TikTok—they might even lose money.
Winter was encouraged after she saw the success other sellers on Whatnot were finding—she knew their formula could work.
They knew they’d need to be aggressive in early shows to jumpstart momentum, preparing to run lots of giveaways and big box breaks.
“If you need $5 to profit on a pack but only get $4, that dollar isn’t lost—it’s a dollar spent to give a buyer a good deal, and they’ll come back again and again.”
- Chris, Founder, Collectibletags
Within three months, Whatnot sales surpassed what they had achieved on TikTok.
Auction formats allowed them to sell multiples in seconds, boosting sell-through and keeping shows fun.
They expanded to two Whatnot channels: rip-and-ship wax and singles/slabs.
Their Whatnot success helped secure a physical retail store—the first Pokemon-exclusive shop in New Hampshire—also unlocking product allocation from distributors..
Their team of two is now +30 people, including five streamers.
Over 60% of their business’s total revenue now comes directly from Whatnot.
Growing on Whatnot
After returning to Whatnot in mid-2024, they saw sales surge, with item volume increasing dramatically compared to their first run.
“The idea of a buyer having an audience to celebrate their success with is really special. On Whatnot, that experience can be shared with people around the world you might never have had the chance to meet.”
Chris, Co-founder, Collectibletags