TikTok Shop's US Live Auction Feature Opens to Chinese Multi-Category Sellers, Posing a Challenge to Whatnot

[Ebrun Original] TikTok Shop's US live auction feature has recently opened for applications from Chinese multi-category sellers. It offers customized support policies through incentives such as commission discounts and live auction task competitions.

Over the past few years, the US live-streaming e-commerce market has developed rapidly, with TikTok undoubtedly being a key driver. As a form of live-streaming e-commerce, live auctions are experiencing rapid growth and possess significant potential. Compared to standard live-streaming sales, live auctions transform shopping from 'placing an order' to 'snatching a deal,' simultaneously fulfilling consumers' multiple needs for 'getting a bargain, collecting, social interaction, and emotional value,' making them highly popular recently.

In March of this year, TikTok Shop officially launched its cross-border marketplace (POP) auction function in the US—a move widely seen in the industry as a direct challenge to the US live-streaming e-commerce newcomer Whatnot. Whatnot started with collectibles trading, later introduced live-streaming features, and primarily focuses on live auctions.

Since the launch of TikTok Shop's US live auction feature, a group of early-adopting sellers have already seen explosive business growth. Official data shows that for cross-border POP sellers using this feature, average daily auction sales in April increased by over 200% compared to March.

Leveraging its massive user base and ability to integrate exposure across its entire ecosystem, the advantages of TikTok Shop's US live auction model are becoming evident. On one hand, TikTok's average user time spent per person in the US has grown year-over-year for five consecutive years, laying a solid foundation for the live auction business. On the other hand, TikTok Shop comprises three core fields: the merchant content field, the creator content field, and the shopping mall & search field. The content field integrates three formats: live-streaming, short videos, and images/text. This multi-field, multi-format, interconnected exposure system enables broader reach and accelerates the scaling of the live auction business.

Chinese cross-border sellers entering TikTok Shop's US live auction arena also possess inherent advantages. They can leverage domestic industrial clusters to provide differentiated supply. High-quality, scarce goods such as trading cards, trendy toys, jewelry & accessories, and second-hand luxury items, as well as premium apparel & accessories like special occasion dresses and limited-edition sneakers, are highly compatible with the live auction format and are highly competitive in the US market.

Currently, to lower the entry barrier for sellers, TikTok Shop US has launched a series of incentive and support programs, including live auction commission reductions, live auction task competitions, and live auction peak-breaking campaigns. For example, from April 9 to June 30, 2026, the preferential commission rate for cross-border POP sellers across all categories is as low as 3%. The live auction task competition is open to all cross-border POP sellers, and those completing the tasks can receive rewards like discount coupons.