Whatnot’s New Surprise Products Policy: What It Means for Sellers

🚨 UPDATE: A New Policy Guide is Available! 🚨

Since publishing this post, Whatnot has updated its policies with new clarifications and stricter rules. To ensure you're fully compliant, I’ve created an updated guide covering:

✅ The latest policy changes & what they mean for sellers
✅ Compliant listing strategies for TCG, Funko, & more
✅ How to structure your Surprise Sets without breaking the rules

📌 Check out the fully updated guide here: 👉 Click Here!👈

Whatnot has introduced a new Surprise Products Policy, tightening regulations around Surprise Boxes (also known as “Trust Boxes” or “Mystery Boxes”). These changes, effective March 10, 2025, aim to increase transparency and ensure fair play in live commerce. While the policy primarily targets surprise box-style sales, it also affects Pullbox-style games, requiring more disclosure on prize structures.

Key Policy Changes

1. No Prizes or Random High-Value Chases – All items must be described in advance. Sellers can no longer include hidden high-value "chase" items unless explicitly disclosed.
2. No Physical Randomization – Methods like vending machines, claw machines, wheel spins, or raffles are prohibited.
3. Mandatory Full Disclosure – Every mystery or surprise product must have a detailed checklist of included items, including brand, condition, and quantity.
4. No Mixed Categories – Items from different product categories cannot be combined (e.g., a trading card pack cannot include sports memorabilia as a bonus prize).
5. Minimum Value Requirements – High-end items must meet minimum value thresholds to ensure fair pricing.

Impact on Surprise Box Items

Sellers who offer Surprise Boxes must now clearly define what buyers are getting. Vague descriptions like “random graded card” or “high-value mystery chase” are no longer allowed. Sellers must provide a detailed list of potential pulls and their quantities. Failure to comply could result in listing removals or account penalties.

How This Affects Pullbox Games

For sellers running Pullbox-style games, the biggest change is the requirement for full transparency on prizes and their odds.

• Every pack must be visible before purchase – Buyers should know they are selecting from a finite, known pool.
• All chase items must be disclosed – A simple list in the show notes stating how many chase prizes exist and what they are (e.g., "13 chase prizes total, including a PSA 10 Eevee Masterball Reverse Holo").
• Bonus pack prizes should be clearly defined – If extra packs can be won, the exact number of chances should be stated (e.g., "2 chances to win 2 extra packs").
• No additional randomization after purchase – Sellers cannot pull a prize from a separate pile or use any physical method of random selection.

Example of How This Affects Pullbox Games

Some streamers run games where a pullbox contains items, and some items have stickers that allow buyers to select a second prize from another box (e.g., a “Box 4” with separate exclusive prizes). Under the new policy, this secondary selection process could be deemed an additional layer of randomization, which is now prohibited. Instead, sellers must disclose the full prize structure before purchase.

Does 'Rip Until You Hit' (RTYH) Violate the New Policy?

A Rip Until You Hit (RTYH) game may potentially violate the new Whatnot policy depending on how it’s structured. The main concern is randomization in reward structure, as the number of packs given to a buyer varies depending on what rarity is pulled.

🚨 Why RTYH Might Violate the Policy:

• Randomization after purchase – The number of packs received is not predetermined and changes dynamically, which Whatnot has restricted.
• Uncertain Value Exchange – Buyers don’t know exactly how many packs they’ll receive at checkout, which could be flagged.
• Additional Prize Determination Step – The game introduces a second layer of reward decision-making beyond the initial purchase.

✅ How to Make RTYH Compliant:

• Set a Fixed Number of Packs Per Purchase – Example: Every buyer gets a guaranteed minimum and maximum pack count (e.g., “Each purchase guarantees at least 6 packs but no more than 12”).
• Fully List the Prize Structure in Show Notes – Buyers need to know in advance how many additional packs they could receive.
• No Extra Randomization After Purchase – Sellers should ensure all conditions are met at the time of purchase.

If you run RTYH-style games, reach out to Whatnot support to confirm your method is compliant before running it on-stream.

My Take on This Policy Update

While I appreciate Whatnot’s efforts to make the platform fair and transparent, these rule changes feel reactionary rather than well-thought-out. It’s clear they’re responding to bad actors in the community who have abused Surprise Boxes to mislead buyers, but the execution of these rules punishes legitimate sellers—especially small to mid-sized streamers who rely on creative ways to engage their audience.

Surprise Boxes can be risky for buyers, and I understand the need for regulation. However, this update removes the fun factor for both buyers and sellers who engage in these types of purchases ethically. Instead of banning everything outright, Whatnot could have implemented a guaranteed value requirement or reviewed cases individually, targeting the real scammers rather than restricting everyone.

We’ve seen similar overcorrections before, like when Whatnot banned Bounties and Guess the Energy games after the Blake’s Breaks scandal. Rather than policing individual bad actors, they changed the rules for everyone, leading to a significant loss in sales and engagement for small to mid-sized streamers. Once again, they are limiting innovation and making it harder for new sellers to differentiate themselves.

Example of a Compliant Show Notes for Pullbox

To give you a clear idea, here’s how I format my show notes to stay compliant with Whatnot’s new rules. I couldn’t capture it all in one screenshot, but you get the idea:

What Sellers Should Do Now

To stay compliant, sellers should update their show notes and descriptions to meet these transparency rules. Here’s a checklist to ensure your pullbox or mystery box is compliant:

• List all possible prizes and their quantities to ensure full transparency.
• Ensure all products are visible during the stream so buyers know what they are selecting from.
• Remove any additional random selection steps after purchase to avoid violating the policy.
• Avoid using external randomization tools like dice rolls, wheels, or spins.
• Keep category items separate (e.g., don’t mix Pokémon and Funko Pops in the same mystery box offering).

These updates to the Whatnot Surprise Products Policy 2025 could significantly impact mystery box and pullbox sellers, forcing them to adjust their strategies to avoid policy violations. Adapting to Whatnot’s new regulations will be crucial for streamers who want to continue running engaging and compliant sales. Sellers should now focus on structuring compliant pullbox games that meet the platform’s transparency requirements while still providing an exciting experience for buyers.

These are my interpretations of the new policy update and not an official breakdown from Whatnot. If I’ve misunderstood anything, I’ll follow up with Whatnot for further clarification.

For the official policy details, read here: Whatnot’s Surprise Products Policy