A man attends a live sneakers auction sale on the Whatnot app on March 12, 2026. | Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images If you haven’t heard of “live shopping,” you might soon. Livestream shopping is already a staple of e-commerce in China, where consumers log onto apps like Douyin and Taobao to buy products from a livestreamer — think QVC. Now, a new app is trying to bring it to the United States. The Whatnot app features rolling live auctions that can last from three seconds to a minute. Users can bid on everything from trading cards to clothes to steaks. With about 550,000 hours of st...
Live auctions are turning shopping into gambling
HALO Observer Insight
An independent HALO consumer takeaway — for costs, wellness, or policy context — will appear here automatically for this story. HALO adds this original editorial insight to every syndicated report before publication.
Contributors
Wayne G Fraser
HALO Contributor
Insurance Broker
Insurance Industry
State
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
NPN
17934945