What are Britons buying on Whatnot? Auction site reveals top items from darts trading cards to old M&S clothes

The online selling platform Whatnot has exploded in popularity this year, as Britons bid on everything from trading cards to the latest toys and sold-out trainers. 

Whatnot's most popular feature is its live auctions, where sellers can flog their wares on video in real-time and buyers swipe to make bids. 

The website has become known as the place to go if you are looking to buy into the latest internet craze or viral sensation. 

In 2026 it has been a hub for people selling Labubus, Pokémon cards and vintage clothing from the early 2000s. 

But what will be the hot items for sellers in 2027? Whatnot has trawled through its search and purchase data to reveal what buyers want right now, and what will be popular next year. 

Hot item: Small stress toys called Squishies were one of the biggest selling products on the auction website Whatnot this year, with searches rising 100-fold

Toys

Toys are big business, as the number of adult collectors looking to relive their childhoods grows. 

The next wave of nostalgia centres on the 1990s and 2000s, according to Whatnot. 

In particular, it predicts a boom for Shrek Lego collections as fans combine their love of nostalgic toys with revived interest in the popular 2001 film. 

Orders for Shrek Lego figures recently spiked 30-fold in a month after a new edition was released. 

Jellycats, the popular cuddly toys with smiley faces, are still very popular, with orders up 13-fold in 2026. 

Rare characters like the Luxe Bunny fetch 77 per cent more than a typical Jellycat. This year, the highest-selling Jellycat went for £850.

And it's vital to keep them in mint condition if you want to make a big profit. 

Daniel Fisher, head of categories & expansion, Europe at Whatnot, said: 'Condition, completeness and rarity make the biggest difference when reselling. 

'On Whatnot, a Jellycat with its tags still on sells for 37 per cent more than one without.'

Squishies, the squeezable polyurethane toys in the shape of animals or food items, have replaced Labubus as Britain's breakout toy according to Whatnot. 

Searches for squishies went up 100-fold this year while Labubu searches fell 89 per cent.  

PS3 consoles and games are also set to boom as the console turns 20 in March 2027. Searches increased by 360 per cent on Whatnot in 2026. 

Trading cards

Pokémon's popularity has risen seismically over the years, with some trading cards originally worth just a few pence now selling for close to £2,000. 

Originally named Pocket Monsters, Pokémon started out as a game released for the Nintendo Gameboy in Japan in 1996.

It's 30th anniversary in September brought in hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers to Whatnot. Many were original fans who grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Searches for Vintage Pokémon cards went up 164 per cent last year, while the Charizards and Eevees were the most-searched Pokémon.

Whatnot said buyers are building collections around favourite characters and the cards that mean something to them.

In the UK, football is still the backbone of card collecting. Arsenal cards have led the way in 2026 with orders up 490 per cent after the club's Premier League-winning season. 

But Liverpool cards are Whatnot's hot tip for 2027. The club has inched ahead since the new season kicked off with Florian Wirtz and Virgil van Dijk among the most-bought players.

And with the Women's World Cup arriving in 2027, women's football is set to have its collecting moment too.

The number of sellers going live with darts cards has also more than tripled, with orders up more than 30-fold in 2026.

This could be a sweet spot for sellers, as darts auctions on Whatnot sell 2.6 times as many cards as typical sports card shows.

Vintage Pokémon card searches are up 164% as collectors look for their favourite characters

Arsenal card orders are up 490% after the club's Premier League-winning season

Fashion

Whatnot shoppers are looking for quality over quantity, the platform says, as British shoppers gravitate towards timeless fashion items over fleeting trends.

Searches for Mulberry, the quintessentially British luxury fashion and leather goods brand known for its iconic handbag styles like the Bayswater and Alexa, jumped by 500 per cent this year.

Buyers can still find bargains, though. In October, a Vintage Mulberry Daria Hobo bag sold for £285. On Mulberry's official resale site, they can sell for around £500. 

Coach, another popular handbag brand, saw its searches rise by 600 per cent.

Marks & Spencer resale clothing is also popular with searches up 26 per cent.

Whatnot's Fisher said: 'Check your loft for childhood favourites and well-kept vintage pieces from the likes of M&S, Coach or Mulberry, and hold on to any tags, boxes and dust bags, as they all help increase item's value.' 

Classic accessories are also being restyled in new ways. Searches for floral brooches have increased by 202 per cent, big sunglasses by 68 per cent, and silk scarves by 78 per cent.

On the whole, fashion generates more orders than any other category on the platform, with order volume more than doubling since last year. 

The number of fashion buyers and sellers has also doubled year on year. This could be down to two reasons. 

One, a lack of graduate jobs prompting a surge in side hustles. And two, a generation of 'doom spenders' splurging on luxuries instead of saving for a property or other milestones they feel they might never afford.

Now could be a great time to start selling clothes on the side as the tax-free trading allowance is set to treble from April 2027.

Mulberry: Bags from the iconic brand are selling well on Whatnot, as a cheaper alternative to new pieces such as this Vintage Oak Suede Bayswater bag which costs £1,245 brand new

Beauty

Korean beauty will continue to be a staple of skincare routines in 2027, Whatnot predicts.

In 2024, the Korean beauty market was worth about £9.75billion. By 2030, this could be £14.3billion according to forecasts.

K-beauty brands accounted for more than 80 per cent of skincare orders on Whatnot's platform, and Korean and Japanese brands' share of UK beauty orders rose 860 per cent over the last year. 

Medicube, a popular Korean brand appears to be taking centre stage, with UK searches up 60-fold in 2026.

Whatnot says fragrance is a big trend for 2027, and this is being driven by British men with searches for men's aftershave soaring 400 per cent.

Dior Sauvage, Parfums de Marly Layton and Creed Aventus are among the fragrances proving particularly popular.

The number of men buying beauty in Whatnot's auctions grew by 630 per cent this year meaning there are roughly around 7.3 times as many male beauty buyers compared to last year.

On top of this, the amount of money men spent on beauty grew by 800 per cent, making the total spend roughly 9x higher. 

Medicube is a popular Korean derma-cosmetic brand booming on TikTok