If you read our last OBS post, you know we had a rough time streaming on Whatnot from our MacBook Pro. We switched to the Apple VT H.264 hardware encoder, set the bitrate to 3500 Kbps, and went in thinking we had it figured out.
We did not have it figured out.
What Went Wrong This Time
We got everything set up — OBS connected, camera rolling, audio levels good — and then clicked Start Show on Whatnot before OBS was actually streaming. If you’ve never done this, here’s why it’s a problem: Whatnot doesn’t use a traditional stream key. It uses a protocol called WHIP with a one-time bearer token that gets pushed to OBS through a websocket connection. That token is tied to your specific show session. If OBS hasn’t received it when you hit Start Show, the handshake fails. And once it fails, it’s done. You can’t retry — you have to cancel the show, reschedule, reconnect everything, and start over from scratch.
That’s exactly what happened to us. One wrong click and the whole show setup was toast.
The Show Itself
Once we finally got the stream going, it wasn’t exactly a blockbuster. We had two sales and one giveaway. The giveaway cost us $4.29 to ship, which means we paid someone to take our stuff. Between the shipping on the givvy and the low sales, we lost money on the show. Again.
We’re not going to sugarcoat it — this is getting frustrating. We’ve been trying to get our groove on Whatnot and it feels like every show we run into something new. Whether it’s OBS not cooperating, giveaways eating into what little margin there is, or just low turnout, it’s been a grind. There are moments where walking away from the platform crosses our minds.
But we’re still here. Still listing. Still figuring it out.
A Note on Our OBS Settings
For anyone curious about what we’re running:
- Encoder: Apple VT H.264 Hardware Encoder
- Bitrate: 3500 Kbps
- Computer: MacBook Pro (Apple Silicon)
- Connection: Wired ethernet
After researching more, 3500 Kbps might actually be too low for a live selling stream. At that bitrate, the image can look blocky — especially when you’re moving products around or showing small details like card text and jewelry. The community consensus for 720p at 30fps is more like 4500–6000 Kbps. The Apple hardware encoder also tends to produce lower quality than software encoding at the same low bitrates, so the combination of both could be working against us.
We’re going to bump the bitrate up next time and see if that helps with the overall stream quality. If you’re streaming on a Mac and things look fuzzy, your bitrate is probably the first thing to check.
Wacky Packages — First Pulls
We cracked open two packs from our 2005 Topps Wacky Packages All-New Series 2 box and pulled a Worm Cling — that’s card #9 of 9 from the ANS2 cling sticker set. If you’re not familiar, Wacky Packages are parody stickers of real products made by Topps — the same company behind Garbage Pail Kids. They’ve been around since the 1970s and the humor holds up. We talked more about picking up this sealed box in our last post.
We’ve still got 22 packs left in the box, so expect more rips during upcoming shows. If you see a sticker you want, let us know — we’ll ship it. You can also browse Wacky Packages on eBay if you’re hunting for specific cards.
New Listings
We’ve been busy listing across platforms this week. Here are two new ones:
I’m Offline Pixel Dino Tee — $25 on Whatnot
A bright hot pink graphic tee with a white pixel dinosaur and “I’m offline” text — inspired by the classic Chrome no-internet screen. Features a sleeve graphic too. Unisex Large on a soft cotton-blend blank with a smooth DTF transfer print. This one’s from our Custom Cauldron line.
Amazing Spider-Man #60 CGC 9.8 — $79 on eBay
A CGC 9.8 graded copy of Amazing Spider-Man #60 with the Stephen Platt variant cover. This is a near mint/mint slab from 2024 — the Zeb Wells run. If you’re a Spider-Man collector or just want a clean 9.8 on the shelf, this one’s worth a look. Best offer is open.
Still Going
We’re not where we want to be yet. The streams have been rough, the numbers have been humbling, and we’ve lost money more times than we’d like to admit. But every show we learn something — even if that something is “don’t click Start Show before OBS is ready.”
We’re going to keep listing, keep streaming, and keep sharing what’s actually happening along the way. If you’re new to live shopping on Whatnot, we’ve got a guide for that too. No fake highlight reels. Just the real deal.
Follow TechBinBytes on Whatnot to catch the next show. We promise we’ll check OBS twice.
— TechBinBytes