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A real native iPadOS app
A real App Store app — opens fast, runs all show, prints straight to your Bluetooth printer.
Backstage iOS
Run the whole show
Run the whole show
from your iPad.
Backstage for iOS is your mobile Backstage Studio — prep, live capture, and consignment in one native iPad & iPhone app. The iPad is already on your show stand. Now it does the work too.
Built by a working Whatnot seller — I read every signup personally and reply within 24 hours. — Jackie, Backstage Live
Native iPadOS app · invite-only · TestFlight during beta
Live
Vintage & Y2K Drop0Sales
$0Revenue
0Buyers
$0Avg
Incoming sales · Live feed 0
NEW BUYER ✨BIN 07#3@virgohippie Rhonda
👀 312 watching
Now sellingSealed Pokémon packAuction · $32
- @kelpsplays A1!!
- @ratking let's gooo 🔥
- @avonlady81 GG
Prep
Vintage tees · drop #43 issues
Sat night dropready
Past shows
37Shows
1.4kItems
$28kLifetime
Vintage & Y2K DropSat, May 25 · 142 items · $1,840
PDFSneaker VaultWed, May 21 · 96 items · $2,210
PDFConsignment
4Consignors
$240Owed
$1.9kPaid out
Dana R.@danathrifts · 60% split
$120 dueMarcus T.@mtvintage · 50% split
$80 dueSettings
Popup styleCardBanner
Capture modeAutoManual
Thermal printerConnected
Tap the sidebar tabs · the Live screen flashes each win as it lands
Running a show today
Three devices, three apps, three pain points — and one iPad that's just sitting there.
Listing from your phone is a mess
Whatnot's inventory form on a 6-inch screen, app-switching for every photo and title. By item 9 you've lost track. You own an iPad.
The laptop juggle during the show
Laptop for the dashboard, iPad for the camera, phone for chat, printer in the cables. Three devices, one show, two hands.
Shipping is the long part
The show ends and you're left matching a pile of items to handwritten labels and consignor DMs. You wanted to be selling, not bookkeeping.
Backstage on your iPad runs prep, the live show, and post-show shipping — from one device.
What the iPad app does that nothing else does
The only Backstage that lives on the device already on your show stand — and runs the whole arc, prep to payout.
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Prep mode built into the same app
A full Whatnot listing builder inside the app: drag in photos, fill categories, bulk-edit, export the CSV — all before the show.
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It watches your show and captures every sale
Open your live show in the app; Backstage rides along and catches every sale, giveaway, and raid the second it happens.
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Auto-prints labels to Bluetooth thermal printers
The instant a sale fires, the bin label prints — buyer, bin, item — to your paired thermal printer.
* Auto-print is in beta. Most thermal printers work; if yours doesn't, we'll ship a fix. The app also works without a printer.
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Consignment splits, manifests, and payouts
Tag each item to a consignor; the split tracks itself, and you get per-consignor manifests + payout sheets after the show.
Backstage catches everything Whatnot fires
Six event types, six colors. Sales, giveaways, raids, tips, first-time buyers, and returning customers — each pops into the side panel the moment it fires, color-coded so you never miss one mid-show.
Consignment built in
Consignment, finally, without a spreadsheet.
Run consignment shows? Stop re-doing the split math every week — Backstage tracks each consignor's cut and hands you the manifests and payouts.
Tag-on-list
When you add an item in Prep, pick the consignor and the split. 50/50, 60/40, flat fee — whatever you agreed. It rides with the item from listing through sale to payout.
Per-consignor manifests
The show ends. Tap End Show. You get a manifest for each consignor: what sold, what didn't, what's owed, what's still in your inventory. No copy-paste, no second spreadsheet, no "let me check and get back to you."
Payout-ready sheets
Each manifest doubles as a payout sheet. You see your cut and theirs with the math already done. Hand it over with a Venmo screenshot and the conversation's over — instead of dragging on for days.
The Consignor companion
Your consignors get their own free iPhone app (Backstage Consignor). They pair with your iPad via a time-limited code, then they can see what they've shipped you, which shows their items are scheduled for, and their payouts — without DMing you.
Consignment is an add-on to the iOS base subscription. Pricing below.
The pricing
One tier for the iPad app. Add Prep and Consignment if you need them.
iOS
Backstage for iPad & iPhone
Private beta
Beta invite-only
In private beta, invite-only. Pricing comes later — you'll get fair warning before anything transitions to paid.
What's included
- Native iPadOS app (iPad + iPhone)
- Live sale, giveaway & raid capture from inside the app
- Auto-print bin labels to paired Bluetooth printer*
- Live per-buyer feed with sequential bin numbers
- End-of-show manifest PDF
- Free Backstage Consignor iPhone app for your consignors (when add-on enabled)
Add-ons
- Prep — full Whatnot listing builder, 31 categories with validation, drag-drop photos, CSV export. Built into the same app, or run it standalone if Prep is all you need (account required).
- Consignment — per-item splits, per-consignor manifests, payout sheets, Consignor companion app pairing.
* Auto-print is in beta. Most thermal printers work; if yours doesn't, we'll ship a fix. The app also works without a printer. Add-on details confirmed at invite time — ask the founder when you're in the queue.
FAQ
How do I install it? Is it on the App Store?
Not on the public App Store yet. During beta, every install goes through TestFlight — I send you a personal invite link, you tap it, the app installs. Same as any other TestFlight beta. When 1.0 ships, the app moves to a public App Store listing.
What iPad / iPadOS version do I need?
Any iPad running iPadOS 16 or newer will work. The app runs comfortably on older A-series iPads (iPad 8th gen and up), and flies on M1/M2 iPad Air and iPad Pro. The newer chip helps the most when you're scrolling a long Prep batch or rendering manifest PDFs — not when you're running the show.
Which printers does it work with? Does it auto-print?
Yes — Backstage for iOS auto-prints labels the moment a buyer wins, straight to a Bluetooth thermal label printer — no laptop, no print server, all on the iPad. It's verified on the Rongta RP425, and the same path supports other Rongta RP/RPP-series printers plus generic Bluetooth ESC/POS label printers. We're adding support for more Bluetooth printers every day — if yours isn't working yet (or you're not sure), message us and we'll test it and write support for your printer. The app also works fully without a printer — it makes an 8.5×11 PDF manifest you can print anywhere.
How does the Consignor companion app work?
You turn on Consignment in your iPad app. For each consignor, you generate a time-limited pairing code from inside the app and send it to them. They install the free Backstage Consignor app on their iPhone, paste the code, and now their phone shows what they've shipped you, what shows their items are scheduled for, what's sold, and what they're owed. They stop DMing you for status. You stay in control of the pairing — you can revoke a code any time.
Can I use Lite or Studio alongside iOS?
Yes — they're complementary, not redundant. Plenty of sellers run Lite on a backup laptop while the iPad is the primary capture device. Studio on the desktop is usually for sellers who've outgrown the iPad-only setup and want barcodes + scanners in the packing room. When you get your invite I can help you figure out which combination fits your workflow.
Request your Backstage iOS invite
I read every signup personally and reach out within 24 hours with a TestFlight link and a quick setup call. No public download exists — every install is hand-onboarded.
Account created — you're on the list
Your Backstage account is set up for your inbox. I review each new seller by hand — I'll approve you within 24 hours and email your access code along with the TestFlight link and a setup walkthrough. If you don't hear back within a day, ping [email protected].
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