The Whatnot auto label printer & bin sorter that needs no computer

Nearly every Whatnot auto-label-printing and bin-sorting tool runs on a laptop or desktop that has to stay on beside your show. Backstage does it natively on the iPad — or iPhone — you already own: as each item sells it tags it to the buyer and prints its bin label so you never hand-write, sorts each buyer into a bin, and prints your shipping labels after the show — with no computer.

If you’ve looked at tools that auto-tag your items and sort buyers into bins as you sell, you’ve probably noticed they all want the same thing: a computer. A desktop program running in the background, or a browser extension on a laptop that has to stay on beside your show. Backstage Live iOS doesn’t ask for that. Here’s the difference.

What an auto label printer and bin sorter actually does

During a busy show, the work piles up in two places — and the fix is to handle both live instead of after:

• Auto-tagging — as each item sells, it’s tagged to the buyer and its bin/ID label prints on its own, so you stick it on the item instead of pausing to hand-write a number. No scribbling tags while you’re trying to sell.
• Bin sorting — each buyer gets their own bin, and everything they win goes in it. When the show ends, each bin is already a complete, ready-to-pack order.

Then the show ends with your items already tagged and grouped — and your shipping labels (the postage, which Whatnot only generates once orders are final) print in one batch afterward, instead of one at a time.

The catch with most tools: they need a computer

Nearly every Whatnot auto-label and bin-sorting tool is either a desktop app or a browser extension. Both mean the same thing for you: a laptop or desktop that has to stay on, plugged in, and connected the entire time you’re live. That’s one more device crowding your table, one more thing to set up, and one more thing that can go to sleep or drop its connection mid-show.

Backstage does it on the iPad — no computer

Backstage Live iOS runs the same automation as a native app on the tablet already sitting on your show stand:

• You go live on your phone, like always — that’s your camera.
• Backstage Live iOS runs alongside and, as each item sells, tags it to the buyer and prints its bin label so you never hand-write, and sorts each buyer into their own bin. Once the show ends, it prints your shipping labels in a batch — all from the tablet.
• No laptop, no desktop. Nothing extra to keep powered on beside your show.

And because Backstage is a native iOS app, it runs on your iPhone too — so you don’t even need to own a tablet. Use whichever Apple device you already have.

The iPad was already on your stand. Now it’s your label printer and bin sorter too.

Computer-bound tool vs. Backstage Live iOS

Prefer to work from a computer? Backstage Lite does the same live capture and label printing right in Chrome — the choice is yours, not a requirement.

What you need

• A camera — your phone is fine.
• An iPad or iPhone — Backstage is a native iOS app, so whichever Apple device you already own works.
• Backstage Live iOS — the native app that auto-tags your items, prints their bin labels, and sorts buyers into bins. Free to try for 7 days.
• A supported label printer — for the live bin tags, and your shipping labels after the show.

No computer on the packing table.

The bottom line

An auto label printer and bin sorter shouldn’t require you to buy into a whole desktop setup. Go live on your phone, let the iPad tag your items and sort your bins as you sell — no hand-writing — then print your shipping labels once the show ends. Keep the laptop closed, or don’t own one at all.

Next steps

• See it in action: Backstage Live iOS.
• Want the same thing in a browser on your computer? Backstage Lite.
• Questions? We’re here.