How to join a raid train on Whatnot

New to raid trains? Here's how to find one, sign up for a slot, prepare your show, and be ready the moment it's your turn, plus how Backstage finds your train and counts you down to your slot so you never miss it.

Riding a raid train is the fastest free way to put your show in front of new buyers. If you’ve never done it, here’s how to get on one and make it count.

Raid trains are organized on Raid Train Express, our partner. For a specific train’s slots, lineup or rules, message its organizer on Whatnot. For how Raid Train Express itself works, see the Raid Train Express help center.

1. Find a train

Raid trains are organized in seller communities: your category’s Whatnot circles, Discords, Facebook groups and group chats. The easiest place to look is Raid Train Express, where organizers publish upcoming trains with the full lineup, so you can browse by category and see what’s coming up this week. Or ask organizers in your niche when their next one runs.

When you’re choosing a train, look for:

• A category that matches your inventory, so the incoming viewers actually want what you sell.
• An organizer who runs things on time. A well-run train is worth more than a big chaotic one.
• A slot time you can reliably be live for.

2. Sign up for your slot

Sign up on the train’s page, or join with the invite code the organizer gave you. Note your start time, not just your spot in the order, and put it in your calendar.

Here’s the one thing to check: make sure the Whatnot username in the lineup is exactly yours, and that it matches the Whatnot username on your Backstage account. That’s how Backstage finds your train on its own. If they match, you’re set. Nothing to paste, nothing to remember.

3. Prepare your show

The audience arrives all at once, so make a strong first impression:

• Have your best, most accessible items ready for the start of your slot.
• Set the energy high. Incoming viewers decide in seconds whether to stay.
• Welcome the raid out loud and thank the seller who sent them.
• Make it easy to follow you. Call it out, pin a deal, give new viewers a reason to stick around.

4. Be live before you’re up

Whatnot only lets a seller raid someone who is already live, so if you aren’t streaming when the seller ahead of you wraps up, the audience can’t come to you. Be streaming before your slot.

This is where Backstage earns its keep. Shortly before your slot, Backstage Live in Chrome and the iPad app put a countdown on screen with who you’re raiding into next. You don’t have to watch the clock or refresh the train page while you’re selling; the countdown is your cue.

5. Raid into the next seller

At the end of your slot, raid the next person in the order so the train keeps moving. Check they’re live before you wrap up. If they aren’t on yet, the raid can’t reach them and the chain breaks for everyone after you. Backstage already shows you who’s next, so you’re not hunting for the name with the room waiting. On the iPad app, a nudge after you go live has a thank-you for the organizer ready to copy.

6. Keep the followers you earned

The point of riding isn’t just the live sales. It’s the new followers who come back to your future shows. Thank new buyers by name, ship fast, and they’ll remember you. A single good raid can seed weeks of repeat buyers, and Backstage flags every first-time buyer as they win so you can welcome them while they’re still in the chat.

A quick word on etiquette

Trains run on trust. Be on time, be ready, raid into the right person, and don’t poach. For the full list, read raid train etiquette: the unwritten rules.

Next steps

• Curious how the whole thing works? Start with what is a raid train.
• Ready to ride? Browse trains on Raid Train Express, then see what Backstage does during your slot.