How to run a raid train on Whatnot

A step-by-step guide for organizers: plan a raid train, recruit riders, set the running order and keep it on time. Build the lineup on Raid Train Express, and riders who use Backstage get a countdown to their slot and who to raid into, so the handoffs take care of themselves.

Organizing a raid train is one of the best things you can do for your category. You bring sellers together, everyone grows, and you become the person people want to ride with. Here’s how to run one that actually stays on time.

Raid trains are organized on Raid Train Express, our partner. For questions about a specific train, like signing up, slots, the lineup or its rules, see the Raid Train Express help center.

1. Decide the basics

Before you recruit anyone, lock down:

• Category or theme: sports cards, Pokémon, sneakers, vintage, toys, makeup. Trains work best when riders share a buyer audience.
• Date and start time: pick a time that suits your sellers’ usual show hours.
• Slot length: 15 to 30 minutes is typical. Consistency matters more than the exact number.
• Size: 8 to 30 sellers. Start smaller for your first train.

2. Build the train in one place

The number one reason trains fall apart is scattered information. If the order lives in a pinned spreadsheet, a chat message and someone’s memory, people miss their slot.

Build it on Raid Train Express instead. It’s free, with no paid tiers. You set the lineup, slot times and schedule, decide whether it’s open to anyone, invite-only or approval-based, and add breaks or a caboose at the end if you want one. Every train gets a live public page showing who’s on now and who’s next. That page is the one link you share.

3. Recruit your riders

Reach out where your category’s sellers already gather: Whatnot itself, category Discords, Facebook groups, group chats. Be clear about the date, the slot length and what you expect: be live and ready on time, and raid into the next person. Buyers and sellers can also find public trains on Raid Train Express, so an open train can fill itself.

Ask every rider to double-check that the Whatnot username in the lineup is exactly theirs. It’s the thing that makes every handoff work, and it’s how Backstage finds the train for riders who use it.

4. Set the running order

Decide who goes first, who’s last and everyone in between:

• Put strong, reliable sellers near the start to build early momentum.
• Avoid back-to-back sellers with nearly identical inventory.
• Give everyone their exact start time, not just their position. “You’re #5” means nothing without a clock.

5. Run the day

• Remind everyone before the train starts.
• Watch the clock. If someone runs long, nudge the handoff so the train doesn’t drift.
• Handle no-shows calmly. Skip to the next seller and let the order adjust. Don’t stall the whole line.
• Confirm each raid lands on a live show before moving on.

Here’s the part you don’t have to do yourself. Backstage partners with Raid Train Express, and any rider on your train who uses Backstage gets a countdown to their slot and sees who they’re raiding into next, right on the screen they’re selling from, and on the Backstage iPad app a nudge to shout you out once they’re live. They don’t have to watch your train page mid-show, and you get fewer “wait, who’s next?” messages.

6. Follow up

After the train, thank your riders and note who showed up ready and on time. Those are the people for your next train. Raid Train Express lets you clone a past train, so a good lineup is a few clicks from running again.

The organizer’s real job

Your job isn’t to babysit a spreadsheet. It’s to keep the audience moving. Put the lineup on one live page, let the riders’ own tools handle the countdowns and handoffs, and spend your energy on the show.

Next steps

• New riders on your train? Send them how to join a raid train.
• Share raid train etiquette so everyone’s on the same page.
• Start a train on Raid Train Express, and point your riders at what Backstage does during their slot.