{
  "id": 10677035,
  "title": "Live auctions are turning shopping into gambling",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/live-auctions-are-turning-shopping-into-gambling",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Vox",
    "slug": "vox",
    "url": "https://www.vox.com/podcasts/504440/live-auctions-whatnot-addictive-shopping-card-breaks"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Live shopping, once a niche trend in China, is now expanding to the United States through apps like Whatnot. This platform offers rolling live auctions, where users can bid on a wide range of items from trading cards to clothes to steaks. The bidding process is quick, with users simply swiping to place their highest bid. If they win, the item is delivered straight to their home without any confirmation screen.\n\nHowever, this convenience has raised concerns about addiction and gambling-like behavior. Retail reporter Hanna Krueger investigated this phenomenon and spoke to users who have spent over $1 million on the app, losing everything in the process. The platform's \"break format,\" commonly used for trading cards, combines the thrill of gambling with the anxiety of potential losses. Users often get caught up in the cycle of buying, hoping to recoup their losses on the next auction.\n\nOne such case is that of Sean Harding, a 45-year-old finance manager from Denver. Initially spending around $100 per day, he escalated his spending to over $5,000 a day within just 40 days. His addiction became so severe that it led to significant financial troubles, including borrowing money, taking out personal loans, and even using his employer's credit card. When confronted by his wife, Sean's expenditures were revealed to be $1.3 million in just four months. The Whatnot app's founder, Grant LaFontaine, maintains that addiction is not a problem they acknowledge, categorically rejecting the allegations of gambling features.",
  "summary": "If you haven’t heard of “live shopping,” you might soon. Livestream shopping is already a staple of e-commerce in China, where consumers log onto apps like Douyin and Taobao to buy products from a livestreamer — think QVC. Now, a new app is trying to bring it to the United States. The Whatnot app features […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}