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If you watched TV at odd hours in the 1990s and early 2000s, you probably remember QVC, the home shopping network selling viewers everything from kitchen appliances to kids’ toys, often for several “easy” payments over time.

Well, there’s a new age version of that phenomenon that’s found a home on TikTok and other platforms, but instead of broadcasting for an hour between the nightly news and sitcom reruns, some sellers are streaming for hours.

It can also be incredibly lucrative if you find the right niche.

Live selling on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram combines livestreaming and e-commerce. Sellers are hosting live “shows” and chatting with their audience in real time, while viewers are buying directly from the stream without leaving the app.

“It’s like QVC to a new generation,” e-commerce veteran Leo Limin, who started selling smart light bulbs on Amazon in the mid-2010s, told Business Insider. “Some brands sell through thousands and thousands of items in a matter of a couple of hours, like $50,000 worth of products, for example, in two hours.”

Harry Luu is one of those sellers. He brought in $42,000 in one day by selling two rare plants — one for $26,000 and the other for $16,000 — on Palmstreet, a live shopping app for rare plants and other unique goods.

“I would call myself a plantdemic baby,” said the former mathematician. “During COVID, a lot of people picked up a hobby of some sort, and plants were my escape at the time.”

His plant collection and cultivation hobby quickly evolved into a lucrative side hustle and, eventually, a sustainable career. He left academia in 2024 to run Plant Zaddy Therapy full-time.

Clinton Benninghoff runs Golf Headquarters, a Midland-based brick-and-mortar store that sells golf apparel and equipment. Last summer, after hearing about an auction-style platform called Whatnot, he downloaded the app out of curiosity. He signed up to be a seller and, using his iPhone, set up his first stream from his office.

“I just set up the camera by my door, pointed it toward all my bags full of golf clubs, and clicked to go live. I had no idea what I was doing,” he told BI. “That first day, I think I was live for like 20 minutes. I sold a putter, and everybody in my stream was actually telling me how to stream.”

Less than a year later, in February 2025, he sold over $100,000 in products in a six-hour live show, a Whatnot record at the time in the golf category.

“Everybody was recording on their phones when we finally hit it. I was so hoarse. I didn’t have a voice,” he recalled. “That February 8 show let us know that we can do this at a high level.”

Business Insider confirmed the claims made by each seller featured by reviewing screenshots of their sales dashboards.

The unique advantage of live selling: Convenience plus knowing exactly what you’re getting

Before joining Palmstreet, Luu said that he and other plant collectors primarily listed their products on Facebook. But, as live selling platforms started to gain traction, “there were quite a few of us who migrated, because it was a lot faster, it was a lot easier, and it was a lot more interactive and fun.”

Selling online is loads cheaper than owning and operating a brick-and-mortar — and, depending on the platform you’re using, potentially easier to acquire customers, he added.

“If you open a store, you are still subject to the fact that people have to walk into your store. When you’re on a major platform such as Palmstreet, and they have already built up a good enough clientele, you have a lot more walk-ins, quote unquote.”

Benninghoff said that during his most-viewed Whatnot stream, he had 1,600 potential buyers in the room. He has sold and shipped products to buyers across the lower 48 states, as well as in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and South Africa.

Of course, you don’t get the same face-to-face interaction as you do with a brick-and-mortar, and customers can’t pick up products with their two hands, but it’s the next best thing. Consumers can ask questions in real time and see the product from all angles.

“It gives you the convenience of being at home, but also allows the buyer the flexibility of actually interacting and clarifying before they pull the trigger,” said Luu. “And I think that is one of the greatest advantages of live selling.”

Not every e-commerce business has bought in. Jonathan Cohen, the CMO of two eight-figure Amazon brands, uses TikTok live, but not because he thinks it’s the wave of the future or even a particularly effective way to move product.

“We do live selling, not so much to generate huge amounts of revenue, but to talk to our customers. We get our R&D and our customer feedback directly from people who are inside our live chat rooms,” he said, and warns against putting all of your eggs in the live selling basket. “I wouldn’t say it’s going to be any single person’s ticket to success.”

What it takes to succeed as a live seller

Benninghoff describes Whatnot as “an entertainment app” as much as it is a marketplace.

“You’re building this community of people that are following a personality,” said the part-time pastor, who thrives in a public speaking environment. For him, setting up a camera and talking to strangers came naturally. It was the juggling of multiple pieces that took some getting used to.

“The biggest learning curve was how to run an auction and stay engaged with people that are asking questions in the chat while holding up the item at the right angle and just doing it all at the same time.”

It helps to be extroverted and a bit of a “performer,” said Luu, who had experience managing large Zoom lectures in his previous career, but it’s not essential. “Different people resonate with different people. You will inherently attract your own crowd.”

Casey Wehr, who works full-time at a private equity firm and has built a seven-figure side hustle selling sports cards with his two sons on Whatnot, has mastered the art of building excitement throughout live shows.

There are two main ways he’s earning money on Whatnot. There’s the live auction format, in which he’ll grab an item, put it in front of the camera, and start a 15-second auction. “It’s very fast paced, it’s fun, it’s engaging,” he said.

Viewers can also buy packs of cards directly from his store, Krunk Cards, at any point during the stream, and he’ll do a “sealed wax opening” on camera. “What’s fun about the sealed wax is that it’s a community event. It’s fun to open product just when you go buy it from the store and take it home, but there’s a whole other level of excitement opening a box with 100 other people in the room.”

As Wehr says, “inventory is key.” You want to be selling something that generates enough excitement that viewers will want to bid.

But it’ll only get you so far in the live selling space.

“You can have a great product, but to have big viewership and a big community, you’ve got to engage with those people,” said Benninghoff. “You’ve got to make them feel like they are family — not just a person buying items from you.”

Armstrong World Industries (AWI) delivered a strong third-quarter update, topping forecasts for adjusted earnings and net sales while raising its outlook for 2025. This financial momentum has been met with a more upbeat mood among investors.

See our latest analysis for Armstrong World Industries.

Momentum has picked up for Armstrong World Industries this year, with a 35.4% share price return since January and a one-year total shareholder return of nearly 20%. Investors seem to be rewarding the company’s upgraded outlook and recent string of upbeat earnings, supporting a more positive long-term view on the stock.

If this kind of upward momentum has you interested in broader market trends, now is the perfect opportunity to uncover other fast growing stocks with strong insider support through our fast growing stocks with high insider ownership.

With shares already up strongly year to date and trading just below analyst price targets, investors now face a key question: Is Armstrong World Industries still undervalued, or is all the future growth already priced in?

With Armstrong World Industries closing at $189.74 versus the narrative fair value estimate of $207.1, the stage is set for a deeper look at what is driving the disconnect between price and value in the eyes of the most closely followed forecasters.

Ongoing strategic acquisitions (for example, 3form and Zahner) and successful integration are broadening Armstrong’s addressable market to capture additional spaces within commercial buildings and accelerate cross-selling opportunities. This is expected to support both revenue growth and improved net margins through scale and operational synergies.

Read the complete narrative.

Want to know what fuels this surprisingly optimistic price target? See how the narrative’s biggest bets on future sales, profit margins and sector leadership play out in numbers. Is Armstrong’s growth story credible or are expectations set sky high? Click through and see just how bold these projections really are.

Result: Fair Value of $207.1 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what’s behind the forecasts.

However, risks remain. Prolonged soft commercial construction demand or ineffective acquisition integration could quickly reverse Armstrong’s current growth momentum.

Find out about the key risks to this Armstrong World Industries narrative.

Shifting from narrative fair value to a different lens, the current price-to-earnings ratio stands at 26.8x, outpacing the industry’s 18.9x and also above the fair ratio of 21.8x. This highlights a valuation premium, which may reflect investor confidence. However, it also leaves less margin for error if expectations falter. Could the stock be riskier at these levels, or does the market know something others do not?

See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

You do not have to take these conclusions at face value. Explore the numbers, follow your own instincts, and assemble your unique take in just a few minutes. Do it your way

A good starting point is our analysis highlighting 3 key rewards investors are optimistic about regarding Armstrong World Industries.

Smart investors always keep their edge sharp. Take the next step now by checking out handpicked stocks matching themes and opportunities you will not find anywhere else.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include AWI.

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