Core Features
When NotBot Prints
The complete decision matrix. If a label printed (or didn't print), this page explains why.
Last updated 2026-06-05 · Applies to NotBot 1.3.6+
This page is the complete decision matrix for when NotBot will and will not print a label. If something printed (or didn't print) and you want to know why, this page covers every reason.
The decision involves your print mode, the event type (auction, Buy It Now, accepted offer, giveaway, payment failure), whether the buyer is new or returning, several toggles, and milestone counters.
Auction wins
| Print mode | New buyer | Returning buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Every Item | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only | Buyer label | Nothing (unless reprint milestone fires) |
| Every Item + Buyer | Item label + buyer label (when Print box label for new buyers is on) | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires and Print box label for new buyers is on) |
Notes:
- Print box label for new buyers defaults to on. It only gates the buyer-label half of Every Item + Buyer mode. It does not affect Buyer Only mode auction labels.
- In Buyer Only mode, returning-buyer suppression shows up in the dashboard as a "recorded but not printed" entry. In Every Item + Buyer mode the same happens, but only when Print box label for new buyers is on. Buyer labels for returning buyers print only when Reprint at purchase milestones is on and the counter hits the configured interval.
Buy It Now purchases
The Buy It Now matrix is identical in shape to auctions. The buyer-label behavior in Buyer Only mode is controlled by the Purchase labels setting (with three values: Item label, Buyer label only, Buyer + item labels). Default is Item label.
| Print mode | New buyer | Returning buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Every Item | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Item label (default) | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Buyer label only | Buyer label | Nothing (unless reprint milestone) |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Buyer + item labels | Buyer label + item label | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires) |
| Every Item + Buyer | Item label + buyer label (when Print box label for new buyers is on) | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires and Print box label for new buyers is on) |
If Skip Buy It Now purchases is on, every cell collapses to nothing. The purchase still appears in show history so revenue and counts stay accurate, but nothing is printed. Skip Buy It Now purchases also covers flash sales — see the Skip flash sales notes below for a narrower filter.
If Skip flash sales is on, only the flash-sale subset of Buy It Now collapses to nothing. Regular and pinned Buy It Now purchases still print as normal.
Print box label for new buyers does not gate Buyer Only mode purchase buyer labels. Only the Every Item + Buyer case is gated.
Accepted offers
When a buyer makes an offer on a shop listing and you accept it, NotBot treats the closed sale the same way it treats a Buy It Now purchase. The shape of the matrix is identical to Buy It Now, including the Purchase labels setting in Buyer Only mode and the Print box label for new buyers gating in Every Item + Buyer mode. The badge on the label is OFFER ACCEPTED instead of BUY IT NOW.
| Print mode | New buyer | Returning buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Every Item | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Item label (default) | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Buyer label only | Buyer label | Nothing (unless reprint milestone) |
| Buyer Only, Purchase labels = Buyer + item labels | Buyer label + item label | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires) |
| Every Item + Buyer | Item label + buyer label (when Print box label for new buyers is on) | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires and Print box label for new buyers is on) |
If Skip accepted offers is on, every cell collapses to nothing. The sale still appears in show history and totals so revenue stays accurate.
Declined or cancelled offers are ignored. Only accepted offers that close as a sale produce a label or a show-history entry.
Accepted-offer detection is currently Whatnot-only.
Giveaway wins
Giveaways look like Buy It Now in shape. Buyer Only mode uses the Giveaway labels setting (same three values, same default of Item label). Every Item + Buyer mode treats giveaways the same as auctions and purchases.
| Print mode | New winner | Returning winner |
|---|---|---|
| Every Item | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Giveaway labels = Item label (default) | Item label | Item label |
| Buyer Only, Giveaway labels = Buyer label only | Buyer label | Nothing (unless reprint milestone) |
| Buyer Only, Giveaway labels = Buyer + item labels | Buyer label + item label | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires) |
| Every Item + Buyer | Item label + buyer label (when Print box label for new buyers is on) | Item label (and a buyer label if reprint milestone fires and Print box label for new buyers is on) |
If Skip giveaways is on, every cell collapses to nothing.
Payment failures
If a sale's payment fails after the show, the platform sends NotBot a payment failure event. NotBot prints an item label for the failed sale only when Print label on payment failure is on. It is on by default.
The label includes the buyer's number (if they had one) and a PENDING PAYMENT badge. The intent is to surface payment problems quickly so you can pull the item back before shipping.
Pinned shop Buy It Now listings
When a seller pins a shop Buy It Now listing into a live Whatnot show, NotBot treats the sale as a Buy It Now purchase, not an auction. The label uses your Buy It Now settings, shows the BUY IT NOW badge, and respects the Skip Buy It Now purchases toggle.
This is on by default. To fall back to the older auction handling for these events, turn off Treat pinned shop listings as Buy It Now in Settings → Advanced.
Milestone overlays
Two milestone overlays can add extra labels: bonus labels and reprint buyer labels.
Bonus labels
When Auto-print at purchase milestones is on, NotBot prints a configurable bonus label every N events for the same buyer. You pick:
- The interval N (default 7).
- The label text (default "BONUS LABEL").
- Which event types count toward the counter: auction wins (on by default), Buy It Now purchases (on by default), giveaway wins (off by default).
When the buyer's count across the enabled event types hits N, 2N, 3N, and so on, a bonus label is added. The exact shape depends on the print mode and the event type. In Every Item mode you get a bonus item label. In Buyer Only mode auctions you get a bonus buyer label. In Every Item + Buyer mode you get a bonus item label, plus a bonus buyer label when Print box label for new buyers is on.
Reprint buyer labels
When Reprint at purchase milestones is on, NotBot re-issues a buyer's box label every N events. This only fires in cases that already produce a buyer label in the first place:
- Buyer Only mode auction wins.
- Buyer Only mode giveaways or Buy It Now sales, only when the matching Giveaway labels or Purchase labels setting is Buyer label only or Buyer + item labels. The default Item label mode never produces a buyer label, so it never produces a reprint either.
- Every Item + Buyer mode auctions, giveaways, and Buy It Now sales, gated by Print box label for new buyers.
The reprinted label keeps the buyer's same number. The template, label size, and printer routing follow your current settings at the moment the milestone fires, so reprints reflect any changes you made mid-show.
Multiple overlays on the same event
The overlays fire alongside whatever the print-mode matrix already decided. A new buyer hitting the bonus interval on their first auction in Every Item + Buyer mode (with Print box label for new buyers on) can print four labels at once: a buyer label, an item label, a bonus buyer label, and a bonus item label.
Cases where nothing prints
NotBot deliberately prints nothing in any of these cases:
- Auto-print is off. The toggle in the live feed disables all auto-printing. Events are still tracked. Reprint scope depends on where you reprint from. See Show History.
- Preview Mode is on. Labels open as PDFs in your system viewer instead of going to the printer. Useful for designing templates. Not a substitute for a real Test Print.
- Non-active tab. Only one tab can be the active show. Events from other tabs are recorded in show history but never print.
- Skip giveaways, Skip Buy It Now purchases, Skip flash sales, or Skip accepted offers is on for that event type.
- No printer selected. NotBot still tracks events and assigns numbers, but labels stay in the queue with a status that makes it clear they cannot send.
See also
- Print Modes for the conceptual overview.
- Settings Reference for every setting named above with defaults.
- Print Queue for what happens after a label is queued.
- Troubleshooting for diagnosing prints that didn't happen.