Can You Sell Short at Webull?
Did you know that it’s possible to make money when stocks fall? Yes, and one way to do it is through
a strategy called short selling.
Webull is one broker that allows its clients to short stocks. Keep reading. We’ll show you how to begin.
How Shorting Works
If you believe a certain stock is headed lower, instead of buying it, you can sell it. You can even sell it without already owning it. When you open a short position in a stock, what happens is that you borrow shares through your brokerage firm and then immediately sell them on the open market. This creates a short position in your account.
Eventually, you’ll need to return to the market, buy those shares back, and return them. This is called buying to cover.
First, Sell Short
But first, you need to place your sell short order. To do this at Webull, you’ll want to open either the broker’s mobile app or its computer platform. The computer platform is available in both browser and desktop versions, so you can choose whichever one you prefer if you’re trading on a desktop or laptop.
On the computer platform, the order ticket is available in more than one place. You can open it by clicking on the “Trade” icon in the vertical menu on the left. It can also be found at the very bottom (initially hidden) of the far right-hand column inside the “Stocks” menu.
Finally, Webull offers simulated trading on both its mobile app and computer platform. The demo system has a similar trade ticket, although it isn’t exactly the same as the live version.
The regular trade ticket offers multiple order choices for sell orders. When opening a short position, you’ll select the short side of the order just as you would choose buy or sell for a regular stock trade. Market and limit orders are common choices for opening a short position.
On the mobile app, the trade ticket is found on a stock’s profile page. Just tap on “Trade” and you’ll be taken to the order form.
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Second, Buy to Cover
When you’re ready to close your short position, it’s time to buy to cover. This will be the second and final trade. Hopefully, the stock price is lower than where you sold it short. That’s how the trade produces a profit.
To enter your order, go back to the trade ticket. This time, you’ll choose buy. You may want to use a limit order here to lock in a profit, although a market buy order can be used if you prefer.
If you choose a limit order, you can submit it right away, and it will execute when the limit price is reached. This should be below the price where you sold short.
You can also use a stop order to control losses. If the stock price rises too much, a buy order can trigger at the stop price, which is placed above the current stock price.
Webull Short Selling Fees
Webull charges zero commissions on stocks, ETFs, and many options trades. Shorting, however, can create borrow costs. After all, you are borrowing shares to sell them. Webull can charge for this, and the stock-loan rate can vary by stock and by day.
Buying Put Options
Besides shorting a stock, it’s also possible to profit from a drop in a stock’s price by buying put options on it. At Webull, this can be done in a cash account.
Margin Requirements
If you have chosen Webull as your broker for shorting stocks, you’ve made a good choice. This is because the broker’s software shows leverage information on stock profiles. Just click on the stock you’re interested in, or enter its ticker symbol or company name, and you’ll pull up the profile.
At the top, there will be a blue icon with a down arrow. Hover over this, and it will show you the short-selling eligibility and leverage information. If the icon isn’t there, it means the security isn’t available for shorting.
Some stocks are hard to borrow because there aren’t enough shares available. If a stock isn’t available, call Webull at (888) 828-0618 to see if they can locate shares for you.
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Updated on 4/7/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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