Can You Sell Short at Webull?
Did you know you can potentially profit when a stock falls in price? Yes, and one way to do that is through a
strategy known as short selling.
Webull is one brokerage firm that allows clients to short eligible stocks. Keep reading, and we’ll show you how to begin.
How Shorting Works
If you expect a certain stock to decline, you can sell it instead of buying it. You can even do this without already owning the shares. When you open a short position, the shares are first borrowed and then sold. After that, they are immediately sold in the open market, which creates a short position in your account.
At some point, you will need to return to the market and buy those shares back to close the position. This step is called buying to cover.
First, Sell Short
Before anything else, you need to place your sell short order. To do this at Webull, you can use either the broker’s mobile app or its computer platform. The computer software is available in both browser and desktop formats. Both platforms can be used for trading, although their layouts are somewhat different.
On the computer platform, the order ticket can be accessed from more than one location. For a new trade, you can use the search bar to locate a security and then create an order from the chart or trading panel. For a position you already have, you can start a new order from the account or positions section.
Webull also provides simulated trading on the mobile app, desktop platform, and WebTrade. The paper-trading system uses a similar order ticket, although it is not identical to the live-trading version.
The standard trading ticket supports market, limit, stop, and stop-limit orders, along with some additional advanced order types in certain situations. To open a short position, you click the red sell button, just as you would if you were selling shares you already owned. For extended-hours trading, only limit orders are accepted.
On the mobile app, the trade ticket is located on a stock’s profile page. Just tap “Trade,” and the order form will appear.
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Second, Buy to Cover
When you are ready to close your short position, the next step is to buy to cover. This is the second and final trade. Ideally, the stock price will be lower than it was when you opened the short position. That is how the trade can generate a profit.
To place the order, go back to the trade ticket. This time, choose buy. You may prefer a limit order here so you can control the highest price you are willing to pay, although a market buy order is also possible if you want.
If you use a limit order, you can submit it immediately, and it will execute only if it can be filled at your limit price or a better one. If you want the short trade to be profitable, that price should be below the price where you originally sold short.
You can also use a stop order to help control losses. If the stock price rises too far, a buy order will be triggered at the stop price, which is set above the current stock price.
Webull Short Selling Fees
Webull charges $0 commissions on U.S.-listed stock and ETF trades placed through its mobile, desktop, or website platforms, although regulatory and exchange fees may still apply. Short selling, however, can involve stock loan fees or Hard-to-Borrow (HTB) fees. The stock loan rate and share availability can change daily based on market conditions.
Buying Put Options
In addition to shorting a stock, you can also try to profit from a stock’s decline by buying put options on it. At Webull, this can be done in a cash account with the necessary options approval.
Margin Requirements
If you have selected Webull as your broker for shorting stocks, you have picked a platform with some useful features. One of them is that the broker’s software displays margin requirements on stock profiles. Just click on the stock you want to review, or enter its ticker symbol or company name, and its profile will appear.
To short sell at Webull, you need a margin account, at least $2,000 in margin equity, and a security that is available for short selling. Webull marks shortable stocks with a blue downward arrow icon on the stock detail page. If that icon is not there, the security cannot be sold short.
Some stocks are hard to borrow because there is not enough share availability. When you short a hard-to-borrow stock, you must pay a daily stock borrow fee, and that cost can vary based on the stock’s price, availability, and volatility.
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Updated on 9/24/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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