Do you want to learn how to sell on Walmart marketplace?
If you need guidance, you’re in the right place.
Selling on Walmart marketplace can be an excellent way to reach millions of customers and grow your ecommerce business significantly.
However, getting started on Walmart Marketplace can be challenging if you don’t know what to do.
Don’t worry.
I wrote this guide to help you navigate selling on the Walmart Marketplace.
How can I sell on Walmart through the Marketplace? Is it worth the effort to create a Walmart storefront? I answer these questions and more in my guide.
Let’s get started.
What Is Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart Marketplace is an ecommerce platform owned by Walmart Inc. It allows third-party sellers to list and sell their products to Walmart customers online.
Like other online marketplaces (ex., Amazon, eBay, etc.), the Walmart ecommerce platform lets sellers expand their reach.
There are unique aspects to Walmart Marketplace that make it better for certain businesses and professional sellers. It also has its share of difficulties and policies, which I’ll discuss later.
Benefits of Selling on Walmart Marketplace
Before you learn how to sell products on Walmart Marketplace, it’s good to know Walmart’s advantages versus other platforms.
Here are several compelling benefits you should know about the Walmart marketplace.
Expand Your Reach.
Selling on the Walmart Marketplace can help you expand your reach and sell to a massive audience of potential customers. With over 100 million monthly visitors, this platform offers a significant opportunity if you can maximize it.
Pay Only for What You Sell.
While marketplaces like Amazon might charge monthly fees to use the selling service, Walmart does not. Instead, you pay a small percentage for every product you sell.
You can join Walmart marketplace without worrying about fixed subscription expenses.
Walmart Marketplace operates on a commission-based model, meaning you pay fees only once you start making money. This model makes it cost-effective to sell your products online on the Walmart Marketplace.
Get Associated Branding and Trust
Hundreds of millions of people know the Walmart brand. Thus, being on their platform will be a strong branding advantage for your business.
You can benefit from the associated branding and trust with the Walmart name by selling on the Walmart Marketplace.
Capitalize on the strict application review process that adds legitimacy to Walmart stores.
Attract an Existing Audience.
Selling on the Walmart Marketplace lets you tap into an existing audience. Walmart sellers get access to a ready-to-buy audience.
With millions of loyal customers, Walmart has built a massive following of shoppers who trust the brand and regularly shop on the platform.
Maximize Your Fulfillment Systems.
If you plan to use Walmart’s fulfillment service, you can also access its proven and streamlined fulfillment system.
You can store inventory in Walmart fulfillment centers and have them ship out orders as they come.
These fulfillment systems remove plenty of manual work from your operations, allowing a Walmart marketplace seller to focus on products, marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction.
How To Sell on Walmart Marketplace
How does one start selling on Walmart marketplace?
Here are all the steps, from creating a Walmart marketplace account to selling your products to customers.
1. Apply To Sell on Walmart Marketplace.
When learning how to become a Walmart seller, you must also learn how to apply for a Walmart seller account.
Navigate to the platform’s marketplace application site and apply to be a Walmart seller. Complete the application form by providing this information.
US Business Tax ID or Foreign Entity Tax ID (for international sellers)
W9 or W8 and EIN Verification letter from the Department of Treasury
Business address or place of physical operations
A history of marketplace or eCommerce success
Planned integration method for your product catalog (bulk upload, API, or a solution provider)
Primary product categories, catalog size, and other information about your products.
Walmart suggests using the Google Chrome browser to access the application portal.
The approval process can take up to four weeks or shorter on the Walmart marketplace.
If your application has exceeded that period, you can open a ticket with Walmart seller support to check your application status.
How Do I Get Approval for Walmart Marketplace?
Not all who apply to join Walmart marketplace get approval. Learning how to get approved to sell on Walmart begins with understanding who gets approval to become Walmart marketplace sellers and who doesn’t.
To get approval, you’ll need prior experience selling on other platforms. You must also have an excellent record of outstanding customer service and satisfaction.
There are other specific requirements, including a Business Tax ID. If you don’t have one, you won’t be able to proceed with your application process.
You also need a reliable order fulfillment process to get approved. You can use a third-party service with proven logistical excellence like Deliverr to quickly fulfill orders.
2. Select Your Products.
When learning how to sell products to Walmart, the next step is to select the products you’d like to sell.
Marketplace sellers need a good product with competitive pricing to stand out.
What Can I Sell on the Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart lets marketplace sellers sell different kinds of products. Here are some of the most commonly allowed products you can sell on the platform.
Personal computers
Photo and camera
Consumer electronics
Appliances
Video game consoles
Wheels
Automotive products
Musical instruments
Apparel
Baby products
Beauty products
Gourmet foods
Home decoration and furniture
Home and garden
Personal and healthcare products
Music
Kitchen items
Outdoor equipment
Video games
Toys
Watches
Jewelry
Here are some categories of products you can sell only with pre-approval.
Fragrance
Luxury brands
Software
Cell Phones and accessories
Halloween and select seasonal products
Custom content
Jewelry and precious metals
Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
To get your products pre-approved, log in to your Seller Center account and submit a product for approval.
3. Set Up Your Walmart Seller Account and Create Product Listings.
You can add your products to the Walmart marketplace using an API. Ensure the images of your products meet Walmart’s standards.
You can use the Walmart Seller Center, a self-service portal, to upload and manage your products and fulfill orders.
Here are things you can do on the Seller Center website when registering.
Understanding Walmart Product Attributes
You must provide accurate and detailed information when listing products on the Walmart marketplace.
Walmart requires specific attributes for each product to ensure you list them correctly.
Here are the attributes.
Product Identification Attributes
Product name
Product ID Type (e.g., UPC, EAN, ISBN, or ISSN)
Product ID (the value for the product identifier you selected above)
SKU
Brand
Manufacturer, Manufacturer Part Number, and Model Number (optional)
Description Attributes
Long description (up to 4,000 characters)
Short description (1,000 characters)
Shelf description (short bulleted list of key features)
Image Attributes
Main Image URL
Main Image Alt Text (optional)
Additional Asset Text (add descriptive terms to describe each image)
Tax Attribute
Product Tax Code (used to identify tax codes for products)
Price Attributes
Price Currency (US$ for US sellers)
Price Amount (the product’s selling price)
Shipping Attributes
Shipping methods (either Free Value Shipping, Standard, ThreeDay, TwoDay, Next Day, or Freight)
Shipping costs
Shipping Weight-Value (weight of your product)
Shipping Weight-Unit (Walmart uses pounds (lbs.))
Is Shipping Allowed (“Y” enables shipping for your products; “N” disables it)
Ship Method (defines the different ways you ship orders)
Ship Region (represents the locations you ship to)
Ship Price (rates you charge for shipping)
Variant Group-Related Attributes
Variant Group ID (unique ID for all items in a variant group)
Variant Attribute Name (types of variant, like size and color)
Swatch Variant Attribute (variations can display as a drop-down menu or swatch selection)
Category-specific Attributes
These are attributes specific to certain products and categories, including compliance attributes for organic foods.
4. Test Your Orders.
Learning how to start a Walmart online store won’t mean a lot if your listings are erroneous. Ensure you do everything right before selling online.
If your listings have issues, your business could have logistical or ordering problems that could frustrate customers and stain your online reputation.
If you’re ready to give your store a soft launch, here’s how you can test your products.
Choose the products from your Seller Center Dashboard to test.
Update the price and inventory for the selected items.
Under Actions, click Publish Item. Doing so will make the product go live on the Walmart Marketplace.
Click Purchase Item under the Actions tab. Doing so will direct you to the live product page to purchase.
Check critical touchpoints, like order acknowledgment, cancellation, shipping, and refund.
Do a test order to see how it goes.
Make adjustments as necessary.
5. Set Up Your Order Management Method.
As a seller on the Walmart Marketplace, you have complete responsibility for order processing, shipping, exchanges, refunds, and customer service.
Here are the different ways to retrieve marketplace orders.
Head over to your Seller Central dashboard and follow the order management instructions.
Download orders in bulk through Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets. Choose the status, and select Download.
Use an order integration partner.
6. Launch Your Account.
Once you’ve followed all these steps, you’re ready to launch your Walmart marketplace store.
How To Become a Successful Walmart Seller
To be a successful Walmart seller, you need to optimize your catalog regularly to increase your chances of success.
There are droves of other sellers offering your products as well. Only sellers who put in the effort to optimize their catalog will succeed.
Here are some tips to help you become a successful Walmart seller:
Optimize for Walmart Search.
Walmart uses an algorithm that gives your product listings a numerical listing-quality score.
Your score can range from 0% to 99% and considers four factors:
Offer
Content and discoverability
Ratings and reviews
Post-purchase quality
You can learn ecommerce SEO to improve your listing core. Monitoring your score through your Seller Center dashboard is essential.
Run Paid Advertising.
With Walmart’s ads program, you can advertise specific products and create paid marketing campaigns for your online store. Alternatively, you can use paid Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn ads.
Sponsored ads cost money but help you reach a wider audience faster.
Earn the Pro Seller Badge.
Walmart displays the Pro Seller Badge as a mark of excellence next to “Sold & Shipped by [Seller Name]” on the Walmart website’s main shopping page.
You must offer quality customer service, consistent on-time delivery, and free online and in-store returns to get this badge.
There are no guarantees when you will get the badge, but it will happen if you consistently work hard and provide an excellent customer experience.
Walmart refreshes the criteria for the badge twice a month. The marketplace also automatically grants and revokes badges according to the changing criteria.
Cost of Selling on the Walmart Marketplace
When you sell on Walmart, fees will apply. Like any other online marketplace, Walmart charges fees to sustain the platform.
The primary cost when selling on Walmart is the referral fee you pay for the customer’s purchase process.
Walmart’s commission rates vary depending on the product type and overall sales price but range from 6% to 15%.
You can view the complete list of referral fees on Walmart’s website.
Is Selling on the Walmart Marketplace Worth It?
One can view the strict and tedious application process as a downside, but it has advantages.
The rigorous application means there are fewer people on the platform because not everyone will be willing to go through the process or will be able to pass the screening.
Walmart could be an excellent opportunity if you want a high-traffic marketplace with fewer suppliers. The strength of the Walmart brand can also enhance your company’s image.
You’ll need to consistently provide reliable fulfillment and competitive prices. You must also address customer complaints proactively.
These are all signs of a healthy business and should be the gold standard, regardless of your platform.
Fulfillment By Amazon vs. Walmart Fulfillment Services
Fulfillment by Amazon lets millions of online sellers sell products to their users. Walmart’s version of the model, Walmart Fulfillment Services, has also gained momentum.
Should you sell on Walmart vs. Amazon? Selling on Walmart vs. Amazon is better if you don’t want to pay a fixed monthly fee.
There’s also less competition in the Walmart marketplace because the platform only has around 50,000 sellers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions people ask when selling on Walmart Marketplace.
Can International Sellers Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart is a US-based company that once only allowed US sellers but has changed its policy.
The marketplace is now open to international sellers if they can prove they’ve been selling in North America for a significant period.
Starting in March 2020, Walmart canceled international sellers’ registration requirements.
International sellers must have a US Tax ID Number (TIN). Alternatively, you can apply if incorporated in Canada or the United Kingdom.
What Happens if Walmart Marketplace Sellers Don’t Meet Standards?
Unlike other online marketplaces, Walmart is strict about its policies and only allows sellers who follow specific rules and standards.
The partner performance team at Walmart reviews the performance of sellers’ products to ensure they meet their goals. If a product is not performing well, sellers will receive a warning from the team.
Failure to comply with the warning can lead to suspending or blocking the seller’s account for a certain period. Walmart has the policy to warn sellers if they violate any of its regulations, and then it will respond promptly to any issue.
Account suspension or blocking due to policy violations can also restrict seller account access.
Walmart provides customer support to assist sellers in resolving issues and accessing their accounts.
Can I Sell on Walmart as an Individual?
No. Walmart has no sales account for individual customers.
Walmart only accepts domestic sellers with a business entity and a verified business address. There are also other specialized qualifications, such as a tax identifier. You can’t use your Social Security for your application.
Is It Hard To Get Approval on Walmart Marketplace?
People in the ecommerce world know the Walmart marketplace is cautious about allowing sellers to offer their products on the site. This stringent policy fosters high seller quality.
The complex application process and stringent requirements can make marketing products on the Walmart website difficult.
Many sellers have struggled to access the Walmart marketplace, historically limiting their ability to reach a more extensive customer base.
Since only businesses can register with Walmart, it’s not the best marketplace for solopreneurs or those who might sell a product without a business name registration.
Can I Sell on Walmart With My Shopify Store?
Want to know how to sell on Walmart with Shopify?
Shopify store owners can become Walmart sellers through a Shopify app that connects your Shopify store to a Walmart Seller Central account.
Doing this for your Shopify store will give you access to Walmart fulfillment services
To connect your Shopify account to the Walmart store, go to the Shopify app and install it in your Shopify backend.
You must go through the same application process and pass the same business documents to get on Wamart’s marketplace.
Is Being a Walmart Vendor and Walmart Supplier the Same Thing?
No. Being a Walmart Supplier means you will provide Walmart with products the company can sell in their stores or online as their products.
You can choose from these programs to become a vendor or supplier at Walmart.
The National Supplier Program
The Local Purchase Program
The Services & Non-Resale Program.
If your company can produce large quantities of items to supply all domestic stores, you should apply for the National Supplier Program.
Are There Advantages To Being a Walmart Seller vs. Being a Vendor?
As a Walmart Marketplace Seller, you can list any items you want, as long as they are not prohibited.
You can also set your retail price since there is no buyer involved. Walmart Marketplace offers integrations with external platforms that can simplify shipping and order processing compared to Walmart supplier shipping processes.
The FBW program on Walmart Marketplace is similar to Amazon’s FBA program, and Walmart’s Seller Center is constantly improving.
If your item performs well on Walmart Marketplace, you can use it as leverage when pitching products to Walmart buyers as a potential vendor.
Are Walmart Marketplace and Walmart.com the Same?
Walmart Marketplace items are sold on the Walmart website alongside Walmart-owned items, but the retailer is not Walmart.
Can You Start a Dropshipping Business on Walmart?
Yes. Walmart dropshipping exists, and the company has a program specifically for dropshipping called Walmart Dropship Vendor (DSV).
However, there is a slight difference to this approach. As a DSV, you’re not the retailer of the company. Instead, you’re a supplier for Walmart.
Through this program, you provide products to Walmart’s online marketplace, and they become your dropshipper.
Being a Walmart dropship vendor means you don’t need to invest as much in marketing efforts. Instead, you can focus on ensuring fast shipping, fulfillment, and high-quality products.
However, this option requires a substantial inventory investment, challenging some vendors. Additionally, profit margins may not be as high as when selling directly to consumers.
Nevertheless, working with Walmart can make sense for your business as they handle marketing and brand recognition.
The Bottom Line
There’s no denying that Walmart is a massive brand in retail sales. Walmart statistics show there are now over 10,000 Walmart stores worldwide.
Walmart’s presence will only provide your store with many added benefits, including increased traffic, better brand recall, improved trust, and more.
Hopefully, my guide made it easier for you to understand how to start selling on Walmart via the Marketplace.
