How to sell on Walmart: from application to first order, by Walmart's rules

Walmart Marketplace is the part of Walmart.com where third party sellers list products alongside Walmart's own. Walmart describes it as a community of established, professional sellers whose assortments complement the first-party offerings on Walmart.com, and says the site reaches 120 million monthly visitors.

The key difference from many marketplaces is vetting. Walmart's beginner guide says sellers should have a history of marketplace or eCommerce success, and that being an established and credible seller is something Walmart takes seriously. A strong Amazon track record is the kind of history Walmart means.

Sellers manage everything in Seller Center: company registration, account settings, reports, catalog performance, items and orders, unless they connect through Walmart's APIs or a solution provider.

Walmart says creating a seller account takes just a few minutes: sign up with your business email and a unique password, then complete a five-step onboarding process in Seller Center. The steps below follow Walmart's registration guide.

Business verification is the first onboarding step. Walmart says it verifies your information with federal, state and international organizations, and that verification can take from a few minutes to two business days. Your tax registration must match your IRS records or government documents exactly.

The form asks for your country of incorporation, state business registration number, business phone number and entity type, such as a corporation, partnership or LLC. Walmart asks you to enter identity details exactly as they appear on your ID, including your residential address, and says supporting documents such as a business license can reduce approval time. Each file must be under 5MB.

Walmart may also ask you to verify that you are authorized to represent the business, using photo ID and facial recognition through a third party service. If asked, you must complete it within seven days, or Walmart says your account will be closed. Sellers incorporated outside the US provide extra documents, such as a certificate of incorporation.

Walmart says signing up is free and there are no setup, monthly or hidden fees. Instead, you pay a referral fee on each item sold, deducted only when you complete a sale. Referral fees vary by category and product type; Walmart's beginner guide puts the range at 6% to 15%, and some categories use lower rates on the portion of the price above a threshold.

The fee applies to the total sales price, which Walmart defines as the item price plus shipping and handling, gift wrap and other charges. Walmart Fulfillment Services adds a fulfillment fee per unit, based on shipping weight, and a monthly storage fee based on the volume stored and how long it stays.

Walmart Fulfillment Services is Walmart's equivalent of FBA. Walmart says WFS picks, packs and ships orders in two days or less, with no inventory minimums or maximums and no setup or monthly fees; it handles order questions and takes returns by mail or in any of more than 4,600 Walmart stores. Walmart recommends WFS to new sellers.

WFS also fulfills orders from other channels: Walmart lists your own website, Amazon, eBay and TikTok. For sellers who ship themselves, Walmart offers Simplified Shipping Settings and discounted labels through Ship with Walmart. You can combine both, choosing WFS item by item after your first item is set up.

Walmart Connect runs advertising on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. Sponsored Search ads are pay per click: Sponsored Products appear in search results and on item pages, and Sponsored Brands, a premium placement at the top of relevant results, is available to brand owners registered with Walmart Brand Portal. Walmart also lists Onsite Display and Brand Shop and Shelf.

Brand Portal is Walmart's brand management tool for trademark owners, authorized brand protection agencies and legal representatives. Walmart says to have company information, an active trademark registration number and a verifiable email ready.

Once your US storefront is set up, Walmart says the same account can sell in Canada, Mexico and Chile. Walmart also notes a New Seller Payment Hold after your first sales, which varies by country of incorporation, so plan cash flow for it.

Many Walmart sellers already sell on Amazon, and Walmart's vetting favors them: a track record is exactly what the application looks for.

Walmart customers expect the same things Amazon customers do: accurate listings, competitive pricing, fast delivery and easy returns. The practical work is in the differences: GS1 product IDs rather than any UPC, a business tax ID rather than an individual account, and performance standards that assume two day delivery.