You’ve got a great product, and your ecommerce sales are gaining traction — now it’s time to expand your reach. If you’re exploring how to sell on Walmart, Walmart Marketplace is often the fastest and most controllable way to start selling on Walmart online.
Unlike waiting for an in-store supplier setup or relying on third-party distributors, selling on Walmart Marketplace allows you to maintain direct control over your content, pricing, inventory, and shipping experience. While Walmart earns a commission on each sale, the rest of the business — and the brand execution — stays in your hands.
This article will walk you through how to sell on Walmart Marketplace, what you need to qualify, and the steps to launch and grow — plus practical best practices to help new sellers avoid common early mistakes and build a strong foundation on Walmart.com.
What Is Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart Marketplace is Walmart.com’s third-party marketplace where approved businesses list and sell products alongside Walmart’s own assortment. If you’ve sold on Amazon or eBay, the model will feel familiar: customers shop on Walmart.com, and third-party sellers fulfill orders either through their own logistics network or Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
Why Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
If you’re deciding whether selling on Walmart Marketplace is worth it, here are the advantages that matter most — organized by what sellers typically care about first:
Reach Shoppers Without Building Your Own Traffic
Walmart.com is already a high-intent shopping destination. You’re not starting from zero awareness — you’re merchandising where customers are actively searching and buying.
Leverage Walmart’s Marketplace Infrastructure
Walmart’s Seller Center provides tools for item setup, order management, performance tracking, and customer service — allowing sellers to scale faster than building and maintaining a full ecommerce stack from scratch.
Access the Same Tools as Walmart’s First-Party Suppliers
A common misconception is that Marketplace sellers operate with fewer capabilities than Walmart’s first-party (1P) suppliers. In reality, many of the same tools are available to third-party (3P) sellers.
Marketplace sellers can build rich item content, run advertising through Walmart Connect, participate in promotions, and leverage retail media — giving you the ability to compete on visibility, not just availability.
Pay to Sell Only When You Sell
There’s no upfront membership fee to join Walmart Marketplace. Instead, Walmart charges a referral fee on each sale, with rates varying by category — aligning cost directly to performance.
Build a Stronger E-commerce Playbook
Even if your long-term strategy includes other channels, selling on Walmart Marketplace strengthens core ecommerce capabilities — from catalog quality and fulfillment discipline to customer experience and retail media execution.
Qualifications Needed to Sell on Walmart Marketplace
Walmart wants marketplace sellers who can protect customer experience and brand trust. Requirements can change, but the core expectations typically include:
- A registered business (not an individual): business tax ID (SSN generally not accepted for Marketplace applications), business entity details, and supporting documentation.
- Business verification readiness: documentation that verifies your business name and address, plus identity verification for the applicant/legal representative.
- Demonstrated ecommerce capability: a track record of online selling success (e.g., on another marketplace or DTC platform).
- Compliant catalog: products must comply with Walmart Marketplace policies, including the Prohibited Products Policy and category/territory restrictions.
- GTIN/UPC readiness: Walmart commonly expects products with appropriate GTIN/UPC identifiers (often tied to GS1 standards).
- Fulfillment + returns capability: you’ll need a plan to fulfill orders reliably and process returns—either through WFS or a seller-fulfilled operation that meets Walmart’s requirements.
Pro tip: If your operations are still inconsistent (late shipments, high cancellations, weak support response times), fix those first. Marketplace performance standards are a major determinant of long-term success.
How to Sell on Walmart Marketplace in 8 Steps
Selling on Walmart Marketplace follows a clear, structured process — but success depends on getting the fundamentals right from the start. These eight steps outline what most sellers will encounter, from application through launch, and highlight the decisions that can impact approval speed, operational efficiency, and long-term performance.
1. Prepare Your Documentation
Before you start the application, gather:
- Business tax information and registration details.
- Required tax documentation (W-9/W-8 as applicable) and verification materials.
- Proof of business address/name and identity verification documents (where applicable).
2. Apply to Sell on Walmart Marketplace
Start your application through Walmart Marketplace’s official site and complete all required fields carefully. Use a business email tied to your domain (rather than a generic email), and ensure your business name/address matches your supporting documentation.
3. Verify Your Email and Access Seller Center
After applying, you’ll verify your account and then proceed into Seller Center for onboarding and setup.
4. Complete Onboarding in Seller Center
Walmart’s onboarding process generally requires completing core setup areas such as:
- Business verification
- Payment setup
- Shipping and returns setup
Note: Walmart’s onboarding requirements and flow may change, but the key idea is consistent: you must complete the account setup process before you can fully publish items and scale your catalog.
5. Choose Your Fulfillment Strategy
Decide early whether you’ll use:
- Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS): Walmart handles storage/shipments for eligible items, or
- Seller Fulfilled: You manage pick/pack/ship and returns.
This decision impacts shipping templates, promised delivery speed, and operational cost structure.
6. Set Up Your Items
Your listing quality matters — both for conversion and for visibility in Walmart search. Item setup options often include:
- Catalog match (if the item already exists)
- Bulk uploads (templates/spreadsheets)
- Integrations / solution providers / APIs
- Store imports (for some platforms)
7. Add Inventory and Verify Publish Readiness
Items won’t sell if they aren’t in stock and properly published. Confirm:
- Inventory levels
- Pricing
- Shipping promises
- Listing status (published vs draft)
8. Launch and Monitor Performance
Once you’re live, the work shifts to:
- Price competitiveness
- In-stock reliability
- Returns performance
- Customer response time
- Listing quality and conversion optimization
Best Practices When Selling on Walmart Marketplace
Getting approved and launching is only the beginning. Long-term success on Walmart Marketplace comes from disciplined execution across pricing, fulfillment, content, and performance management. These best practices reflect how Walmart evaluates sellers — and how high-performing Marketplace businesses consistently win visibility, conversion, and scale.
Win the Buy Box With Total Offer Value
If multiple sellers offer the same item, Walmart consolidates offers — and the Buy Box matters. Focus on:
- Competitive price
- Reliable shipping speed
- Strong in-stock rates
- Low cancellation and defect rates
Build Listings for Walmart SEO
For Walmart listing optimization to rank and convert:
- Use clear, keyword-rich titles (without stuffing)
- Complete attributes fully (often a differentiator)
- Use rich content, like infographics and videos
- Reduce returns with accurate descriptions and specs
Use Fulfillment as a Growth Lever
Fast, predictable delivery and easy returns improve conversion and long-term seller performance. Whether you use WFS or seller-fulfilled, operational consistency is non-negotiable.
Protect Your Catalog
Walmart increasingly enforces policy and compliance standards. Know the prohibited and restricted product rules for your categories and territories.
Treat Performance Metrics Like a Weekly Operating Rhythm
Set a weekly cadence to review:
- In-stock and fulfillment speed
- Cancellations and returns reasons
- Listing quality signals
- Conversion and traffic drivers
Tools and Resources to Grow On Walmart Marketplace
Walmart is a big company, and its online marketplace is a big platform. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone as a new seller. There are plenty of resources available to support your business. Here are some of the most important:
- Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS): scalable fulfillment option for eligible assortments.
- Walmart Connect: retail media platform to increase visibility through sponsored placements.
- Seller Center dashboards + reporting: for catalog health, performance, and operational metrics.
- Referral fee schedule: verify your category’s referral fee before pricing strategy decisions.
- Prohibited Products Policy: essential for catalog planning and risk management.
Walmart Marketplace FAQ
How Much Does It Cost to Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
There’s no annual subscription or product listing fee. Instead, sellers pay a referral fee on each item sold. Referral fees typically range from 6% to 20% of the item’s gross sales price, depending on the product category — often making Walmart more cost-effective than marketplaces like Amazon.
Is It Hard to Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
It can be challenging for sellers who don’t have strong operational discipline. Walmart is performance-driven: sellers who ship on time, stay in stock, and maintain low cancellations tend to scale more efficiently.
How Do I Win the Walmart Buy Box?
When multiple sellers offer the same item, the listings will be consolidated on the same Item Page. Customers are naturally drawn to the first option, so winning the Buy Box is extremely important on Walmart.com.
The total cost of the product offer (price plus shipping) is the biggest factor in winning the Buy Box. To win the Buy Box on Walmart Marketplace, offer competitive pricing, free or low-cost shipping, and stay in stock.
You can (and should!) stay on top of your product placement by reviewing the Buy Box Report in the Seller Center.
Can I Sell on Walmart as an Individual?
Unlike eBay or Etsy, Walmart Marketplace is designed for businesses, not individuals, to sell products. You must have a business Tax ID number (Social Security numbers are not accepted on program applications) and a business address.
In addition, your products must be shipped through Walmart Fulfillment Services or a B2C warehouse that is capable of accepting returns.
What Kind of Products Can I Sell on Walmart?
Most consumer goods categories can be sold on Walmart Marketplace, including clothing, housewares, personal care, tools, and sports equipment.
What Can You Not Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
As a seller, it is up to you to know what products are prohibited or restricted on Walmart Marketplace. Fortunately, Walmart maintains a Prohibited Products Policy for Marketplace Sellers that you can refer to as you manage your catalog.
There are two main types of restrictions on marketplace product listings to be aware of: territorial and product category.
- Territorial Restrictions: Products from some geographic regions, including Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and others, cannot be sold on the marketplace. These locations can change depending on geopolitical factors, such as economic sanctions.
- Product Category: Some product categories are prohibited from being sold on the marketplace, while others are restricted. For example, fresh, frozen, and non-shelf-stable foods are prohibited, while some shelf-stable foods, such as jerky, might be approved. Other restrictions include items that might be deemed offensive, drug paraphernalia, and products that violate intellectual property rights.
You might be required to obtain pre-approval from Walmart when selling in some categories. These include luxury goods, fragrances, cell phones, and Halloween items. If you do plan to sell these items on the marketplace, allow extra time for approvals when choosing products for listing.
How Do Walmart Marketplace Reviews Work?
There are two ways customers provide feedback on Walmart.com: Item ratings and reviews, and seller ratings and reviews. The item ratings and reviews will appear on the Item Page (which can be shared by multiple sellers). Seller ratings and reviews are publicly visible on your Partner Profile Page, and they also impact your Seller Scorecard.
How Do Walmart Sellers Get Paid?
You will receive payment via direct deposit every two weeks. You must choose one of two payment processors, Payoneer or Hyperwallet, when you register your account with Walmart marketplace.
How Long Does It Take to Get Approved to Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Approval time varies based on documentation completeness and verification. The best way to speed it up is to submit accurate information that matches your official records and respond quickly to any verification requests.
Do I Need an LLC to Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Not necessarily — Walmart generally requires a legitimate business entity and tax documentation, but the exact structure (LLC vs corporation vs other) depends on how your business is established. Ensure your entity classification and tax documentation are consistent and verifiable.
Do You Need a Business License to Sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart’s application requirements can include business tax IDs and/or business license details, depending on your business and location. Have official documentation ready to verify your business identity and address.
Is Selling on Walmart Marketplace Worth It?
For businesses that can execute reliably, Walmart Marketplace can be a strong growth channel — especially if you pair competitive offers with consistent fulfillment and listing optimization. It’s most “worth it” when you treat Walmart as a strategic channel (not just another listing destination).
The Bottom Line
If you’re exploring how to sell on Walmart online, Walmart Marketplace can be a practical entry point — especially if you already have ecommerce momentum and operational consistency. Success comes down to fundamentals: clean catalog data, competitive pricing, dependable fulfillment, and a disciplined review rhythm.
If you want expert support to accelerate your marketplace readiness — catalog strategy, operational best practices, and performance improvement — 8th & Walton can help you build a repeatable system for selling on Walmart Marketplace.
