How to Sell on Walmart Marketplace: Requirements, Fees, and Approval Tips
Walmart Marketplace has quietly become the best seller math in US ecommerce. Around 200,000 active sellers share roughly 120 million monthly visitors, a fraction of the competition density on Amazon, and marketplace GMV grew 34% in the quarter ended January 31, 2026. Walmart is spending heavily to keep that curve going, including a 2026 new-seller program worth up to $75,000 in fee savings and credits. The trade-off is a front door that stays deliberately narrow: Walmart approves professional sellers with a track record and rejects a large share of applicants on paperwork alone. This guide covers what it takes to get in, what you will pay, and the approval details that decide whether your application clears in ten days or dies in review.
The short answer: to sell on Walmart Marketplace you need a registered business (US or from one of 14 eligible countries), tax documents that match your company name exactly, GTINs for every product, US-based fulfillment with a US return address, and a demonstrable ecommerce track record. Approval typically takes one to two weeks, and full onboarding around ten days more.
Key takeaways
- There are no monthly or listing fees. You pay a referral fee of 6 to 15% per sale, plus fulfillment costs if you use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
- Walmart weighs your existing marketplace track record heavily. First-time sellers with no sales history face much higher rejection rates.
- Document mismatches are the number one cause of rejections and delays. Your EIN or tax ID must match your legal business name to the letter.
- After business verification you have 30 days to complete payment setup. Miss it and the account is declined, and you start the whole application again.
- International sellers from 14 countries can apply directly, but everyone needs US fulfillment capability and a US return address.
Why sell on Walmart Marketplace in 2026?
The case rests on a simple ratio. Amazon has millions of active sellers competing for its traffic. Walmart.com has about 200,000 sellers against 120 million monthly visitors, which means more demand per listing, cheaper advertising (Walmart Connect clicks typically run 30 to 50% below comparable Amazon placements), and organic ranking opportunities that closed on Amazon years ago. Third-party GMV on the platform has been compounding at over 30% a year, and Walmart's own data shows sellers who advertised through Walmart Connect generated on average 7x the sales of sellers who did not, a sign of how much headroom the ad platform still has.
Then there is the 2026 onboarding offer. Sellers who join after February 1, 2026 and opt into New-Seller Savings get 20% off base referral fees on their first $50,000 in GMV, 30% off from $50,000 to $500,000, and 40% off above that, plus 25% off WFS fulfillment fees, 50% off WFS storage, and $1,000 in ad credits, worth up to $75,000 in total. On a 15% category, the top tier takes your effective referral fee down to 9% for the remainder of your first year. These tiers change annually, so the current version is the one to lock in.
For most brands the honest framing is this: Walmart will not replace your Amazon revenue, since absolute volume is still smaller. It adds a second US channel with better margins per unit and far less crowding, which is exactly what a multi-marketplace strategy is for.
What are the requirements to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart publishes its baseline in the official onboarding guide, and in practice the bar looks like this:
- A registered business. A US entity with an EIN and the EIN verification letter from the Department of Treasury, or an incorporated business in an eligible country filing a W-8BEN-E. Walmart does not accept individual or hobbyist applications.
- A track record. The application asks where you currently sell and at what volume. A healthy Amazon, eBay, or D2C store history is the strongest single predictor of approval. Poor ratings elsewhere follow you here.
- Product identifiers. Every product needs a GTIN or UPC. Walmart's catalog runs on them and will not accept listings without them.
- US fulfillment capability. Either a B2C-capable US warehouse that can handle returns, or enrollment in Walmart Fulfillment Services. International sellers must maintain a US return address regardless of model.
- A compliant catalog. Walmart's prohibited items list is stricter than Amazon's in several categories, so check it before applying, not after.
- Customer service standards. A minimum 30-day return window and the ability to meet Walmart's seller performance standards on shipping speed and order defect rates.
A professional website with matching brand identity, contact details, and a visible product catalog is not formally required, but it measurably improves approval odds. A bare storefront with no about page and no contact information is a common rejection trigger.
How do you apply to Walmart Marketplace step by step?
- Gather your documents first. Legal business name, address, EIN or international tax documents, and the incorporation papers, all with identical spelling everywhere. Mismatched documents are the single biggest cause of failed applications.
- Apply at marketplace.walmart.com. The form covers your business details, current sales channels, annual volume, catalog size, and primary categories. Be accurate rather than optimistic; Walmart verifies.
- Wait for the review. Initial review typically takes 7 to 14 days. Approved sellers receive an email with a unique signup URL.
- Accept the Retailer Agreement and complete business verification. Legal business information plus personal ID for the representative, usually verified within 5 business days.
- Set up payments within 30 days. This deadline is the trap almost nobody reads: 30 days from business verification to complete payment setup, or the account is declined and you must reapply from zero. Options include Hyperwallet (now the most popular choice), Payoneer, Walmart's own Marketplace Wallet, and for international sellers PingPong, Airwallex, or WorldFirst. Payouts run biweekly.
- Configure fulfillment and returns. Choose self-fulfillment from your US warehouse or WFS, set shipping methods and regions, and define your return policy with at least a 30-day window.
- List products and launch. With clean GTIN data and images ready, first listings can go live within 2 to 3 days of setup. Average total onboarding is about 10 days.
How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart charges nothing to apply, nothing monthly, and nothing to list. Costs start when you sell:
One structural cost note: Walmart acts as marketplace facilitator for US sales tax, collecting and remitting it in the states where facilitator laws apply, which removes a large piece of tax administration compared with selling D2C. What it does not remove is the rest of your marketplace tax compliance, especially income tax registration questions for foreign sellers.
How does fulfillment work on Walmart Marketplace?
You have two routes. Self-fulfillment from your own US warehouse or 3PL, which keeps one inventory pool serving every channel and works well if you already sync inventory and pricing across marketplaces. Or Walmart Fulfillment Services, Walmart's answer to FBA: send stock to Walmart's network and it handles two-day delivery, customer service, and returns. Items carrying the "Fulfilled by Walmart" tag with a two-day promise see about 50% higher GMV on average, per Walmart's own data, largely because the delivery badge wins the buy box more often.
One rule catches Amazon sellers off guard every month: you cannot use Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment to ship Walmart orders. A Walmart customer receiving an Amazon-branded box is grounds for account suspension. Use WFS, a neutral 3PL, or your own warehouse with plain packaging.
How do you get approved? Five tips that actually matter
- Make every document match. The legal name on your EIN letter, application, bank account, and incorporation papers must be identical. "Nordic Living Oy" and "Nordic Living Ltd" reads as two different companies to a verification system.
- Lead with your strongest channel history. List the marketplaces where your metrics are healthy and quantify the volume honestly. Walmart's review team prioritizes applicants with proven operations over applicants with big plans.
- Have a real website live before you apply. Matching brand name, working contact page, visible catalog. Reviewers check.
- Prepare your catalog data before approval, not after. Clean GTINs, complete attributes, high-resolution images. Walmart scores every listing with a Listing Quality Score, and listings above 80% earn noticeably better placement, so the same preparation that speeds onboarding also drives your early ranking. Listing standards differ from Amazon's in ways that matter; our FAQ on optimizing listings across Amazon, Walmart, and Zalando covers the differences.
- Calendar the 30-day payment deadline. It is the most avoidable failure in the entire process. Set the reminder the day your business verification clears.
Can international brands sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Yes, and Walmart is actively recruiting them. Since opening to non-US sellers in March 2021, the eligible list has grown to 14 countries: the US plus Canada, Chile, China, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. In August 2025 Walmart went as far as opening a dedicated seller office in London to court UK and European brands, with Andrea Albright, chief growth officer of Walmart International, telling sellers that European businesses carry a well-earned reputation for quality, innovation and exceptional design.
The catch sits in the operations, not the application. International sellers still need US-standard delivery capability, a US return address, and typically a stronger track record than domestic applicants to clear review. A brand incorporated outside the 14 eligible countries cannot apply directly at all. And even eligible brands discover that running US fulfillment, returns, tax paperwork, and seller performance standards from another continent is a bigger project than the listing work itself.
That gap is exactly what a Merchant of Record model closes. eBrands operates Walmart Marketplace as a managed channel: our US entity is the approved seller, our infrastructure handles fulfillment, returns, and compliance, and your brand keeps full ownership of products, pricing, and inventory. For brands outside the eligible-country list, it is the only direct route in; for everyone else, it replaces a 6-to-12-month US setup with a launch measured in weeks, on Walmart and the other marketplaces worth scaling on. If the US is on your roadmap, talk to our team about expanding without a local entity.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Walmart Marketplace approval take?
Initial application review takes 7 to 14 days, business verification up to 5 business days more, and average total onboarding about 10 days. Clean, consistent documents are the main speed factor.
How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
There are no monthly, listing, or setup fees. You pay a referral fee of 6 to 15% per sale by category, plus WFS fulfillment from $3.45 per unit if you use Walmart's fulfillment network. The 2026 New-Seller Savings program discounts referral fees 20 to 40% in your first year.
Can I sell on Walmart Marketplace without a US company?
Yes, if your business is incorporated in one of the 14 eligible countries and you can provide US fulfillment with a US return address. Brands outside those countries can sell through a Merchant of Record partner whose US entity holds the seller account.
Why was my Walmart Marketplace application rejected?
The most common causes are mismatched business documents, no demonstrable ecommerce track record, a missing or unprofessional website, and catalogs with prohibited or poorly identified products. Fix the gap, build more history if needed, and reapply.
Can I use Amazon FBA to fulfill Walmart orders?
No. Orders arriving in Amazon-branded packaging violate Walmart's policy and risk suspension. Use WFS, a neutral 3PL, or your own warehouse with plain packaging.
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