Competition is everywhere! From people competing to blow up Mars to organizations trying to create the next big AI chatbot, competition will be there till doomsday. There will always be an Ethan Hunt for every James Bond irrespective of the industry. Though 007 has started his larger than life career earlier, Ethan’s world’s greatest stunt confirms his hunting instinct. If you think, we’re talking about two spies who’re loved all around the world, think again.

Amazon Seller Central might be the world’s largest marketplace but it is not the only place to sell your products. Because Walmart is emerging and it is for sellers who love to sell great products without facing a lot of competition. 

Walmart Seller Central is the best online marketplace for sellers like you who want to make a difference. There are rumors out there about how Walmart is a little tough on their shipping policy and return policy. 

Every marketplace has its own problems, and most problems arise due to procrastination, and a lack of knowledge about a business model. Don’t worry, Saasant is here to guide you through step-by-step instructions about the Walmart marketplace.

Intro on Walmart Seller Central

If you are into numbers, here is a Walmart Marketplace-related stat,

Year: 2016 - Less than 10,000 third-party sellers  

Year: 2022 - More than 150,000 third-party sellers

That’s a mammoth 1500% growth in just six years of time, and Walmart still has a lot of room for opportunities and will continue to dominate the ecommerce market. Amazon’s toughest competitor is moving its way up the ladder and becoming the best example of the adage - “Work Hard in Silence, Let Your Success Be Your Noise.”

With more than 100 million monthly visitors on Walmart Marketplace, it is a go-to destination for not just Walmart’s traditional retail outlet customers but also the best online shopping destination for the middle-class shoppers of the US. 

Being one of the fastest-growing ecommerce spaces in the world, Walmart is an ideal destination for sellers who have got quality products. Quality resonates more with Walmart than its competitors due to its success in the retail outlet business. 

After 2009, Walmart’s online arrival has become a game changer in the life of online sellers. Walmart Seller Central is similar to Amazon Seller Central, where you get to showcase your products and sell them through Walmart. Millions of Walmart shoppers out there would be your primary target consumers. 

You might be just starting out as an online seller or already making money through other ecommerce platforms. The following instructions will help you set up your seller account on Walmart. 

Requirements for Walmart Seller Application

1. US Business Tax ID # (SSN not accepted) - If you’re in the US, you might have a social security number (SSN), but you need a US Business Tax ID to become a Walmart seller. Get your Tax Id without a hassle!

2. Form W 9 - You can get this here

3. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) - A mail/letter will be sent from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with your business name and address. Save this letter/mail, as you will need to upload it later to verify your business. 

4. US Business Address - As long as you’re living in the USA, you can even use your home address.

5. US Contact Number - This number cannot be from another country. You can buy “virtual numbers” online.

6. Don’t sell anything that might lead to trademark or patent infringement. 

7. All your products must have GS1-certified UPC codes.

If you tick all these Walmart seller requirements, you’re all set to create your seller account with Walmart Seller Central. 

How do I set up Walmart Seller Central?

If you’re searching “how do I set up a Walmart Seller Central account?” you have come to the right place. Before finishing your favourite drink, we’ll explain how to create your Walmart seller account. 

Step 1: Go to www.marketplace.walmart.com 

Step 2: Click “Join Marketplace” in the top right corner.

Step 3: Walmart Seller Registration process begins! 

• Give your first and last name.

• In the “Legal business name” text holder box, type your registered business name. The business name you have used in the Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

• Use a Business Email Address and Business Phone Number. Note: This phone number can be from any other country, but you’ll need a phone number registered in the USA if you want to become a Walmart seller.

• Use a strong password and agree to the terms and conditions of Walmart.

• Click “Create my account,” and you’ll receive an email to verify your email address. Click “Verify email,” and you’ll be taken to the Walmart Seller Central Account.

• If you’re coming back later, you can use the Walmart Seller Central login to complete the next set of steps.

Step 4: Walmart Seller Central Account Application

• Below your business name in the top left corner, you’ll see “Onboarding Active” - It means you’re not fully registered to sell on Walmart Marketplace. You need to complete three more steps and get approval from Walmart to start selling on Walmart Marketplace.

• You can start adding items by clicking on the “Add an item” button, but they’ll only be saved as drafts.
  

•  Business Verification: 

1. You can choose the country where your business is incorporated. 

2. You must have a US Tax Id (TIN), or else you cannot become a Walmart seller.

3. Enter your business name and not anything else. Example: Your brand name is not your business name.

4. Fill out other information related to your location, and if you have a website, please do give its URL (highly recommended)

5. In the “yearly gross merchandise value,” please enter the approximate range and choose a product category that you think will sell the highest.

6. Give contact information for buyers to reach out to you.

7. Walmart might ask for additional documents to approve your business information.

8. Only after getting approved (you’ll see a green tick mark over business information) you’ll be able to set up your payment method.

Important: Walmart is a perfect place for established sellers who’re already performing well in other online spaces, says Amazon Seller Central.

• Payments

1. You can choose from one of the three ways to get paid. There is Payoneer, HYPERWALLET, and PingPong.

2. Create an account with any of the three and integrate it with your seller account to receive money.

• Shipping

1. Under “Set up shipping and returns”, Value shipping is selected by default, and you have the option to choose faster shipping by selecting “Standard shipping.”

2. Click on “Advanced Setup” on the right-hand side of your screen. You can customize your shipping options and set your shipping rule by clicking on “Add shipping rule.”  

3. You have to agree to Walmart’s return shipping policy

4. You’ll give your return center name for products that might return to your warehouse or home. The name you give will be printed on the return labels. 

5. After you complete other fields related to location and address, click submit. 

Best wishes from Saasant to get your Walmart seller Account Approved super quick!

Selling on Amazon vs. Walmart Marketplace: Which one is better?

Think of Amazon as the Tom Marvolo Riddle of online businesses which began their career selling books, and now, 2.5 decades later, Amazon has become the leader of the online shopping business. Metaphorically, they have slowly transitioned to Lord Voldemort of the online shopping world. They have an army of sellers, vendors, and affiliates who’d make the tonsured CEO always compete with the richest people on earth, like Warren Buffet and Elon Musk. 

If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, it’s okay. All we meant was Amazon got better over the years and is more likely to dominate the market with its network strength, warehouses, marketing strategies, and prime customer service.

But, here is Walmart, the “Boss of Retail Outlets” since 1962. They have been growing exponentially since their acquisition of jet.com in 2016. After Jet.com’s CEO Marc Lore became the CEO of Walmart’s US ecommerce operations, Walmart’s contribution toward the digital revolution became widespread. Their sales are second only to Amazon in the US.

Two feathers of the same elder wand, one receives more than 2 billion US site visits every single month, while its emerging competitor has around 400 million visitors per month. Walmart is surely the boy who lived. They have their own set of customers who’d stay loyal to their retail outlets as well as Walmart’s Marketplace. 

Selling on Amazon 

The World’s largest ecommerce store sells everything under the sun, and its dominance in online shopping is a testament to its exceptional customer service and, most importantly, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

Fulfillment by Amazon

Most of you would be familiar with the Federal Buereau of Investigation (FBI), but FBA is a little different. There is one similarity, though! When there is a desperate need for extensive investigation, the FBI leaps in, and when there is a need for additional storage space, FBA comes to the rescue. 

FBA ensures proper delivery of your product to your customers if you don’t want to manage your inventory and have a separate fulfillment process. Most of the sellers, to be exact, 73% of Amazon’s sellers utilize FBA, and there is a good reason for it. Amazon sellers who use FBA can showcase their Amazon Prime Badge, leading to more visibility in search results.

Advantages of selling on Amazon

1. Sales Volume

With over 200 million prime customers worldwide, Amazon is flooded with customers. According to Insider Intelligence, Amazon's retail ecommerce sales worldwide will touch $746.22 billion in 2023. Customer experience is the primary reason for sellers to list their products on Amazon

2. Ease of Global Expansion

Expanding to an international customer base is another great thing about selling on Amazon. Though Amazon is operating in less than 15 countries, you can ship your products to more than 100 countries.

3. Lesser Marketing Costs

If sellers can put some effort into listing their products properly on Amazon, their marketing efforts will reduce by a huge margin. A few niches like electronics, books, and arts & crafts require less marketing efforts compared to others.

4. FBA

Amazon is super helpful for its sellers through FBA. Through Amazon prime shipping, less hassle in fulfillment, low-cost shipping, and unlimited storage space, FBA-dependent sellers are able to automate their delivery process and order fulfillment.

Disadvantages of selling on Amazon

1. Competition 

The ultimate goal of every seller on Amazon is to get more BuyBox Score. You need to offer excellent customer service and low rates on cancellations, refunds, and late shipments to stay ahead of the competition. Your history of sales is another great factor that influences Amazon’s BuyBox score.  

2. Selling Fee

There are two selling plans. One is a professional plan where you get to pay a $39.99 monthly fee, and for the individual plan, sellers need to pay $0.99 for every product they sell. For FBA services, there are storage cost fees and fulfillment fees per item.

3. Counterfeit Products

Unlike Walmart, which works pretty well for customers with high-quality products, Amazon’s low barrier to entry has cost its reputation. In 2019, Nike announced that it would no longer sell its products via Amazon as a first-party vendor due to Amazon’s response to Nike’s counterfeit product claim. 

4. Limitation of Warehouse Spaces

During the holiday season, Amazon sellers using FBA would have faced storage space problems, leading to a loss of sales during the busiest time of the year, like Christmas. Amazon depends more on small products with high volumes, and they want your products to keep moving out of their warehouses.

Selling on Walmart

Selling at Walmart is super simple. You need to have high-quality products, offer great customer support, and have good inventory management. Walmart is more successful than Amazon for sellers, especially after the pandemic. Walmart’s sales have exceeded eBay, and it is also growing 5x stronger than Amazon's.

Walmart Fulfillment Services

Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is similar to Amazon’s FBA, but there is a slight difference between them. 

Walmart’s unique fulfillment option lets sellers ship and store their own inventory. Walmart’s team is able to handle content, list, and price, a boon for Walmart sellers.

But getting into WFS isn’t as easy as FBA because Walmart only wants the best sellers to compete on its platform. To put it simply, Walmart prefers quality over quantity.

Advantages of Selling on Walmart

1. Less Competition

It seems like there is a lot of competition going on in Walmart, but it is nothing compared to the number of sellers on Amazon’s marketplace. Owing to lesser competition, high-quality sellers with lesser package sizes prefer Walmart over Amazon.

2. No Subscription Fee

There is no monthly or annual fees in the Walmart marketplace, and the only fee sellers need to pay is the referral fee for each sale. The referral fee depends on the type of product you sell, varying from 6% and 15%. So, no sales mean you don’t even have to pay a dime.

3. Simple Price Structure

There are no hidden fees in Walmart, but a major trouble for Amazon’s sellers is their complicated pricing structure. No product-listing fee makes a huge difference for Walmart’s sellers. 

4. Walmart’s Compounding Growth

According to a study released by Marketplace Pulse in May 2020, Walmart was able to beat eBay and Amazon in the ecommerce race. Sellers from Asian countries like China are able to leverage their sales volume using Walmart. If you like to know also about eBay seller hub, read it here.

Disadvantages of Selling on Walmart

1. History of Selling

Sellers with a good selling track record matter as quality is preferred over quantity in Walmart. Your chances of becoming a Walmart seller improves if you’re able to prove your worth through your history of selling.

2. Economic Marketplace

Being one of the cost-effective marketplaces, Walmart’s sellers with a low volume of products will have to settle for a low-profit margin. Some sellers will find it difficult to set a price range that is the cheapest compared to all other ecommerce websites.  

5 Steps to Sell on Walmart Marketplace in 2023

Step 1: Apply to marketplace.walmart.com and get approved. The process was explained previously above with step-by-step instructions. 

Step 2: This step involves three major things - a) A Title for the product, b) a Description of the product, and c) A good-quality image of the product

Step 3: Apply to Walmart Fulfillment Services and get the pro seller badge and add a promotional tag in rich media to improve your chances of conversions. 

Step 4: Launch your high-quality product on Walmart

Step 5: Time to grow your business by optimizing product listing score, improving advertising strategies for a better ranking, and improving your product’s chances of landing in Walmart stores.

“Only 7% of the sellers of Amazon are selling on Walmart too. It means Walmart Marketplace is relatively fresh for sellers to make some decent money.” - Travis Marziani, Youtuber.

Why did Walmart Reject My Application? 

There are five common mistakes sellers make that lead to getting their application rejected on Walmart Marketplace.

Mistake #1 

Low Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), listing fewer amounts of products on Walmart might lead to rejection of your seller application and so list as many products as possible.

Mistake #2

Not checking what you enter during the entire application process is another common reason why sellers don’t get approved by Walmart Marketplace. As there is no going back, you need to be careful and relaxed during the application process.

Mistake #3

Not having a good brand presence! This is where leveraging social media and having great reviews of the product helps. Optimize your website for on-page and off-page SEO and make sure your website is accessible to your customers.

Mistake #4

Trying to sell custom-made products on Walmart will lead to the rejection of your seller application in Walmart Marketplace. Walmart does not support print-on-demand products being sold on its platform.

Mistake #5

Don’t apply from an international domain/international IP address, as it will lead to Walmart not approving your seller application. If you’re traveling outside the US, you need to get back home and start with your application process. Only a few applications by international sellers will be approved by Walmart. 

Important: Even if your application gets rejected, you appeal to Walmart, and in most cases, Walmart will recheck your application and might approve it as well. Get professional help to streamline your Walmart application process.

5 Best practices to Follow on Walmart Marketplace

Okay! Your seller application got approved by Walmart. What next? What are the best practices you should follow to become a successful seller on Walmart Marketplace?

1. Please do not copy-paste your Amazon listings on Walmart. 

2. Walmart also doesn't like the keyword-stuffed titles that work on Amazon.

3. Align with Walmart’s guidelines to rank high in their inbuilt algorithm

4. Use highly searched keywords rather than niche keywords. 

5. Use high-quality product images on Walmart to rank higher in search.

Another pro-tip for Walmart sellers to improve their sales on Walmart is to add as many attributes as possible. Fill out the required attributes and recommended attributes, and try also to fill out the optional attributes as well. 

5 Seller Strategies to Improve Sales Conversions on Walmart

1. Use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) to your advantage, as customers are more likely to receive their products within two days.

2. Get a Pro Seller Badge as quickly as possible. You just have to do good business aligned with Walmart’s guidelines to gain this badge. 

3. Upload a file of “clearance price” and “reduced price,” and that will improve your chances of earning the “best seller” badge, too, if you’re moving a high volume of products on Walmart Marketplace.  

4. Make the best use of rich media by adding videos of your product, and this is where you can actually tell stories about your brand. Also, upload PDFs if you have to help your customers once they purchase your products. Example: If you’re selling apparel for women, help them with matching dress codes with a PDF document. Doing a little extra will always put you ahead of the competition. Also, add FAQs to help your customers get answers to their queries. By means of educating, you’re more likely to build a loyal customer base. 

5. Bet on high-performing keywords of your products with Walmart Ad Centre. It is similar to Amazon PPC, but it is a lot cheaper at Walmart to rank your products higher on the search results.

Is Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) the same as Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA)?

Four years after Amazon began Fulfillment by Amazon, Walmart started its Fulfillment Services. Yes! Walmart Fulfillment Services is similar to Fulfillment by Amazon but a little different.

Walmart Marketplace has a max product package size and max weight for products sent to the Walmart fulfillment center. Walmart allows a max of 30 lbs of weight for each package and 25*20*14 max product dimensions. 

Walmart currently prefers sellers with a lighter load and smaller packages but high volumes to use its fulfillment services. Also, Walmart’s Fulfillment Services fees follow a KISS strategy. That’s right! They keep it simple and straightforward, not complicated like Amazon’s FBA. 

Use WFS Calculator to find your estimated storage and fulfillment fees.

Important: During Q4, Amazon’s FBA charges a little more than Walmart Fulfillment Services on storage fees.

How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?

If you’re wondering how much Walmart will charge for sellers in 2023, there is zero subscription cost and zero product listing cost, and sellers only have to pay a referral fee when a product is sold. So, what percentage does Walmart take from its sellers? 

It largely depends on the type of product you’re listing on Walmart Marketplace.

You have to spend zero dollars to create your account and list your product on Walmart Marketplace, whereas Amazon charges $39.99 as an account fee and has a separate product listing fee as well. 

Check the referral fee percentage of different products on Walmart.

How to Contact Walmart Seller Central Support?

1. You have to Log in to https://sellerhelp.walmart.com/ 

2. Click on “help” in the upper right corner and select “Contact Partner Support.”

Under Walmart Seller Help, you’ll be able to carry out the next set of steps.

3. Select the type of “support category.” 

Example: If you have problems with refunds, select “orders and returns” and click “return/refund question and feedback.” Let’s say you select “Unable to process customer refund.” 

4. Before submitting a case, try out the solutions provided by Walmart, and if none of those are working, only then choose “No” and provide as much legit information as possible to speed up the clarification process. 

How to List my Products on Walmart?

There are multiple ways to list your products on Walmart. Use Walmart’s “Set up by Match” option, and here, you have just to add a few basic details of the product. Walmart will compare it with a similar product in their inventory to help you with your product listing. 

Walmart even helps its seller by filling in the specifications of the product if they can find a relevant match for your product. If not, you have to write your own specification about the product.

For sellers who want to integrate their inventory with Walmart, API Integration works great as it can quickly bulk import all of your products within minutes. 

And, if you similarly want to bulk upload all your customer's invoices to QuickBooks Online, use Saasant Transactions to do it for you. 

Another great option for sellers to list products on Walmart is to integrate Walmart with third-party apps like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. Say, you have an uploaded inventory in Shopify, you can directly integrate Walmart with your shopping cart using Walmart Integration.

How is Walmart's Inventory Management different from its competitors?

One of Walmart’s greatest assets is its effective inventory management strategies. Walmart is even into blockchain technology to manage its inventory, another great reason for Walmart Marketplace’s expectation of high-quality products and high-quality sellers. 

Walmart is able to minimize delays in its inventory movement across its complete supply chain. If Walmart becomes the number one ecommerce retailer in the US, inventory management will be one of the vital aspects of its exponential growth. 

As buyers will be able to create (Stock Keeping Unit) SKUs for their products on Walmart, they can also print barcodes to renew Walmart’s inventory. 

Walmart sellers need to be competitive to be able to sell their products. To stay published on Walmart, sellers need to update their product prices frequently. When it comes to updating the prices of products in Walmart Seller Central, there are two ways to do it.

1. In the Manage Items Page, click “Manage items” under the Items and Inventory Section. You’ll be able to update the prices of all your SKUs. Select the ones you want to update prices for and click “Update price” from the action bar. Now, update the price of the selected SKUs.

2. Click on “Bulk Price Updates” under the Items and Inventory Section. 

In Bulk Pricing and Promotion Update Page, click Price and Promo Spec and download the file. 

Within the file, to update the regular price of an item, fill out the first two columns alone. Give the SKU ID and the new updated price. Download it and either “drag and drop” or click “upload spec” and complete the price update process by clicking on “submit.”

3. Click “Feed status” to track your price updates. Under the “Price Feed” section, you’ll also be able to see errors in your price update. Download the error file, correct it, and repeat the process. If an error is again thrown, file a support case to rectify the issue.  

Walmart Marketplace FAQs

What advantages do I have as a Walmart seller?

You’ll be able to reach out to 150+ million Walmart customers and have control over your inventory, fulfillment, pricing, and customer service by joining Walmart Marketplace.

Does Walmart have any restrictions on selling products on Walmart Marketplace?

Here is a list of products that are prohibited for Walmart Marketplace Sellers.

How much does it cost to create a Walmart Seller Account?

There are no monthly fees, setup fees, or product listing fees for sellers on Walmart Marketplace.

What percentage does Walmart take from its sellers?

The commission range varies from 6% to 15% on Walmart Seller Central. You pay for what you sell at Walmart, and it is called a “referral fee.”

How many items/products can I list on Walmart Seller Central for free?

There is no limitation for product listing. You can list your complete product catalog for free on Walmart as there are no charges for product listing on Walmart Marketplace.

How to add and manage listings on Walmart Marketplace?

Walmart allows you to manage your listings through its Seller Center application and also by using the API or a third-party Solution Provider.

How to be a successful Walmart Seller?

• Be competitive when it comes to pricing, choose the lowest price possible, and sell in larger quantities.

• Always replenish your inventory on Walmart Marketplace to be a successful Walmart Seller.

• Update your pricing frequently to stay published on Walmart Marketplace

Is it worth it to sell at Walmart in 2023?

Definitely! As Walmart is less competitive than Amazon, Walmart sellers have an unfair advantage in improving their sales volume than other marketplaces.

What are Walmart Fulfillment Services?

Just like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Walmart Fulfillment Services lets you send products to Walmart Fulfillment Center. Your items are packed and sent to the respective customers based on the orders they place on Walmart Marketplace.

Is Walmart Profitable?

More than 73% of Walmart Sellers have a profit margin of 20%, and close to half of them earn more than $100,00 as annual revenue.

Is it hard to sell at Walmart?

No! It is not hard to sell on Walmart Marketplace if you’re residing in the US and have all the necessary documents ready. Once your application is approved by Walmart Marketplace, it's all about strategies and consistently abiding by the seller policies of Walmart. 

What are the most sold items on Walmart Marketplace?

Laundry supplies, coffee makers, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, personal care, fashion apparel, clothing & accessories, baby care products, books, health & wellness products, toys, fitness accessories, and kitchenware.

All you need as a seller is focused hours on Walmart Seller Central. If you make up your mind to sell high-quality products on a consistent basis with enough time given to updating prices and managing your inventory, you’ll become a profitable Walmart seller. 

You might be using either QuickBooks or Xero to upload your financial transactions, like invoices and checks. Instead of manually entering transaction line by line, consider using Saasant Transactions to speed up your accounting process. 

And, if you’re receiving and sending money through various payment processing platforms like PayPal or Stripe, it might be difficult to track your payments. That’s why Saasant recommends you utilize PayTraqer to keep track of all your payments in a single place. 

Focus on your business deeds while Saasant takes care of your accounting automation and payment tracking needs!