To sell on Walmart Marketplace in 2026, apply with your business and tax details, wait for approval, complete onboarding, add optimized listings, and pick a fulfillment method such as Walmart Fulfillment Services. There is no monthly seller fee - Walmart takes a referral fee per sale, usually 6% to 15% by category.
TL;DR
- No monthly fee. Walmart charges a per-sale referral fee, roughly 6% to 15% by category.
- Approval is selective. Walmart vets your business history and catalog before letting you in.
- WFS is the FBA equivalent. Ship inventory in, Walmart stores and ships it, orders get a fast-delivery badge.
- Less competition, less traffic. Fewer sellers than Amazon, but a smaller shopper pool too.
- Running Walmart alongside Amazon widens reach without a new product, but doubles the listings, pricing, and inventory to manage, which is where automation pays off.
Is Walmart Marketplace worth it for sellers in 2026?
Yes, Walmart Marketplace is worth it in 2026 for sellers who want reach beyond Amazon with less listing competition. Walmart.com is one of the largest US ecommerce sites by traffic, and its third-party marketplace has expanded rapidly as the company invests in competing with Amazon. According to Marketplace Pulse, Walmart Marketplace has been one of the fastest-growing marketplaces for third-party sellers in the US.
The appeal is simple: fewer sellers chasing the same shoppers. On Amazon, third-party sellers make up around 60% of unit sales, per Amazon's own reporting, and most popular categories are crowded. Walmart has far fewer sellers, so a strong listing can rank more easily. The tradeoff is smaller total traffic, which is exactly why many sellers run both rather than choosing one.
Step 1: Apply and get approved
Apply through Walmart Marketplace and pass the approval review before you can list anything. Walmart is more selective than Amazon, so treat the application like a pitch. You provide your business details, a US business tax ID, product categories, and information about your fulfillment ability.
What helps you get approved:
- An established ecommerce track record, ideally on another marketplace.
- A US business entity and tax documentation, which Walmart requires.
- Competitive pricing, since Walmart is a price-driven marketplace.
- A clean product catalog in categories Walmart wants to grow.
Approval can take from a few days to a few weeks. Walmart's own Marketplace resources outline the current requirements, and they update periodically, so check them before applying. If you are declined, tighten your pricing and business documentation and reapply rather than giving up.
Step 2: Complete onboarding and set up your account
After approval, finish onboarding by registering your business, agreeing to the retailer agreement, and setting up shipping and payment. This step turns your approval into an active selling account, and skipping fields here delays your first sale.
You will configure your shipping settings, tax setup, and payment method so Walmart can pay you out. Take the time to set accurate shipping templates, because Walmart weighs delivery speed heavily in how it ranks and badges listings. A well-configured account at this stage saves you from ranking penalties later.
Step 3: Create and optimize your listings
Build listings with clear titles, strong images, and complete attributes, because Walmart's search rewards completeness and relevance. You can create listings one at a time, in bulk with a spreadsheet, or by matching to an existing item already in Walmart's catalog.
| Listing element | What to do |
|---|---|
| Title | Brand, product, and key attributes in plain language |
| Images | Clean main image on white, plus lifestyle shots |
| Key features | Benefit-led bullets with relevant keywords |
| Attributes | Fill every field; Walmart uses them for filtering and search |
| Price | Competitive, since price is a heavy ranking signal |
Walmart's search algorithm leans harder on price and fulfillment speed than Amazon's does, which rewards reviews more heavily. If you already sell on Amazon, your existing content is a strong starting point, but you will need to remap it to Walmart's attribute fields. For the Amazon side of a multichannel setup, see the how to sell on Amazon guide.
Step 4: Choose your fulfillment method (WFS vs seller-fulfilled)
Choose between Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and fulfilling orders yourself. With WFS, you ship inventory to Walmart and it stores, picks, packs, ships, and handles returns, and your orders earn a fast-delivery badge. With seller-fulfilled, you store and ship every order yourself.
| Factor | WFS | Seller-fulfilled |
|---|---|---|
| Fast-delivery badge | Yes, automatic | Only if you meet speed standards |
| Effort | Low, Walmart ships | High, you ship |
| Fees | Storage plus fulfillment per unit | Your own shipping costs |
| Best for | Small, fast-moving items | Large, heavy, or slow items |
WFS works much like Amazon FBA: it removes the logistics burden and lifts conversion through faster delivery. According to Marketplace Pulse, fulfillment speed is a major driver of marketplace conversion, which is why the delivery badge matters. Most sellers with small, fast-moving products choose WFS, while oversized items often stay seller-fulfilled to protect margin.
Step 5: Launch and optimize
Launch with competitive pricing and complete listings, then optimize continuously, because Walmart is a live, price-sensitive marketplace. A new listing needs signals - sales, speed, and price - before it ranks, so your early job is to generate momentum.
- Price to win. Walmart favors the lowest credible price in a category.
- Keep listings complete. Fill every attribute so you appear in more filtered searches.
- Use WFS or hit delivery speed standards to earn the fast-delivery badge.
- Monitor your listing quality score, which Walmart surfaces in Seller Center.
- Adjust prices as competitors move, since the Buy Box equivalent goes to the best offer.
Walmart's Marketplace resources stress that listing quality and price competitiveness directly affect visibility. Like Amazon, this is not a one-time setup. It is ongoing work that never really ends, and it compounds as your catalog grows.
How is Walmart different from Amazon?
Walmart has fewer sellers, no monthly fee, and a heavier emphasis on price, while Amazon has more traffic, a Professional plan fee, and a heavier emphasis on reviews. Understanding the differences helps you decide where to focus and how to price.
| Factor | Walmart Marketplace | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly seller fee | None | $39.99 for Professional plan |
| Referral fee | ~6% to 15% by category | ~8% to 15% by category |
| Fulfillment program | WFS | FBA |
| Seller competition | Lower | Higher |
| Total traffic | Lower | Higher |
| Ranking emphasis | Price and delivery speed | Reviews, relevance, and conversion |
| Approval | Selective application | Open signup |
For a full side-by-side that also brings TikTok Shop into the picture, see Amazon vs Walmart vs TikTok Shop. And if you want the discovery-driven channel that neither Amazon nor Walmart covers, the how to sell on TikTok Shop guide walks through it.
Running Walmart and Amazon together
Selling on both Walmart and Amazon widens your reach without a new product, but it doubles your operational surface. Each marketplace has its own listings, attribute fields, pricing rules, inventory pool, and performance metrics. A seller doing well on Amazon who adds Walmart suddenly has two dashboards, two sets of listings, and two inventory pools to keep in sync.
This is the multichannel trap: the extra reach is real, but so is the extra work. You can hire, you can run a stack of separate tools, or you can use an AI operator that runs both channels from one place - syncing listings, adjusting pricing, and handling the daily optimization across Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop at once. The sellers who expand to multiple marketplaces without doubling their hours are almost always the ones who automate the operational layer rather than out-working it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start selling on Walmart Marketplace?
Apply through Walmart Marketplace with your business details, tax ID, and product info, wait for approval, then complete onboarding, add your listings, and choose a fulfillment method. Approval is selective, so a professional application and a US business entity improve your odds.
Is it hard to get approved for Walmart Marketplace?
It is more selective than Amazon. Walmart reviews your business history, product catalog, and fulfillment ability before approving you. Sellers with an established ecommerce track record, tax documentation, and competitive pricing tend to get approved faster than brand-new sellers with no history.
How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart Marketplace charges no monthly or setup fee. It takes a referral fee per sale, usually 6% to 15% by category, similar to Amazon. If you use Walmart Fulfillment Services, you also pay storage and fulfillment fees based on size and weight.
What is Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)?
WFS is Walmart's equivalent of Amazon FBA. You ship inventory to Walmart, and it stores, picks, packs, ships, and handles returns for you. WFS orders get faster delivery tags and a TwoDay badge, which lifts conversion much like Prime does on Amazon.
How is selling on Walmart different from Amazon?
Walmart has fewer sellers and less listing competition than Amazon, but also lower traffic. Walmart has no monthly seller fee, while Amazon charges $39.99 for a Professional plan. Amazon rewards reviews heavily, while Walmart weighs price and fulfillment speed more strongly.
Can I sell the same products on Walmart and Amazon?
Yes. Most multichannel sellers list the same catalog on both to widen reach. The main challenge is managing two sets of listings, prices, and inventory pools without letting them drift out of sync, which is time-consuming to do by hand.
Want Walmart and Amazon to run themselves? Jinnify operates all your channels from one place - listings, pricing, ads, and reviews on autopilot - so you can add Walmart Marketplace without adding a second full-time job. Start for free.
Author: The Jinnify Team - ecommerce growth and automation specialists Published: 2026-07-08 | Updated: 2026-07-08 Sources: Walmart Marketplace, Marketplace Pulse, Amazon Small Business