Key takeaways:
- Getting approved requires a registered business, strong ecommerce experience, competitive pricing, and reliable fulfillment.
- The application process involves business verification, payment setup, shipping configuration, and product catalog integration.
- Sellers must maintain strong performance metrics, optimize listings, and learn to manage operations through Walamrt Seller Center.
- Long-term success depends on customer service, policy compliance, inventory management, and leveraging tools like Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
Walmart is an established retail giant with many brick-and-mortar stores worldwide. However, in 2009, Walmart set up its online marketplace where third-party sellers can list and sell their products.
Just like Amazon, the Walmart marketplace has grown to be one of the most prominent online marketplaces in the world.
Selling on the Walmart Marketplace can open up your business to new opportunities. However, getting approved requires careful consideration of various requirements.
Read on as we take you through all you need to know to help you get approved to sell and how to start selling on Walmart Marketplace.
About the Walmart marketplace
The Walmart marketplace is an online platform allowing third-party sellers to list and sell their products to customers.
Since its inception in 2009, the Walmart marketplace has grown to be one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in the world.
Selling on the platform opens you up to numerous benefits. From a massive customer base of over 100 million unique visitors every month to an efficient fulfillment network, competitive pricing, and low setup costs.
What are Walmart's criteria for new sellers?
Selling on Walmart Marketplace can open up access to millions of customers, but Walmart maintains strict standards when approving new sellers. Compared to other marketplaces, the platform remains selective, prioritizing businesses that can consistently deliver a high-quality customer experience.
If you’re thinking of selling on the Walmart marketplace, it is important to take note of the following criteria:
- You must operate an established business. Walmart typically prioritizes businesses with proven ecommerce experience. Having a successful sales history on platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, or your own direct-to-consumer store can strengthen your application.
- Your business must be legally registered. Walmart Marketplace now accepts both U.S. and select international sellers, but your business must be properly registered with valid documentation. U.S.- based sellers will need a registered business entity, while international sellers may need additional tax and compliance documentation depending on their country.
- Walmart evaluates your reliability by looking for businesses with a history of positive customer experiences, fast response times, and consistent order fulfillment.
- Your products should have competitive prices.
- Walmart prioritizes sellers that can deliver products quickly and efficiently. This can be done through Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or through your own third-party logistics provider capable of handling fast shipping and customer returns.
- You should have a collection of impressive products to offer. Your product catalog must meet Walmart quality standards .
Documents required for Walmart Marketplace application
Before starting your application, make sure you have the following:
- A registered business with valid tax documentation (EIN or equivalent business tax identification).
- Business verification documents that confirm your company name and address.
- Product identifiers such as GTIN, UPC, ISBN, or other approved product IDs where applicable.
- A product catalog that complies with Walmart’s Prohibited Products Policy.
- Business contact information and customer service details.
- Banking or payment information for seller payouts.
Step-by-step guide for applying to sell on the Walmart Marketplace in 2026
If you meet the criteria and you have all the documents ready, you can start the application process. Here's a simple step-by-step guide for applying to sell on the Walmart marketplace:
- Submit your application
Visit Walmart Marketplace and click Join Marketplace.
You’ll be redirected to the Walmart Seller Center where you can begin the onboarding process. Complete the application carefully and ensure all information matches your legal business records. Inaccurate information can delay approval. Once completed, click Create Account.
- Verify your email address
After submitting your application, Walmart will send a verification email.
Open the email and verify your address promptly. Verification links usually expire within a limited timeframe, so completing this step quickly helps avoid delays.
- Complete business verification
After logging into your Seller Center, you’ll need to complete business verification. This step involves submitting:
- Legal business information
- Tax registration details
- Business address verification
- Identity verification documents where required
Once Walmart completes its review, your account status will update once approved.
- Set up payment information
Next, configure where Walmart will send your seller payouts. Walmart currently supports several payment partners, including Payoneer, Hyperwallet, and PingPong.
After selecting a provider, you’ll be redirected to complete account setup with your chosen payment service.
- Configure shipping and returns
You’ll now need to set up your shipping preferences.
This includes shipping templates, delivery speed settings, return center information, and return label preferences. Fast shipping and efficient returns are important because Walmart closely monitors seller performance metrics. Many sellers choose Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) to improve delivery speed and operational efficiency.
- Upload and integrate your product catalog
Once account setup is complete, you can begin uploading your products.
Walmart allows catalog integration through several methods. You can make a direct upload in Seller Center, bulk spreadsheet uploads, API integrations, or through third-party solution providers. Make sure your listings include optimized product titles, accurate descriptions, and high-quality product images.
- Go live and start selling
After completing onboarding, your products can go live on Walmart Marketplace.
Before publishing, double-check that your listings comply with Walmart’s marketplace policies, especially the Prohibited Products Policy, pricing rules, and listing quality requirements.
Maintaining strong seller metrics from the beginning is essential for long-term success and avoiding account performance issues. Spend time navigating the Walmart Seller Center so you understand how to manage your business effectively.
Walmart regularly monitors seller performance based on shipping speed, cancellation rates, customer satisfaction, and policy compliance, so operational consistency matters just as much as getting approved.
How long does it take to get approved on the Walmart marketplace?
The Walmart Marketplace approval process typically takes between 24 hours and 4 weeks, depending on the completeness of your application and how quickly Walmart can verify your business information. Applications that require additional verification or contain missing information can take significantly longer.
Several factors can affect how fast your approval process moves:
- Accuracy of your application details: If your business name, tax information, or contact details do not match your official documents, Walmart may delay or reject the application.
- Business verification requirements: Walmart reviews your company registration documents, tax information, and identity verification before approving seller accounts.
- Seller history and ecommerce experience: Businesses with an established track record on marketplaces like Amazon, Shopify, or other ecommerce platforms may experience faster approvals.
- Product category review: Certain product categories may require additional compliance checks before approval is granted.
- High application volume: During busy onboarding periods, Walmart may take longer to process seller applications.
How to increase your chances of getting approved on the Walmart marketplace
To ensure that the application and approval process is faster, focus on the following factors:
- Authentic business documents: You want to ensure you provide authentic documents that verify the authenticity of your business.
- Business reliability: You want to demonstrate your business’s reliability through positive customer reviews and sales figures.
- High product standards: Your products should comply with Walmart’s demands and exceed its quality expectations.
- Exceptional customer service: Having exceptional customer support will give you an edge in the approval process.
You also want to ensure your prices are competitive without compromising on the quality of your products and services.
Benefits of selling on the Walmart marketplace
Selling on the Walmart marketplace comes with several unique benefits:
- Access to Walmart's established infrastructure
Walmart has built a robust infrastructure over the years. By becoming a seller on Walmart Marketplace, you gain access to its advanced features such as free two-day shipping, advanced listings, analytics tools, and easy and secure transactions.
- Leverage Walmart's brand value
Being a part of Walmart Marketplace allows you to leverage Walmart's brand value, increasing the authority of your brand. There is less competition compared to other platforms like Amazon and more consumer trust in your brand and products.
- No monthly fees
Unlike other platforms that charge monthly fees, Walmart Marketplace only charges a referral fee when you sell your product. This fee ranges from 6% to 15%, depending on your product category.
- Massive customer base
Due to Walmart's dominance as a brick-and-mortar leader, it commands impressive brand recognition on its online marketplace. This gives you access to a large customer base that's already buying on the platform.
- Innovative solutions
Walmart Marketplace offers a variety of innovative solutions like Walmart Marketplace Ads, Walmart Brand Control, Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), and other services to simplify your selling process. This allows you to reach more shoppers and increase sales.
7 tips to sell successfully on the Walmart Marketplace
Getting approved on the Walmart Marketplace is only the first step. To succeed long term, sellers need to consistently optimize operations, maintain strong performance metrics, and create a shopping experience that aligns with Walmart’s customer-first approach. Developing proven strategies to grow sales on Walmart can help sellers stay competitive while building a sustainable ecommerce business.
Here are some practical tips to help you grow successfully on Walmart Marketplace.
- Optimize your product listings for visibility and conversions
Your product listings act as your digital storefront, and poorly optimized listings can significantly reduce your visibility in Walmart search results. One of the most important factors for success is optimizing your Walmart listings for search visibility, since better search placement directly impacts traffic and conversions.
To improve discoverability, make sure every listing includes clear, keyword-rich product titles that accurately describe the item while matching what customers are searching for. Product descriptions should be detailed, informative, and highlight important features, benefits, sizing information, specifications, and use cases.
High-quality product images are equally important. Use professional images that show your product from multiple angles and clearly demonstrate its functionality. Listings with complete product information and optimized content generally perform better in Walmart’s search algorithm and often achieve higher conversion rates. The more complete and accurate your listing, the better your chances of winning customer attention.
- Use competitive pricing to improve Buy Box performance
Walmart is heavily focused on offering customers low prices, which means pricing plays a major role in product visibility and sales performance.
Before listing a product, research competitor pricing both on Walmart Marketplace and other ecommerce platforms. Your goal is to remain competitive while still protecting profit margins.
When setting prices, consider all operational costs including referral fees, shipping expenses, advertising spend, storage fees, and fulfillment costs.
Pricing too high can hurt your chances of winning visibility, while pricing too low may create profitability issues over time. Regularly monitor market trends and adjust pricing to stay competitive without sacrificing your margins.
- Leverage Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)
Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) has become one of the biggest advantages for Walmart Marketplace sellers looking to scale faster.
With WFS, Walmart stores, packs, ships, and manages customer returns on your behalf. This helps sellers offer faster delivery speeds while reducing operational complexity.
Products fulfilled through WFS often benefit from improved customer trust because Walmart manages the fulfillment experience directly. Faster shipping speeds can also improve conversion rates and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.
If you are trying to compete more aggressively on the platform, WFS can significantly improve your operational efficiency.
- Prioritize excellent customer service
Customer experience remains one of the biggest factors affecting long-term success on Walmart Marketplace. Respond quickly to customer questions, address complaints professionally, and resolve issues before they escalate into negative reviews or disputes.
Be transparent about shipping timelines, product expectations, and return policies so customers know exactly what to expect before purchasing.
Strong customer service helps generate positive reviews, improves customer trust, and reduces refund requests. Since Walmart monitors seller performance closely, consistently good customer experiences can strengthen your account standing over time.
- Manage inventory to avoid stockouts
Poor inventory management can quickly hurt your sales performance. Running out of stock causes missed sales opportunities and may negatively affect product ranking, while overstocking creates unnecessary storage costs and ties up cash flow.
Use inventory management software to monitor stock levels, track product demand trends, and forecast future inventory requirements. Planning ahead becomes even more important during peak shopping periods when demand can change quickly.
Managing your inventory proactively reduce fulfillment delays and create a more reliable buying experience for your customers.
- Monitor seller performance metrics regularly
Walmart closely tracks seller performance and expects sellers to maintain high operational standards. Understanding the Walmart Marketplace seller metrics you need to maintain is critical if you want to protect your account and remain competitive on the platform.
Important metrics to monitor include:
- Order defect rate
- On-time shipping performance
- Valid tracking rate
- Cancellation rate
- Customer satisfaction scores
- Return handling performance
Poor seller metrics can reduce product visibility and, in serious cases, lead to account warnings or marketplace suspension. Review your Seller Center dashboard regularly and address performance issues immediately before they affect account health.
- Stay compliant with Walmart Marketplace policies
Walmart regularly updates marketplace policies, and staying compliant is critical for protecting your seller account. Sellers should stay informed about Walmart’s rules regarding prohibited products, listing accuracy, pricing policies, intellectual property violations, shipping requirements, and customer communication guidelines.
Policy violations can lead to listing removals, account restrictions, suppressed products, or even permanent suspension. Successful sellers understand that compliance is one of the most important proven strategies to grow sales on Walmart, because maintaining good account standing ensures long-term access to the marketplace and protects future revenue opportunities. Regularly reviewing Walmart Marketplace policy updates helps you avoid costly mistakes and ensures your business remains in good standing.
Final thoughts on getting approved to sell on the Walmart marketplace
Getting approved to sell on the Walmart Marketplace requires careful planning and attention to detail. By understanding Walmart's requirements, having the right documents, optimizing your listings, and demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction, you can increase your chances of approval on the Walmart marketplace.
Working with experts at ePlaybooks can help simplify the process. You can get support with marketplace onboarding, listing optimization, account management, and growth strategies that help you scale faster on Walmart Marketplace.
