How to sell on Walmart Marketplace: approval, fees, and your first item
By Oleksandr Shaniuk · founder of Sellura · Updated October 3, 2026
To sell on Walmart Marketplace you apply as a business, and Walmart approves you before you can list. Its pre-application guide (updated 2 September 2026) lists eight requirements, among them a business tax ID or business license number (a Social Security number is not accepted), documents for the business name and address, GS1 barcodes on your products, and U.S. fulfillment with returns. Signing up is free. There is no setup or monthly fee, only a referral fee per sale, set by category and charged on item plus shipping: 15% for home and kitchen goods, toys, pet supplies and the catch-all Everything Else category on Walmart's pricing table, read 3 October 2026.
- Setup or monthly fee to sell on Walmart
- $0
- Walmart pricing page, read 3 Oct 2026
- Referral fee for home goods, toys, pet and more
- 15%
- of item + shipping, jewelry 20%
- Average onboarding time, in Walmart's words
- ~10 days
- New-Seller Savings FAQ, read 3 Oct 2026
- Characters allowed in a product name
- 150
- Product details policy, May 2026
Getting started takes six steps in Seller Center, from creating the account to listing your catalog, and Walmart puts the whole onboarding at about 10 days on average. Below: the requirements as a checklist, the fees that matter for handmade goods, the product-name rules with a real example to test, and when Walmart is not worth it yet.
Who can sell on Walmart Marketplace
Every seller is vetted first. Walmart checks your details with federal, state and international organizations to confirm you are eligible (Marketplace Learn, updated 15 June 2026). Its eight requirements are below as a checklist, and your ticks stay in this browser.
Two of the eight settle it for most makers. The tax ID must belong to a business: Walmart says outright that a Social Security number is not accepted. And Walmart wants GS1 barcodes, which handmade goods rarely carry. The GTIN exemption, covered in the item-setup section, is the way around that.
Tick it off as you go
8 steps — tick them off as you go
Sources: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Before you start selling on Walmart Marketplace (updated 2 Sep 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Onboarding, business verification (updated 15 Jun 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Business entity types Walmart accepts (updated 8 Oct 2025), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Prohibited Products Policy overview (updated 5 Jun 2026), checked 3 October 2026
The application and approval, step by step
Walmart's own average for onboarding is about 10 days (New-Seller Savings FAQ, read 3 October 2026), and its advice for staying near it is to give detailed, accurate information and answer follow-up questions. If your products have no barcodes, request the GTIN exemption early: Walmart allows it before you create items and asks for up to three business days to respond.
Create the account
A business email and a unique password. Walmart says this takes just a few minutes.
Verify your business
Entity type and tax registration exactly as on your IRS records or government documents, plus a government-issued ID. Verification takes from a few minutes to a few business days.
Choose your payout method
Link a third-party payment processor in Seller Center. New sellers start under a New Seller Payment Hold, timed by country of incorporation.
Add market details
Your business display name, customer service email and customer service phone number.
Manage fulfillment
Shipping methods and returns policy. Walmart Fulfillment Services can be added later for specific items, once your first item is set up.
Set up your catalog
In Seller Center, through Walmart's API or with a solution provider. Account setup completes up to four hours after you add inventory.
- Once approved, Walmart sets selling and item limits, such as how many items you can sell at a time, and adjusts them with your sales, performance and feedback.
- With the account in good standing, you can ask for a higher limit 90 days after your first transaction, or 30 days after your last limit evaluation.
Sources: Walmart Marketplace: How to start selling on Walmart.com, a step-by-step guide (published 11 Feb 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Onboarding, business verification (updated 15 Jun 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: New-Seller Savings 2026, FAQ, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Selling and item limits (updated 29 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Request a GTIN exemption (updated 2 Sep 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Shopify Help Center: Marketplace Connect app requirements, checked 3 October 2026
What it costs: referral fees by category
Walmart charges no setup or monthly fee. It deducts one referral fee when an item sells, at a rate set by the category and product type you choose in item setup, on the total sales price, which Walmart says includes the item price as well as shipping and handling, gift wrap and other charges.
15% is the most common rate on the table. Tiered rows come in two shapes. A bracket charges the whole sale at one rate (apparel pays 5% on a sale of $15 or less), and a portion tier charges each slice at its own rate (jewelry pays 20% on the first $250 and 5% above it).
| Category on Walmart's table | Referral fee | On a $10 sale | On a $46 sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, Kitchen, Decor & Garden · Toys & Games · Pet Supplies · Everything Else | Referral fee15% | On a $10 sale$1.50 | On a $46 sale$6.90 |
| Jewelry and Precious Metals | Referral fee20% of the first $250, 5% of any amount above | On a $10 sale$2.00 | On a $46 sale$9.20 |
| Apparel & Accessories | Referral fee5% if the sale is $15 or less, 10% from $15 to $20, 15% above $20 | On a $10 sale$0.50 | On a $46 sale$6.90 |
| Beauty, Health and Personal Care | Referral fee8% if the sale is $10 or less, 15% above $10 | On a $10 sale$0.80 | On a $46 sale$6.90 |
Rates: Walmart's pricing page, read 3 October 2026. The $46 sale is a $40 item plus $6 shipping. Fees are our arithmetic, before any New-Seller Savings discount.
- New-Seller Savings: 20% off the referral fee on your first $50K in sales, for first-time sellers who start selling after 1 February 2026 and enroll in Seller Center. It runs until 31 January 2027 and Walmart can change or end it. On a 15% row, our arithmetic gives 12%.
- Walmart Fulfillment Services is optional and billed separately.
Run your category and price through the free Walmart fee calculator →
Sources: Walmart Marketplace: Pricing, referral fees by category, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: seller FAQ, “What does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?”, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: New-Seller Savings 2026, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: New-Seller Savings, general offer details, checked 3 October 2026
Setting up your first item: product name, attributes, images
Each item starts with a category, product type group and product type, which set the attributes you fill in and your fee row. Then the name. Walmart's product details policy (updated 21 May 2026) caps it at 150 characters and wants it clear and descriptive, with key values such as 12 oz (its own example) and no all caps, special characters such as ~ or $, promotional claims or repeated keywords. Its 2020 item setup spec gives the standard form, Brand + Defining Qualities + Item Name + Pack Count (if applicable), and its 2020 Listing Quality guide recommends 50 to 75 characters.
The checker below starts from a real product name written for Walmart on 3 October 2026, for a handmade mug from Clay & Kiln, an example maker brand: 71 characters, brand first. Edit it or paste yours, and it flags what the policy rejects. Key features, descriptions and images have their own rules, covered on the Walmart listing SEO page.
Check your own title
- Walmart's formula: Brand + defining quality + item name + pack count + size/colour. If the product has a brand, it goes first; if not, start with the item itself — never a made-up brand.
- Keep your most important keyword inside the first 40 characters — that’s what shoppers see first on mobile.
Check any Walmart product name with the free title checker → · Every Walmart field's rules: names, key features, descriptions →
Sources: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Product details policy (updated 21 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace item setup spec, product name field (Excel, 2020), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: Listing Quality optimization guide (PDF, 2020), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Item attribution and categorization (updated 18 Oct 2024), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Request a GTIN exemption (updated 2 Sep 2026), checked 3 October 2026
Getting found in Walmart search
Walmart's policy says the title, description, key features, images and attributes help decide how an item appears in search and browse results. Its keyword guide (updated 14 April 2026) adds the working rule: pick one or two primary keywords and use each once in the title, the description and the key features. Walmart also grades listings with a Listing Quality score that considers content, discoverability, offer, and ratings and reviews.
Live item not showing up? Diagnose it before you rewrite a word →
Sources: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Product details policy (updated 21 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Keyword optimization (updated 14 Apr 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: Listing Quality dashboard, checked 3 October 2026
Fulfillment: ship it yourself or use WFS
You can ship orders yourself, use Walmart Fulfillment Services, or mix the two item by item. With WFS, Walmart picks, packs and ships each order and handles its customer support and returns, with no inventory minimums or maximums, for fulfillment and storage fees of its own.
Shipping yourself means meeting Walmart's Seller Performance Standards over rolling 30- or 60-day windows, and an account that falls short and doesn't improve can be suppressed, suspended or terminated. With WFS, Walmart says most of these metrics are met for you, except the Negative Feedback Rate.
| Metric | Walmart's standard |
|---|---|
| Cancellation Rate | Walmart's standard2% or below |
| On-Time Delivery Rate | Walmart's standard90% or above |
| Valid Tracking Rate | Walmart's standard99% or above |
| Seller Response Rate (replies within 48 hours) | Walmart's standard95% or above |
| Late Shipment Rate | Walmart's standard5% or below |
| Return Rate | Walmart's standard6% or below |
| Item Not Received Rate | Walmart's standard2% or below |
| Negative Feedback Rate (one- or two-star ratings) | Walmart's standard2% or below |
Walmart Marketplace Learn, Seller Performance Standards (updated 28 July 2026), read 3 October 2026. Walmart notes they are subject to change.
Sources: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Seller Performance Standards (updated 28 Jul 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Before you start selling on Walmart Marketplace, WFS (updated 2 Sep 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: seller FAQ, “What are the benefits of shipping orders with Walmart?”, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: How to start selling on Walmart.com, shipping options FAQ, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: Pricing, Walmart Fulfillment Services fees, checked 3 October 2026
Is Walmart Marketplace worth it?
It depends on fit, and this guide won't guess at your sales. Walmart suits a maker who has the business paperwork, a margin that survives about 15% of item plus shipping, and either the operations to meet its standards or room in the price for WFS. It is a poor fit, for now, if:
- you sell under your Social Security number with no registered business
- your products need Walmart's pre-approval (jewelry, topical or ingestible products, fragrances, books, custom content) and you don't have it yet
- your margin can't absorb 15% of item plus shipping, or 20% of a jewelry sale up to $250
- you can't meet the seller-fulfilled standards yourself and WFS doesn't fit your product
- you need payouts from day one, because new sellers start under a New Seller Payment Hold
Sources: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Before you start selling on Walmart Marketplace (updated 2 Sep 2026), checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace Learn: Prohibited Products Policy, categories that need pre-approval, checked 3 October 2026 · Walmart Marketplace: How to start selling on Walmart.com, payout notes, checked 3 October 2026
What Sellura does for a Walmart listing, and what it doesn't
Sellura writes the item-setup text. Describe the product and it returns a Walmart product name in the standard form, brand first when you have one, at around 75 characters, plus up to 10 key features of at most 80 characters, a one-paragraph description of 150 words or more, and ten keyword phrases for those fields. Each result gets a deterministic 0–100 score: the same listing always gets the same number, every point traced to a weighted factor. The name in the checker above is its output from 3 October 2026, 71 characters, scored 100/100.
It doesn't apply to Walmart for you, request a GTIN exemption, connect to Seller Center, or manage inventory, pricing or fulfillment, and it doesn't predict approval or rank. Walmart's product details policy makes you responsible for reviewing AI-generated content before you publish it, so check the output against the product in your hand. Sellura is not affiliated with Walmart.
- Free, no card: the product name preview and its 0–100 score on every generation (15 free previews), the title checker and the Walmart fee calculator. The Listing Grader is free to try, two runs.
- Paid: a credit unlocks one full listing. Starter is $15 a month for 25 credits or $150 a year. Pro is $24 a month for 65 credits plus bulk, or $240 a year.
Source: Walmart Marketplace Learn: Product details policy, AI-generated content (updated 21 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
FAQ
Can anyone sell on Walmart Marketplace?
No. Walmart vets every seller and, among eight requirements, asks for a business tax ID or business license number (not a Social Security number), documents for the business name and address, GS1 barcodes or an exemption, and U.S. fulfillment with returns or WFS.
How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Signing up is free, with no setup or monthly fee. Walmart deducts a referral fee from each sale, set by category and charged on item plus shipping: 15% for home goods, toys, pet supplies and the catch-all Everything Else category, 20% on the first $250 of a jewelry sale, and 5% on apparel sales of $15 or less.
How long does it take to get approved to sell on Walmart?
Walmart says onboarding takes about 10 days on average, and that business verification alone can take from a few minutes to a few business days.
Can I sell handmade items on Walmart without UPC barcodes?
Yes, with an approved GTIN exemption, which Walmart offers for products without a product ID, such as handmade goods. Request it in Seller Center under Catalog, GTIN Exemptions. Walmart asks for up to three business days to respond.
Can I sell on Walmart with Shopify?
Yes. Shopify's own Marketplace Connect app connects a Shopify store to Walmart in the United States, once you have a verified Walmart seller account. The application comes first.
What can you sell on Walmart Marketplace?
Products that comply with the law and Walmart's Prohibited Products Policy. Some categories need pre-approval first, including jewelry and watches, topical and ingestible products, fragrances, books, software, luxury brands, Halloween and select seasonal products, and custom content.
Is selling on Walmart Marketplace worth it?
It can be if you have the business paperwork, your margin survives about 15% of item plus shipping, and you can meet Walmart's shipping standards or pay for WFS. Applying is free, so finding out costs time, not money.
Line up the business paperwork and the barcodes, or a GTIN exemption, before you open Seller Center. Price from Walmart's category table with shipping included, and write the first product name brand first, under 150 characters, with nothing the policy rejects. The name preview and its 0–100 score are free, so start there.