Before You Start Selling on Walmart Marketplace
Your practical guide to launching successfully on Walmart Marketplace. Learn what makes Walmart different from Amazon and avoid common seller mistakes.
Walmart Marketplace has become one of the fastest-growing platforms for e-commerce sellers in recent years. While Amazon still dominates, Walmart's digital expansion is closing the gap, particularly for brands looking to diversify their online presence and reduce their dependence on a single channel.
At VirVentures, we've helped numerous sellers transition to and scale on Walmart Marketplace. But before jumping in, it's important to understand what makes Walmart different, what challenges you might face, and what you can do to set yourself up for success from day one.
This blog is your practical guide to what you should know before you start selling on Walmart Marketplace in 2025.
Why Walmart Marketplace Is Worth Considering
Walmart's online marketplace has experienced explosive growth over the past few years. With more than 150 million monthly online visitors, it's no longer just a brick-and-mortar giant—it's a serious e-commerce player.
But unlike Amazon, Walmart is selective about who gets to sell. This means less saturation, especially in certain categories. The platform is also investing heavily in its fulfillment network, advertising tools, and seller support, making it more accessible than ever.
For brands looking to tap into new audiences while maintaining margins and visibility, Walmart can be a powerful sales channel—if you approach it strategically.
What Makes Walmart Different from Amazon?
On the surface, selling on Walmart may look a lot like Amazon. There's a product catalog, seller dashboard, fulfillment options, and advertising. But scratch beneath that surface, and some key differences emerge:
1Walmart is Invite-Only and Curated
Walmart requires an application and approval before you can list products. They prefer experienced sellers with:
- U.S.-based operations
- Strong e-commerce history
- Competitive pricing and fulfillment capacity
If you're brand-new to e-commerce or have no prior marketplace success, getting in may be tougher. However, established sellers (especially those already successful on Amazon) are often fast-tracked.
2Pricing is Non-Negotiable
Walmart enforces a strict price parity policy. If your product is listed cheaper on Amazon or your own site, Walmart can suppress your listing. Unlike Amazon, where algorithmic repricing is a norm, Walmart expects your best price—period.
This can affect your profitability if you're running aggressive discounts on other channels. Sellers must adopt a pricing strategy that's consistent across platforms to maintain listing visibility.
3Fulfillment Is Evolving (But Still Behind Amazon)
Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is Walmart's answer to Amazon FBA. While it's made impressive strides, it's not yet as robust. That said, WFS is growing quickly and offers:
- 2-day shipping
- Prime-like badges (without a subscription fee)
- Returns processing and customer service
Unlike Amazon, Walmart does not yet penalize sellers as heavily for self-fulfillment, making it more friendly for sellers who aren't yet using third-party logistics providers.
4Less Competition in Ads (For Now)
Walmart Connect—their advertising platform—is still maturing, which means CPCs are lower and ad competition is less intense. It's a good time to claim territory in your niche, especially with newer Sponsored Product placements and expanding ad formats.
What You Need to Get Started
If you're serious about selling on Walmart Marketplace, here are the core requirements and best practices:
1Have Your Paperwork in Place
Walmart requires a U.S. business address, tax ID (EIN), and a DUNS number (business credit identifier). They also request prior sales history—be ready with screenshots or links showing your product listings and reviews on other platforms.
2Prioritize Listing Optimization
Walmart's search engine, while similar to Amazon's, doesn't rely on the same ranking signals. Keywords matter—but so does content quality.
Use clean, benefit-focused titles (under 200 characters), rich product descriptions, and high-quality images. Unlike Amazon, bullet points aren't allowed, so your copy must be scannable and persuasive in paragraph format.
3Prepare for Manual Work
Walmart's backend isn't as user-friendly as Amazon's—yet. While it's improving, expect to spend more time uploading listings, troubleshooting errors, and dealing with support tickets. Investing in a listing tool or marketplace integrator can save significant time.
4Think Beyond One-Time Sales
Walmart doesn't (yet) have the same scale of brand-building tools like Amazon's Brand Registry. That said, repeat purchase categories (like grocery, personal care, and household items) do very well here. Consider bundling, subscribe-and-save style offers, and exclusive variants for Walmart to stand out.
Common Mistakes New Sellers Make
Even seasoned Amazon sellers often stumble when they begin selling on Walmart. Here are a few common traps to avoid:
- Copy-pasting your Amazon listing.Walmart requires different formatting, tone, and structure. Tailor your listings accordingly.
- Ignoring WFS.While you can self-fulfill, using WFS improves Buy Box eligibility and shipping time, boosting conversion.
- Inconsistent pricing.Walmart will suppress listings that are undercut by your own website or other channels. Monitor this closely.
- Neglecting reviews.Unlike Amazon, you can't rely on Vine or auto-generated ratings. Invest in early review strategies that are compliant with Walmart's guidelines.
Is Walmart Right for You?
Not every Amazon seller is ready for Walmart. If your brand is still trying to stabilize operations, refine product-market fit, or iron out fulfillment issues, it may be wise to wait.
But if you have a few winning SKUs, a reliable supply chain, and are looking to diversify revenue streams without drowning in competition—Walmart could be your next growth frontier.
It's not about replacing Amazon. It's about building a multi-channel business that's future-proof.
Final Thoughts: Start Strong, Scale Smart
Selling on Walmart Marketplace can be rewarding—but only if you approach it with the right mindset. It's not a plug-and-play version of Amazon. It requires strategic preparation, operational flexibility, and a willingness to adapt to Walmart's evolving ecosystem.
At VirVentures, we work with brands to launch, optimize, and scale on Walmart. From listings and pricing strategies to fulfillment and ads—we help sellers succeed by doing things the right way, not the easy way.
Ready to Expand to Walmart Marketplace?
What VirVentures Offers:
- Strategic Walmart Marketplace launch planning
- Listing optimization tailored for Walmart's unique requirements
- Multi-channel pricing strategies and compliance
- WFS setup and fulfillment optimization
Perfect For:
- Established Amazon sellers looking to diversify
- Brands with proven SKUs and stable operations
- Companies ready for multi-channel growth
Thinking of expanding to Walmart? We help sellers succeed by doing things the right way, not the easy way.