A Step-by-Step Guide to Selling on Walmart Marketplace as a New Seller

So you want to sell online. Maybe you have been running a small business for a while, or maybe this is your first time considering eCommerce. Either way, you have probably heard that Amazon is where everyone goes. That is true, but it does not mean Amazon is the only option worth your time. Walmart Marketplace is picking up serious speed, and new sellers who get in now are positioning themselves well ahead of the crowd.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know. From understanding what the platform actually is, to submitting your application and sorting out product codes. Take it one step at a time, and you will be ready to launch faster than you think.

What Is Walmart Marketplace?

Walmart Marketplace is Walmart's platform for third-party sellers. It lets independent businesses list products on Walmart.com alongside Walmart's own inventory. Shoppers do not always know the difference, which works in your favor as a seller.

Here is the simplest way to think about it. Walmart opens up its website to outside sellers and shares its customer base with them. In return, sellers pay a referral fee on every sale they make. Nobody is paying rent before the doors open, so to speak.

The platform has been around since 2009, but Walmart really started investing in it heavily around 2020. Since then, the seller tools have improved, the traffic has grown, and the opportunity has gotten harder to ignore. Right now, it is one of the more underrated platforms in eCommerce.

Why Sell on Walmart Marketplace in 2026?

A lot of sellers ask this question before committing. It is a fair one. Here is why Walmart Marketplace deserves a real look, especially heading into 2026.

A Massive, Trust-Heavy Customer Base

Walmart has spent over six decades earning the trust of American shoppers. That trust does not disappear when someone opens a browser tab. When a customer lands on Walmart.com, they already feel comfortable. That comfort transfers to your listings, even if they have never heard of your brand before.

Over 120 million unique visitors come to Walmart.com every single month. That number alone should stop you in your tracks. These are not people stumbling around online. Many of them arrive knowing they want to buy something. They are warm, they are ready, and your products are right there in front of them.

New sellers tend to underestimate how hard trust is to build from scratch. On a lesser-known platform, every customer is a skeptic until proven otherwise. On Walmart.com, a big chunk of that skepticism is already gone before anyone reads your product description. That is a head start most sellers would love to have.

There is also the loyalty factor. Many Walmart shoppers have been going to that store since they were kids. Some of them shop online now, but the habit of trusting Walmart has followed them. Your product sits inside that trusted environment every time someone searches.

No Monthly Fees and No Setup Charges

Money is tight when you are starting out. The last thing a new seller needs is a monthly bill just for access to a platform, before a single sale has been made. Walmart does not do that. There are no setup fees and no monthly subscriptions.

You pay a referral fee when you sell something. The percentage depends on your product category and typically falls somewhere between six and fifteen percent. Your costs grow only when your revenue grows. That is a model new sellers can actually work with.

It also means you can test things without bleeding cash. List a few products, see what gets traction, and adjust from there. There is no financial pressure from a subscription clock ticking in the background. For a seller still learning the ropes, that breathing room matters more than most people admit.

Less Competition Than Amazon

Two million active sellers are fighting for attention on Amazon right now. Getting discovered as a newcomer on that platform is genuinely hard. You are up against established brands with thousands of reviews and deep advertising budgets. Breaking through takes time, money, and a lot of patience.

Walmart Marketplace runs a tighter ship. The application process is selective, which keeps the seller count lower and the overall quality higher. Fewer sellers competing in your category means your listings have a better shot at visibility. You are not starting at the back of a very long line.

That selectivity also creates a healthier environment overall. The sellers already on the platform tend to be credible, vetted businesses. When you get approved, you are entering a space where buyers expect quality. That expectation works in your favor from day one.

The window for early-mover advantage is still open, but it will not stay open forever. Sellers who join now will have review history, sales data, and established listings by the time the platform gets more crowded. Getting in early on a growing platform is one of the better moves in eCommerce strategy.

How to Sell on Walmart Marketplace

Alright, enough of the why. Here is the actual how, broken into the steps that matter most for new sellers.

Confirm You Meet Walmart's Eligibility Requirements

This is where a lot of sellers stumble, not because the requirements are unreasonable, but because they jump into the application without checking first. Before you fill out a single form, make sure you actually qualify.

Your business must be based in the United States, or at minimum, have a valid US business tax ID and a verified US address. This is a firm requirement. Walmart is not currently accepting standard applications from purely international sellers, so if your setup is outside the US, you have some structural groundwork to do first.

Walmart also wants to see that you have sold online before. They look at your history on other platforms such as Amazon, eBay, or Shopify. A track record shows them that you understand how eCommerce works and that you can fulfill orders reliably. Sellers with zero sales history anywhere tend to face a harder approval process.

Your products need to meet US safety and regulatory standards for their category. There are no workarounds here. If your items have compliance issues, fix them before applying. Listing non-compliant products is the kind of problem that gets accounts suspended down the road, sometimes permanently.

Fulfillment is another area Walmart evaluates closely. You need a real logistics operation in place before you apply. Walmart tracks seller performance after approval, and poor shipping metrics hurt your visibility and can put your account at risk. Have your fulfillment process sorted out and tested before you go anywhere near the application.

Pricing rounds out the eligibility picture. Walmart has a price parity policy, meaning your prices on their platform must be competitive with what you charge elsewhere. If you are selling the same item cheaper on your own website or on Amazon, Walmart expects you to match that price. Review your pricing before applying and make sure your numbers hold up across channels.

Submit Your Walmart Seller Application

Once you have confirmed you are eligible, head to marketplace.walmart.com and request to sell. The application is detailed, so block off at least an hour and approach it without distractions.

You will be asked for your US business tax ID and either a W-9 or W-8 form depending on your business structure. Pull these documents together before you start. Having to stop and search for paperwork in the middle of an application is an easy way to introduce errors or leave the form incomplete.

Walmart also asks about your product categories, your expected catalog size, and your revenue history from other platforms. Give accurate, honest answers. This information helps them assess whether your business fits what they are looking for. Exaggerating your numbers might feel like a good idea, but discrepancies can come back to bite you during review or after approval.

After you submit, Walmart reviews everything manually. That review usually takes one to two weeks. During busy periods, it can stretch a bit longer. An email will come with the outcome. If you are approved, you will gain access to Walmart Seller Center to finish setting up your account. If not, Walmart often provides enough feedback for you to understand what needs to change before reapplying.

Prepare UPCs Or GTINs

Product identifiers are one of the most overlooked parts of getting started, and they cause more headaches than almost anything else for new sellers. Every product you plan to list on Walmart Marketplace needs a valid UPC or GTIN attached to it.

If you make your own products, you need to buy official UPCs through GS1, the global authority that manages product identification standards. Do not cut corners by buying cheap codes from unauthorized resellers. Walmart verifies these codes, and invalid ones will get your listings rejected outright.

If you are reselling products that already exist on the market, those items already have GTINs assigned by the manufacturer. Use those codes as-is. Creating new codes for existing branded products causes listing conflicts and can trigger catalog errors that take time to untangle.

Getting your identifiers organized before you apply saves real time once you are inside Seller Center. Build a simple spreadsheet with each product, its UPC or GTIN, its category, its price, and your SKU. That document becomes your foundation for uploading your catalog, and having it clean from the start prevents a lot of back-and-forth with Walmart's support team.

Beyond the application process, accurate product codes improve your search performance on Walmart.com. Walmart's algorithm uses product data to match listings to customer searches. Clean, verified identifiers give your products a better shot at showing up where buyers can actually find them.

Conclusion

Walmart Marketplace is not a secret anymore, but it is still early enough to matter. The platform has real traffic, a trusted brand behind it, no monthly fees, and less competition than the big names. For a new seller who is serious about building something, those factors add up fast.

Preparation is what separates sellers who get approved and hit the ground running from those who get stuck in back-and-forth with Walmart's team. Check your eligibility honestly, put together a clean application, and get your product identifiers sorted before you need them. Do those things well and you are starting from a position of strength.

The opportunity is there. The question is whether you are ready to take it seriously.