Walmart Seller Central: The Complete Guide to Walmart Seller Center

If you're an established brand looking to expand beyond Amazon, Walmart Seller Center should be at the top of your list. With over 150,000 third-party sellers and growing, Walmart Marketplace has become the strongest alternative to Amazon for brands that want to diversify their ecommerce revenue.

But navigating Walmart's seller platform can be confusing — especially if you're coming from Amazon Seller Central and expecting the same setup. This guide covers everything you need to know about Walmart Seller Center in 2026, from what it is and how to get approved to managing listings, understanding fees, and scaling your sales.

At Lab 916, we manage over $250 million in marketplace revenue for established brands, and we've helped dozens of companies launch and scale on Walmart Marketplace. Here's what we've learned.

What Is Walmart Seller Center?

Walmart Seller Center is Walmart's self-service portal for third-party marketplace sellers. It's where you manage every aspect of your Walmart Marketplace business — product listings, pricing, orders, returns, performance metrics, and advertising.

Think of it as Walmart's version of Amazon Seller Central. If you sell on Walmart.com as a third-party seller, Seller Center is your operating hub.

A quick note on naming: many sellers search for "Walmart Seller Central" because they're used to Amazon's terminology. Walmart Seller Central and Walmart Seller Center are the same thing — Walmart just uses "Seller Center" as the official name. You'll also see it written as one word ("WalmartSellerCentral") in some places. All of these refer to the same platform at seller.walmart.com.

Walmart launched its third-party marketplace in 2009 and began aggressively expanding in 2016. Today, the Walmart Marketplace hosts sellers across nearly every product category and gives brands access to Walmart's massive customer base — over 120 million weekly visitors to Walmart.com.

What Is Walmart Marketplace?

Walmart Marketplace is the third-party selling program that operates within Walmart.com. When you see products on Walmart.com sold by someone other than Walmart itself, those sellers are part of Walmart Marketplace.

As a marketplace seller, your products appear alongside Walmart's own inventory in search results. Customers purchase from you through Walmart.com, and you handle fulfillment either on your own or through Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).

Walmart Marketplace is different from Walmart's first-party retail business. If you're a wholesale supplier selling directly to Walmart's retail operations, you'd use Retail Link — a completely separate platform. Seller Center is exclusively for third-party marketplace sellers who sell directly to customers on Walmart.com.

Walmart Seller Center vs. Amazon Seller Central

If you're selling on Amazon, you'll want to understand how Walmart Seller Center compares to Amazon Seller Central before expanding. The platforms serve the same basic purpose, but there are meaningful differences.

No monthly subscription fee. Amazon charges $39.99/month for a Professional seller account. Walmart has no monthly fee — you only pay referral fees when you make a sale.

Approval required. Amazon lets almost anyone create a seller account. Walmart reviews every application and only approves sellers who meet their standards. This means less competition on Walmart, but you need to demonstrate that you're an established, reliable business.

Lower advertising costs. Walmart Connect (their advertising platform) is less mature than Amazon Ads, but that works in your favor. CPCs are typically lower, there's less bidding competition, and early adopters have an advantage while the platform grows.

Price parity matters more. Walmart's algorithm is more price-sensitive than Amazon's. If your products are priced higher on Walmart than on other marketplaces, your listings can be suppressed. You need a cross-channel pricing strategy from day one.

Simpler catalog requirements — with stricter enforcement. Walmart's listing setup is more straightforward than Amazon's, but they enforce content quality aggressively. Listings that don't meet Walmart's standards get suppressed from search results without warning.

Different fulfillment model. Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is the equivalent of Amazon FBA. Products fulfilled through WFS earn a "Fulfilled by Walmart" badge and qualify for Walmart+ free shipping, which significantly boosts conversion rates.

How to Sell on Walmart Marketplace: Account Setup

Getting approved to sell on Walmart Marketplace requires more preparation than signing up for Amazon. Here's the step-by-step process for setting up your Walmart Seller Center account.

Check Your Eligibility

Walmart is selective about who they approve. You'll need a US Business Tax ID (EIN) — or foreign equivalent with proper documentation. You need a proven track record of ecommerce or marketplace success. Your products must have GTIN/UPC barcodes. And you need to demonstrate that you can maintain competitive pricing and strong fulfillment standards.

Brands already selling successfully on Amazon tend to have the strongest applications. Walmart wants established businesses, not first-time sellers testing the waters.

Submit Your Application

Go to marketplace.walmart.com and complete the application. You'll provide your business name, address, and tax information (W-9 for US businesses), the product categories you plan to sell in, your estimated catalog size, and any existing marketplace performance data.

Approval timelines vary, but most applications are reviewed within 2 to 4 weeks. Strong applications from established businesses with proven marketplace experience get approved faster. Some may take longer if Walmart requests additional documentation.

Complete Your Seller Center Profile

Once approved, you'll log in to Walmart Seller Center at seller.walmart.com and complete your account setup. This includes configuring your partner profile with company details, setting up shipping templates and return policies, connecting your payment processing through Payoneer or Hyperwallet, and uploading your product catalog.

Create Your Product Listings

You can add products through single item setup (one at a time through the Seller Center interface), bulk upload via Walmart's category-specific spreadsheet templates, or API integration for automated listing management.

Listing quality is critical on Walmart. Their algorithm heavily weights listing completeness — every available attribute should be filled out, images must be high-quality and meet Walmart's specifications, and descriptions should be detailed and keyword-rich. Incomplete listings get deprioritized in search results and can be suppressed entirely.

Launch and Start Selling

Once your listings are live, focus on competitive pricing (Walmart's Buy Box algorithm favors the lowest price), fast and reliable shipping, building initial reviews through Walmart's Review Accelerator program, and running Walmart Connect sponsored product ads to drive visibility while your organic rankings build.

Walmart Seller Fees: What It Costs to Sell

One of the biggest advantages of selling on Walmart is the fee structure. Here's what you'll pay.

No monthly subscription. Unlike Amazon's $39.99/month Professional plan, Walmart charges no recurring monthly fee. You only pay when you make a sale.

Referral fees per sale. Walmart charges a referral fee on each transaction, typically ranging from 6% to 15% depending on the product category. This is comparable to Amazon's referral fee structure. Most categories fall in the 8% to 15% range.

WFS fees (if using Walmart Fulfillment Services). If you use WFS for fulfillment, you'll pay storage fees and fulfillment fees similar to Amazon FBA. Fulfillment fees are based on item weight and dimensions. Storage fees are charged monthly.

No additional closing fees. Unlike Amazon, which charges additional per-item fees in certain categories (like media), Walmart keeps its fee structure simpler.

For most sellers, the total cost of selling on Walmart is lower than Amazon, primarily because there's no monthly subscription and competition for advertising is less intense, which keeps ad costs down.

Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)

Walmart Fulfillment Services is Walmart's answer to Amazon FBA. You ship your inventory to Walmart's fulfillment centers, and they handle storage, packing, shipping, returns, and customer service.

Why WFS matters for your Walmart strategy: products fulfilled through WFS earn a "Fulfilled by Walmart" tag on their listing, qualify for Walmart+ free two-day shipping, and get priority in Walmart's Buy Box algorithm. This translates directly into higher visibility and better conversion rates.

WFS is available to any approved Walmart Marketplace seller. FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) sellers are automatically eligible — if you're already doing FBA, the transition to WFS is straightforward. FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) sellers must opt in to pre-paid return labels in Seller Center to qualify.

If you're serious about selling on Walmart, WFS is worth using from the start. The visibility boost alone justifies the fulfillment costs for most sellers.

Managing Your Business in Walmart Seller Center

Once your account is live, here are the key areas of Seller Center you'll use day-to-day.

Listing and Inventory Management

The Items & Inventory section is your product catalog hub. You can create and edit listings, manage inventory levels, handle product variations, and monitor content quality scores. Walmart flags listings that don't meet their standards — check this section regularly to avoid suppressions.

Order Processing

The Orders section shows incoming orders, fulfillment status, and any issues needing attention. If you're fulfilling orders yourself (not using WFS), you'll manage shipping confirmations, tracking uploads, and delivery timelines here.

Performance Metrics

Walmart tracks seller performance closely. Your On-Time Shipment Rate must stay above 99%. Your Valid Tracking Rate must stay above 99%. Your Cancellation Rate must stay below 2%. Falling below these thresholds can trigger account suspension. Monitor your performance dashboard daily, not weekly.

Walmart Connect Advertising

Walmart's advertising platform is accessible directly through Seller Center. You can create Sponsored Products campaigns, set budgets and bids, and track performance. While less sophisticated than Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect offers strong ROI because of lower competition.

Analytics

Seller Center includes basic sales and traffic analytics. For deeper insights, Walmart offers Walmart Luminate — a premium analytics platform with customer behavior data and category-level intelligence.

Common Mistakes New Walmart Sellers Make

Based on managing Walmart accounts for established brands, here are the issues we see most often.

Ignoring content quality scores. Walmart suppresses listings that fall below their content quality threshold. Missing attributes, low-quality images, and thin descriptions are the most common causes. Audit your listings in the Content Quality section of Seller Center before anything else.

Pricing higher than Amazon. Walmart's algorithm monitors cross-marketplace pricing. If your Walmart prices are higher than your Amazon prices, your listings can be suppressed. Your pricing strategy needs to account for both channels simultaneously.

Underestimating onboarding time. Getting a large catalog live on Walmart takes longer than most sellers expect. Category-specific attribute requirements, image standards, and item matching processes create bottlenecks. Plan for 2 to 4 weeks to launch a full catalog properly.

Skipping WFS. Sellers who fulfill their own orders on Walmart consistently underperform compared to WFS sellers. The "Fulfilled by Walmart" badge and Walmart+ shipping eligibility make a significant difference in conversion rates.

Treating Walmart like Amazon. The platforms are different. Keywords, listing optimization, advertising strategy, and even customer expectations vary. What works on Amazon doesn't automatically work on Walmart. Approach it as its own channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Walmart Seller Central the same as Walmart Seller Center? Yes. Many sellers call it "Walmart Seller Central" because they're familiar with Amazon Seller Central, but the official name is Walmart Seller Center. Both terms refer to the same platform at seller.walmart.com.

How do I log in to Walmart Seller Center? Go to seller.walmart.com and click "Log In." You'll use the credentials you created during your account setup. If you're having trouble accessing your account, contact Walmart Seller Support through the Help section inside Seller Center.

How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace? There's no monthly subscription fee. Walmart charges referral fees on each sale, typically 6% to 15% depending on the product category. If you use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), there are additional storage and fulfillment fees similar to Amazon FBA.

How to become a Walmart Marketplace seller? Apply at marketplace.walmart.com with your business tax information, product catalog details, and existing marketplace performance data. Approval takes 2 to 4 weeks. Walmart looks for established businesses with proven ecommerce success.

Can I sell on Walmart and Amazon at the same time? Yes, and most successful Walmart sellers do. The main consideration is pricing — Walmart penalizes listings priced higher than other marketplaces. You'll need a pricing strategy that works across both channels.

What is Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)? WFS is Walmart's equivalent of Amazon FBA. You ship inventory to Walmart's fulfillment centers, and they handle storage, shipping, returns, and customer service. Products fulfilled through WFS get a "Fulfilled by Walmart" badge and qualify for Walmart+ free shipping.

How to sell on Walmart Marketplace from outside the US? Walmart accepts international sellers. You'll need proper US tax documentation (or your country's equivalent), a US-based return address, and the ability to meet Walmart's fulfillment standards. The application process is the same, but approval may require additional documentation.

Lab 916 is a full-service marketplace management agency that helps established brands launch and grow on Walmart, Amazon, and other ecommerce platforms. If you're considering expanding to Walmart or need help optimizing your existing Walmart Seller Center account, get in touch with our team for a free strategy consultation.