Norm Farrar from Private Label Legion joins us this week to talk about Walmart.com and what it takes to get qualified as a marketplace seller.
Hey everyone!
I’m Norm Farrar and I want to share with you some insider tips about who is qualified to sell on Walmart.com and how to increase your chances of getting approved during your application process.
Let’s jump right in, shall we?
1. Walmart Marketplace 101
2. Can anyone sell on Walmart.com?
3. How to get approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller
4. More Walmart Marketplace insider tips
5. FREE resources for EVERY marketplace seller
6. About Tim & Norm
Walmart Marketplace 101
Chances are you’ve already read some of my recent posts with Tim Jordan and myself about Walmart Marketplace.
But if you haven’t, you can check them out here:
Is Selling On Walmart Worth It In 2022?
How To Start Selling On Walmart
And before we get into the topic of WHO can sell on Walmart, I want to review WHY Walmart is a great opportunity for marketplace sellers like you and me. Here’s a quick recap to catch you up to speed:
1. Walmart Marketplace isn’t over saturated with sellers … yet!
2. Joining Walmart as a seller is a “get in on the ground floor” opportunity
3. Selling through Walmart Marketplace gives you access to a new audience of buyers
If you want more info about Walmart Marketplace, why it’s growing, and why I think it’s going to be huge, I encourage you to read through the guides linked above. Plus, you can find some cool insider tips in each article if you look closely!
Now, without further ado, let’s tackle this seemingly-mysterious topic and discuss who can become a Walmart Marketplace seller and what it takes to get approved.
Can anyone sell on Walmart.com?
Nope! Not everyone can jump right in …
That’s because sellers can only sell on Walmart.com if they’re approved. And while Walmart doesn’t make all of the EXACT requirements known to the public, I can tell you what Walmart.com does PUBLICALLY tell us.
I can also share some of the experiences I have found to be true through my own experimenting and selling. We’ll get into that in a second, but here’s the gist:
1. Walmart Marketplace only approves qualified businesses
2. Walmart Marketplace only approves sellers they believe will deliver a high-quality experience to shoppers
3. Walmart Marketplace only approves businesses based in the United States
If you can check those three boxes, there’s a solid chance you will be approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller. Now let’s move on to the granular application details.
How to get approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller
#1: Get all your documentation in a row before you start the application process
Walmart likes to know that you are a legit business. So you’re going to need a paper trail. I recommend you get all your paperwork together BEFORE you start the application to make life a little easier for yourself. Here’s a list of some things you will need:
• US Business Tax ID (not your social security number)
• W9 or W8 forms
• EIN Verification Letter that verifies your business address (this has to be from the Department of Treasury)
• Address or place of physical operations (where you will accept returns mail)
• Registered business address (has to be in the United States)
• How you plan to integrate your product catalog (though manual upload or bulk file uploads)
• Primary product categories, catalog size, and other relevant information such as the actual products you intend to sell
The more information you have on hand, the better. This prevents back-and-forth communication with Walmart, speeds up the application process, and increases your chances of approval.
Insider Tip: If you start the application process then pause for a couple weeks to round up paperwork, your application can get stuck in a never-ending “paused” status.
#2: Double-check that you meet other basic requirements
I strongly suggest you take a couple minutes to review Walmart’s prohibited products list. If even one product in your entire catalog is prohibited, your application will be denied. You can review the complete list on Walmart’s website, but here are the big three:
• Alcohol
• Hazardous materials
• Offensive products
And Walmart Marketplace only approves sellers who have a business based in the United States. It’s important to note that YOU don’t have to be in the United States, but your BUSINESS has to be.
#3: Request to sell (preferably through a partner website)
Once you’ve completed steps one and two above, you’re ready to “request to sell” (which is another way of saying “apply”).
Now, Walmart makes its application available through its own website. But I’ve noticed that sellers who request to sell through a partner (like Shopify or FedEx) are given priority.
To clarify, “priority” in this case doesn’t mean that these sellers are more likely to get approved. It just means their applications are approved at a faster rate.
In most cases, sellers who apply hear back within a few weeks as to whether they’re approved or denied. I recommend checking out our other free Walmart Marketplace resources to up your chances of getting approved here on the Amazing.com blog.
#4: Show Walmart that you are an experienced seller
Now while this seems a bit vague, it actually isn’t. At the time of writing this article, Walmart has less than 100,000 sellers on its platform, while Amazon has over 3 million!
One of the biggest reasons that Walmart has fewer sellers is that they only allow EXPERIENCED and SEASONED sellers to list products.
As you request to sell, you will see a section on the application that asks for a storefront or website link. This is where you will show Walmart your Amazon storefront, your eBay store, your Shopify site, or other online shops you run. Walmart will review your existing sales channels and make sure you’re legit.
Unfortunately, Walmart does NOT tell us exactly how they define “experienced.” What’s interesting is that I’ve witnessed sellers with small Shopify sites and two unique products get approved. And at the same time, a wholesaler with 50+ SKUs (all of which are already sold on Walmart.com) gets rejected.
So the truth is that we don’t not know what it takes to be considered “experienced” in Walmart’s eyes. But we do know that as long as you show them history (i.e. proof that you’re not a total newbie), you should be good to go.
#5: Prove to Walmart.com that you have next-level customer service
You probably already know that Amazon doesn’t let sellers contact buyers directly for pretty much any reason. But Walmart.com on the other hand … they WANT you to be available to buyers.
When you apply as a Walmart Marketplace seller, you’ll notice this is why you’re asked for a contact phone number and email address — direct contact with shoppers!
Walmart takes it a step further, too. They require sellers to have a way to record messages and respond to them. So get your voicemail in order and be ready to field some customer service inquiries.
Insider Tip: I’ve seen applicants get calls FROM WALMART to test this capacity during the approval process.
#6: Have products ready to sell immediately
Last but not least, have products ready to sell ASAP. I’ve noticed this is a step that’s often overlooked. And I’ve witnessed plenty of potential sellers apply, get approved, get all their “ducks in a row” and then … not have anything that’s ready to sell.
Obviously this isn’t great for sales. But it can also put a hold on your Walmart Marketplace account. This is particularly bad because if you have a paused account, you have to go through the entire application process AGAIN.
So if you don’t have at least one product that’s ready to sell and turn that listing “on” … just wait. Wait until you’re ready. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck in a no man’s land with no listings, no sales, and no growth opportunity.
I’m confident that knowing these six main steps will have you ready to apply (and ready to sell) in no time!
Keep visiting Amazing.com for more Walmart Marketplace insider tips
Greetings to all my fellow marketplace sellers! Thank you so much for joining me today and please take a sec to bookmark the Amazing.com blog here. I don’t want you to miss out on ANY of the epic resources Tim and I are sharing with you.
Remember to come back each week and join Tim Jordan and myself (Norm Farrar) for even more insider info about selling on Walmart!
FREE resources for EVERY marketplace seller
Want to know more about how to unlock unlimited earning potential as a marketplace seller? Check out some of my favorite marketplace resources for FREE!
About Tim & Norm
Hey everyone! We’re Tim Jordan and Norm Farrar. We’re both e-commerce sellers, hosts of two popular podcasts, and together we run the Private Label Legion online seller community.
Norm Farrar has been selling e-commerce since the late 90’s and has created both seven-figure and eight-figure marketplace brands. He later found his introduction to the Amazon marketplace through Amazing.com.
Tim Jordan has been selling e-commerce since 2015. He started out with reselling then quickly moved into private label and has since created multiple seven-figure marketplace brands.
Tim and Norm now travel the world speaking about e-commerce and sourcing private label products to sell on online marketplaces. Together they’ve coached and consulted both new brands and some of the largest in the world.