By Duygu Yucekaya, Business Developer at ShipHouse. Duygu works with marketplace sellers planning their move into Walmart Fulfillment Services and seller-fulfilled Walmart orders.
Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is Walmart's fulfillment program for Marketplace sellers: you send inventory to Walmart's fulfillment centers, and Walmart stores it, picks, packs, and ships Walmart.com orders, and handles customer service and returns. It's Walmart's answer to Amazon FBA, and in 2026 it's one of the fastest ways to get the two-day and Walmart+ badges that help listings sell.
This guide covers what WFS costs, Walmart's prep and label rules (which differ from Amazon's in an important way), seller-fulfilled standards and Pro Seller, and how a 3PL fits alongside WFS.
How WFS works
- Join WFS from Seller Center. You must already be an approved Walmart Marketplace seller.
- Create an inbound order under Shipping Plans, or through the API. Walmart assigns one or more fulfillment centers.
- Prep and ship your inventory to those fulfillment centers, following Walmart's label, carton, and pallet rules.
- Walmart receives it, usually within 2 business days. From October to December, or when units need unplanned prep, receiving can take up to 10 business days.
- Walmart fulfills your Walmart.com orders, handles returns (including in more than 4,600 stores), and manages customer service.
What WFS accepts: items up to 500 lb and 120 × 105 × 93 inches including packaging. Temperature-controlled and perishable goods aren't accepted. Inventory must ship from within the U.S. or clear U.S. customs first; the exception is Walmart's own Cross Border Imports program for full containers from select ports in China. International sellers can sell on Walmart Marketplace from a list of countries that includes Türkiye, the U.K., Germany, China, and India.
What WFS costs in 2026
Fulfillment fees
WFS fees are based on shipping weight, not price. Shipping weight is the unit weight plus 0.25 lb for items under 1 lb. For items of 1 lb or more, it's the greater of the unit weight and the dimensional weight (L × W × H ÷ 139).
Shipping weight (standard items) | Fee per unit |
|---|---|
1 lb or less | $3.45 |
2 lb | $4.95 |
3 lb | $5.45 |
4 to 20 lb | $5.75 + $0.40 per lb over 4 lb |
For example, a 5 lb item costs $6.15, and a 10 lb item costs $8.15. Walmart adds:
- +$0.50 for apparel
- +$0.50 for hazmat items
- +$1.00 for items priced under $10
- +$3.00 for oversize items (longest side over 48 inches, median side over 30 inches, or longest side plus girth over 105 inches)
Heavier and oversize items have separate rates. Walmart's fee tables say they've been in effect since April 2025 and are subject to change.
Storage fees
Storage is charged per cubic foot per month:
Period | Rate |
|---|---|
January–September | $0.75 |
October–December, stored 30 days or less | $0.75 |
October–December, stored more than 30 days | $2.25 ($0.75 + $1.50) |
Stored 366–450 days (since June 30, 2026) | $2.25 |
Stored more than 450 days (since June 30, 2026) | $7.50 |
Walmart doesn't charge long-term storage until inventory has been stored for a year. But the new tiers added on June 30, 2026 make inventory held past 450 days expensive. Many guides still quote the older rates.
Referral fees
On top of fulfillment, Walmart charges a referral fee on every sale, whether you use WFS or ship yourself. It's 15% for most categories, including home and kitchen, toys, pet, and tools. Others vary: 8% for consumer electronics, a sliding 5–15% for apparel, and 8% up to $10 then 15% for beauty and baby. The fee is calculated on the total sales price, including shipping.
Returns, removal, and disposal
Service | Fee |
|---|---|
Return processing, 1 lb or less | $4.70 |
Return processing, 2 lb | $6.20 |
Return processing, 3 lb | $6.70 |
Return processing, 4–20 lb | $7.00 + $0.40 per lb |
Disposal, up to 2 lb | $0.35 per unit (+$0.20 per additional lb) |
Removal | Disposal fee + $0.40 per lb shipping |
The return processing fee is waived when Walmart is at fault.
A worked example
A $24.99 product with a 2 lb shipping weight, about 0.12 cubic feet, sold in a non-peak month:
Cost | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Referral fee | 15% × $24.99 | $3.75 |
WFS fulfillment | 2 lb | $4.95 |
Storage | 0.12 cu ft × $0.75 | $0.09 |
Walmart fees per unit | $8.79 |
Add your inbound freight and prep costs to get the full picture.
New-seller discounts
New sellers who go live after February 1, 2026 can get 10% off WFS fulfillment fees, up to $2,000, plus a referral fee discount. Both offers run through January 31, 2027. Some guides still quote older, larger discounts that Walmart no longer lists.
WFS label and prep requirements
The key difference from Amazon: GTIN, not FNSKU
WFS doesn't use its own barcode. Each unit needs a scannable GTIN-14 or UPC-12 label on its outermost packaging. Walmart doesn't accept EANs, vendor SKUs, or Amazon FNSKUs. You can print GTIN labels from Seller Center (Inventory → Print GTIN label).
This matters if you also sell on Amazon. Since March 31, 2026, many Amazon sellers must put FNSKU labels on every unit (see our FNSKU labeling guide). A unit labeled for Amazon isn't ready for Walmart, and a unit labeled for Walmart isn't ready for Amazon. If you sell on both, label each channel's units separately, just before they ship.
Other unit rules:
- Each variant needs its own barcode.
- Cover any old or extra barcodes.
- Mark the country of origin. For shoes, mark both shoes in the pair.
- Seal sets together and label them "Sold as set."
- Poly bags with an opening of 5 inches or more need a suffocation warning, and the barcode must scan through the bag or be placed on it.
- Dated items need an expiration date in MM-DD-YYYY, YY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM-DD format. Walmart won't receive items that expire within 60 days.
- Liquids need leak-proof packaging; fragile items need a six-sided rigid box; batteries need the correct DOT markings.
Carton and pallet requirements
- Every carton gets a WFS receiving label with the shipment ID barcode, placed left of center on the longest side.
- Mixed-SKU cartons need three "STOP – MIXED MERCHANDISE – RECEIVE AS BREAK PACK" labels, and no item barcodes visible from outside.
- Cartons must be strong enough (for example, ECT-32 or 200 lb burst strength) and weigh 150 lb or less. Single units over 50 lb need "Team Lift" labels; over 100 lb, "Mech Lift."
- LTL and truckload shipments go on pallets: 40 × 48 inch, four-way, Grade A wood pallets, up to 2,100 lb and 72 inches tall. Pallets must be stretch-wrapped, with a receiving label on each of the four sides.
- For LTL, the bill of lading must list the shipment IDs, the NMFC number, and the freight class. See our freight class calculator.
Walmart's prep services, and what unplanned prep costs
Walmart can label and poly-bag units for you if you choose it when you create the shipping plan:
Service | Planned (selected in your shipping plan) | Unplanned (fixed on arrival) |
|---|---|---|
Item labeling | $0.45 per unit | $0.65 per unit |
Poly bagging | $0.60 per unit | $0.80 per unit |
Unplanned prep doesn't just cost more. It can delay receiving by up to 10 business days, and that's time your listings can't sell. Walmart's prep service doesn't create bundles or sets, and you can't change prep options after you submit the inbound order.
Seller-fulfilled orders, fast-delivery badges, and Pro Seller
Not every item belongs in WFS. You can fulfill Walmart orders yourself or through a 3PL, but Walmart holds seller-fulfilled orders to firm standards:
Metric | Walmart standard |
|---|---|
Cancellation rate | 2% or less |
On-time delivery | 90% or more |
Valid tracking | 99% or more |
Late shipment rate | 5% or less |
Responses within 48 hours | 95% or more |
With WFS, Walmart meets most of these for you. The exception is your negative feedback rate.
Fast-delivery badges. Seller-fulfilled items qualify for Walmart's OneDay and TwoDay programs automatically once you meet these thresholds: more than 90% on-time delivery, more than 95% valid tracking, and less than 1.5% cancellations over 30 days, plus either more than 90 days on Marketplace or at least 20 qualifying orders in 30 days. Walmart says it boosts these items in search and in the Buy Box. ThreeDay delivery needs no approval.
Pro Seller now has three tiers: Rising, Advanced, and Pro. The Pro tier requires:
- 95% on-time delivery and 1.5% or lower cancellations over 90 days
- a 50% shipping speed score
- 75% content quality and 75% price competitiveness
- more than 100 orders in 90 days
- a seller rating of 4.0 or higher
Benefits include the badge, a referral fee discount on Pro listings, and discounted shipping labels.
WFS, seller-fulfilled, or both?
An item can't be in WFS and seller-fulfilled at the same time. But when WFS stock runs out, fulfillment switches back to you, so a backup stock pool matters.
WFS fits best when:
- Items are small to mid-size and sell steadily
- You want the TwoDay and Walmart+ badges without managing carrier performance yourself
- Inventory sells through within months, well before the 366-day storage tiers
Seller-fulfilled (from your 3PL) fits best when:
- Items are bulky, slow-moving, or need custom packaging
- You want one inventory pool for Walmart, Amazon, your website, and wholesale
- Your 3PL can meet Walmart's on-time and tracking standards, and ideally ThreeDay or TwoDay delivery
How a 3PL works with WFS
Here's the setup we use with brands that sell on Walmart and other channels:
- One inventory pool at the 3PL. Containers and pallets arrive at our New Jersey or Delaware warehouse, not at Walmart. Inventory is received and counted once.
- WFS gets planned replenishments. We apply GTIN labels, poly bags, and "Sold as set" labels; build compliant cartons with WFS receiving labels; and palletize to Walmart's spec. Prep is planned before the shipment leaves, so units don't hit unplanned prep fees or 10-day receiving delays.
- Seller-fulfilled backup. When WFS runs low, or for items that don't belong in WFS, orders ship directly from our warehouse.
- The same pool ships every other channel. Amazon (with FNSKU labels), Shopify, TikTok Shop, and wholesale orders ship from the same stock. See FBA vs FBM.
Multichannel Solutions vs a 3PL for other channels
Walmart's Multichannel Solutions (MCS) lets WFS fulfill orders from Amazon, Shopify, TikTok Shop, eBay, and your own site in unbranded packaging, with no referral fee. Standard 3–5 day shipping starts at $7.45 per order (6 oz or less) and $8.05 for items up to 1 lb. Two-day shipping starts at $9.45. Like Amazon's MCF, it's useful as a backup. For most brands, a 3PL is cheaper per order for non-Walmart channels, and it ships in your own packaging.
Frequently asked questions
What is Walmart Fulfillment Services?
WFS is Walmart's fulfillment program for Marketplace sellers. You send inventory to Walmart's fulfillment centers; Walmart stores it, ships Walmart.com orders, and handles customer service and returns.
How much does WFS cost per unit in 2026?
Fulfillment fees start at $3.45 for items with a shipping weight of 1 lb or less, $4.95 for 2 lb, and $5.45 for 3 lb. Add-ons apply for apparel, hazmat, items under $10, and oversize items. Referral fees, usually 15%, are charged separately.
What are WFS storage fees?
$0.75 per cubic foot per month from January to September. From October to December, inventory stored more than 30 days pays $2.25. Since June 30, 2026, inventory stored 366–450 days pays $2.25 per cubic foot per month, and inventory stored more than 450 days pays $7.50.
Does WFS use FNSKU labels like Amazon?
No. WFS requires a scannable GTIN-14 or UPC-12 barcode on each unit and doesn't accept FNSKUs, EANs, or vendor SKUs. You can print GTIN labels from Seller Center.
Does Walmart offer prep services?
Yes. Planned prep costs $0.45 per unit for labeling and $0.60 for poly bagging. If units arrive needing prep you didn't plan for, Walmart charges $0.65 and $0.80, and receiving can be delayed by up to 10 business days.
Can I use WFS and seller fulfillment for the same item?
Not at the same time. But if WFS inventory runs out, fulfillment switches back to you, so keeping backup stock at your 3PL keeps the listing selling.
Do WFS items get the TwoDay and Walmart+ badges?
WFS items get the Fulfilled by Walmart and two-day tags, and the Walmart+ badge automatically. Seller-fulfilled items can earn them by meeting Walmart's performance and delivery-speed thresholds.
Can WFS fulfill my Amazon or Shopify orders?
Yes, through Walmart Multichannel Solutions, which ships orders from other channels in unbranded packaging. Standard shipping starts at $7.45 per order.
Can international sellers use WFS?
Yes, if they're approved to sell on Walmart Marketplace. Sellers from a list of countries that includes Türkiye, the U.K., Germany, and China can apply. Inventory must be inside the U.S. or cleared through U.S. customs before it ships to WFS. See our importer of record guide.
What does a seller need for Pro Seller status?
For the Pro tier: 95% on-time delivery, 1.5% or lower cancellations, more than 100 orders in 90 days, a 4.0+ seller rating, and minimum shipping speed, content quality, and price competitiveness scores.
Is WFS cheaper than Amazon FBA?
Walmart says WFS costs about 15% less per item than other marketplace fulfillment providers, based on its own data. The real comparison depends on your product's size, weight, price, and storage time, so compare per SKU.
The bottom line
WFS is a strong way to sell faster on Walmart, but it rewards preparation. Label with GTINs, not FNSKUs. Plan your prep before units ship. Keep inventory moving well before the 366-day storage tiers. And keep a backup pool so listings don't go dark when WFS runs low. A 3PL that holds your bulk inventory and replenishes WFS, Amazon, and your other channels from one place makes that easier.
If you sell on Walmart and other channels, tell us about your products and volume. We'll show you how WFS replenishment and seller-fulfilled backup would work for your catalog.
Fees and requirements in this guide come from Walmart Marketplace Learn and marketplace.walmart.com, current as of November 2026. Walmart updates its fees and policies regularly, so check Seller Center for the latest rates. The featured image is AI-assisted and was created from photos of the ShipHouse team.
