News & Announcements
Improve Every Item in Your Catalog and Boost Conversion
We are excited to unveil our revamped Listing Quality and Rewards Dashboard that includes more detailed insights to help you gain the Pro Seller Badge and stand out as a reliable choice this holiday season. For example, sellers can now easily determine if their items are priced competitively compared to other marketplaces, right from the dashboard.
Weâre also giving sellers more time to improve their Listing Quality scores so you can leverage these new insights and ramp up for the holidays. This means, all sellers who currently hold the badge will continue to retain their badges and unbadged sellers have additional time to gain the badge before we start measuring against the new criteria. Note: if you qualify for the badge during this grace period, you will gain the badge during the next badge cycle.
Head to the dashboard now to take advantage of this opportunity to improve every item in your catalog!
*Walmart reserves the right to remove any badges from existing sellers if they violate any policies during this time frame.
Extend Holiday Returns and Delight More Customers
We know you strive to provide customers with excellent products and customer service all year round and especially during the holidays. Which is why weâre excited to give Walmart Marketplace sellers the opportunity to participate in the Extended Holiday Returns program.
Sellers who would like to extend their return window during the holidays should update their Holiday Returns settings in Seller Center by October 31. Once you opt-in, customers who purchase or receive items between November 1 and December 25, will have additional time to return their items if needed. See below for the Holiday Returns extension periods.
| Current return window | Holiday return window extension |
| Orders with a standard 30-day return deadline | Until 1/24/22 |
| Orders with a 15-day return deadline | Until 1/8/22 |
Request a Call Back from Partner Support
Weâre excited to announce that all Marketplace sellers now have the option to âRequest a Callâ from one of our live support specialists to help troubleshoot inquires over the phone. Partner Support will be available to make callbacks between the hours of 8:00 AM â 9:30 PM EST. Cases created outside of these hours will be responded to via email, but our associates are happy to call during business hours if weâre unable to resolve any issues through email.
Note: When requesting phone support, please refrain from entering extensions in the phone number field. These can be added to your case description.
Shipping and Packaging Standards that Deliver a Great Customer Experience
At Walmart, we place a high value on the trust our customers place in us, and that trust is built on having a seamless and simple experience. As you know, our expectation is all Marketplace sellers share this passion for delivering the best customer experience, while also following all Walmart Seller Agreement Policies and Standards.*
As our community of sellers grows, we thought weâd share some best practices that ensure you delight our customers while keeping your business in good standing:
- Always ship items in unbranded boxes and envelopes, unless the item ships in manufacturerâs packaging. This is very important and eliminates the risk of customers receiving Walmart orders in unfamiliar boxes, which is confusing and may erode their trust.
- Ensure on-time delivery by shipping with reputable carriers like the US Post Office, FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.
- Provide all orders with valid tracking numbers that can be tracked via carrier website, so customers know when to expect their orders. Note: Sellers must maintain a Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) of 99% or higher in a 14-day period.
One practice that is becoming more popular in the industry is sellers arbitraging between retailers. These actions negatively impact the customerâs experience and violate Walmart Seller Agreement Policies and Standards. Any seller suspected of arbitrage will immediately be suspended and could be terminated.
Need help with fulfillment? Apply to Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS). We store, pack, ship products in two days or less, and handle all customer support and returns. Plus, this fall you can enjoy 50% off WFS regular storage pricing and no peak-season storage fees from October to December when you send your inventory to a fulfillment center by October 31. **
*Failure to meet Walmart Marketplace standards and policies can lead to account suspension and/or termination.
**A minimum of one SKU must be received by a WFS fulfillment center by October 31, 2021. Storage costs will automatically be adjusted for the duration of the promotionâno further action is required.
Note: Regular storage pricing is normally $0.75/cubic foot. Peak-season storage fees are normally applicable October â December at +$1.50/cubic foot above regular pricing for units stored for more than 30 days.
Explore Your Shipping and Fulfillment Options to Delight Customers with Fast Delivery
Optimize your shipping strategy and drive sales when you activate Walmart Marketplaceâs ecosystem of expedited shipping and fulfillment solutions like Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), or TwoDay and ThreeDay delivery programs. Explore the benefits of all your fulfillment options below and learn how you can customize your settings with Shipping Templates.
New Repricer Tool Coming Soon
Soon you will be able to offer and manage competitive pricing effectively with Seller Centerâs Repricer! With the Repricerâs automated technology, youâll save time and effort while adjusting your prices on Walmart.com. Stay tuned for more information on how you can enable the Repricer and implement repricing strategies to beat the Buy Box price on Walmart.com as well as to meet or beat the external price for any custom assortment of SKUs in your catalog.
Recent and Upcoming Seller Center Updates
- New Financials Experience
- Weâre excited to announce the launch of a new financials experience under the âAnalyticsâ section in Seller Center. New features include more user-friendly navigation, additional data points, and better visualizations to help you track, filter, and breakdown key performance metrics. As a reminder, Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) is now calculated by âAuth Sales – Cancelled Sales â Returns.”
- Pre-Upload Spec Validation
- Weâve added a real-time data validation feature to help sellers save time during the Item Setup process. If any errors are found during a bulk upload, an error report will automatically download so you can fix the issues in real-time and then quickly re-upload the spec.
- Seller Scorecard Removal
- This month, we are removing the Seller Scorecard from Seller Center. Moving forward, sellers will be able to view their Cancellation, Return, and Delivery Defect rates under the âFulfillmentâ section which will be renamed to âOrder & Fulfillmentâ. Please note, this change will not affect the Pro Seller Badge metrics or criteria and you will still be able to view the defect reports in the Pro Seller Badge modal in Listing Quality and Rewards Dashboard.
- Item Setup Workflow Improvements Coming Soon
- As a reminder, we are working on improvements to the Item Setup and management workflows in Seller Center. Soon, sellers will experience more user-friendly navigation including new âadd itemsâ and âupdate itemsâ buttons, and more tool tips to help you in case you get stuck.
- Faster Transit Times for Freight Shipping Coming Soon
- Soon, sellers will be able to create Freight Shipping Templates with 6-day and 7-day transit times by modifying their âSeller Fulfillment Settingsâ in Seller Center. Delight buyers and customers with faster delivery timesâjust in time for the holidays.
- View Reserved Inventory at Your Fulfillment Center
- Later this month, sellers will have the ability to view the number of items that have been ordered by a customer but have not shipped from a fulfillment center under the Reserved Inventory field within the âManage Itemsâ section in Seller Center. This will give sellers a more accurate idea of how much inventory is available to sell and how much is reservedâso you can better determine when to replenish inventory on-hand and avoid shipping delays.
Upcoming Yotpo Webinar
Payments & Tax
Payment Fees
As a reminder, in accordance with our Seller Promise, our default payment method is “direct deposit” to your bank account with no fees to you, ensuring that you receive 100% of your funds.
Requirements for no fee payments:
- Enrollment with your payment processor must be initiated from your Seller Center account.
- Payment must be delivered to a U.S. or Canadian bank account that supports direct deposit (ACH).
If you are paying fees today and wish to change to “no fees payment delivery”, please contact your payment service provider (Payoneer or Hyperwallet). You will need to have your business bank account details available when you contact them.
Complying with IRS Mandates
IRS mandates require Walmart to ensure that your tax profile on file with us is accurate. In order to comply with this mandate, we are verifying seller tax IDs and legal names we have on file with the IRS, and we may contact you if your information cannot be successfully verified.
How do I verify my tax profile is correct?
- Login to Seller Center
- Select âTax Profileâ under âSettingsâ on the top menu bar
- Verify that your:
- Legal name is in the Name field
- Tax ID (TIN)
- Tax classification (W-9, W8-ECI, W-8BEN) are correct.
- If the information shown is correct, please open a Partner Support case for further assistance
- If you made changes to your tax profile, you will be notified after the information has been verified
What happens if I don’t correct my information?
If after 30 days, you have not updated your information or opened a Partner Support case, your payments may be suspended until we can verify your tax information with the IRS. Further actions may include, but are not limited to:
- Collecting backup withholding on gross payments at the rate of 24%, as directed by the IRS
- An IRS-imposed $280 penalty for incorrect information if updates are not made before your 1099-K form is filed for the calendar year (penalty assessed each year information remains incorrect)
- Additional solicitations from Walmart to obtain correct information
Please refer to the IRS for more detailed information.
1099-K Reporting
The information on the 1099-K form you will receive in January 2022, must be verified, and corrected in Seller Center by December 31, 2021. 1099-K forms will not be amended or re-issued if your information is inaccurate, and you may be assessed an IRS penalty of $280 as a result.
Carefully review the key information and important dates below to ensure you are not penalized.
2021 Tax Year Reporting Thresholds:
| Rule Type | Applicability | Min Order Count | Min Gross Value ($) |
| IRS | All states | 201 | $20,000 |
| State override | DE | n/a | $600 |
| State override | MA | n/a | $600 |
| State override | VT | n/a | $600 |
| State override | CO | n/a | $1,000 |
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Important Dates:
| # | Limit Date | Activity |
| 1 | Dec 20, 2021 | Review and update your tax information in Seller Center.
Allow 5-10 days for your information to be verified and potential follow up actions to complete. |
| 2 | Jan 5-14, 2022 | 1099-K sales reports will be generated based on the information on file at the close of 2021 |
| 3 | Jan 31, 2022 | Your payment processor will contact you via email with instructions on how to retrieve your 1099-K |
| 4 | Mar 31, 2022 | 1099-Ks will be filed with the IRS and Department of Revenue of the state corresponding to your legal address |
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Eligibility and Important Notes:
- Only sellers with a W-9 tax classification are eligible to receive a 1099-K form
- Reporting thresholds are applied to orders shipped between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021
- State given reporting thresholds take precedence of IRS thresholds
- Refunds are not considered: if you shipped 201 orders and 10 were refunded, you will receive a 1099-K
- Cancelled sales, even if shipped are not counted towards thresholds eligibility
- If you do not meet filing criteria, you will not be issued a 1099-K and will instead need to self-report
- Follow IRS guidelines
- Maintaining the accuracy of tax information used for reporting is your responsibility
- Amended reports will not be issued if your tax information is incorrect by the close of 2021
- 1099-K sales reports will be issued to you via your Payment processor (Payoneer or Hyperwallet) to your primary contact email
- Failure to maintain accurate tax information as part of your 1099-K filing may result in IRS penalties of up to $280 (IRS Pub. 1586)
Tax Profile Form
We recently made several important enhancements to the Tax Profile form in Seller Center and added the following enhancements:
-
- Support for W-8BEN sellers (primarily from China and Hong Kong)
- Ability to enter the company name and address in your country of incorporation
- Ability to provide a reason for and the effective date of your tax profile change (this impacts your 1099-K)
- Ability to upload supporting documentation to streamline the review/approval process
Sellers can expect additional enhancements coming this October:
- Real-time verification of legal business names and US tax IDs directly with the IRS
- Tax & Payment contact information:
- First & last names
- Phone
- Email addresses (primary & alternate)
Summary of Features by Tax Classification:
Tax Class. |
Country of
Incorporation |
United States | Other Country | Reason for
Change |
SupportingDocumentation |
||
| TaxID | Address | TaxID | Address | ||||
| W-9 | US | R | R | n/a | n/a | R | R |
| W-8ECI | Country other than US | R | R | O | O | R | R |
| W-8BEN-E | Country other than US | n/a | n/a | R | R | R | R |
Legend:Â
R: required
O: optional
n/a: not allowed
Policies & Guidelines
Marketplace Return Disputes Policy
There may be a time this holiday season when you need to file a dispute for a customer return. As a reminder, the dispute window for Marketplace returns is 45 days from the date the customer refund is issued. Disputes filed outside of this timeframe will be denied.
Learn how to efficiently manage refunds and disputes by reading through our Return Dispute Policy and Guidelines.
Competitor Fulfillment Policy Reminder
As a reminder, Walmart Marketplace sellers may not use competitorsâ delivery services and/or may not ship orders in competitor packaging. If you need additional assistance to meet your fulfillment needs, we recommend applying to our Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) program. The WFS program gives sellers the ability to send inventory to Walmart fulfillment centers, where we will store your products securely and prepare them swiftly for shipping when an order is placed. Plus, WFS handles all customer support and returns for these orders.
Plus, this fall you can enjoy 50% off WFS regular storage pricing and no peak-season storage fees from October to December when you send your inventory to a fulfillment center by October 31. **
**A minimum of one SKU must be received by a WFS fulfillment center by October 31, 2021. Storage costs will automatically be adjusted for the duration of the promotionâno further action is required.
Note: Regular storage pricing is normally $0.75/cubic foot. Peak-season storage fees are normally applicable October â December at +$1.50/cubic foot above regular pricing for units stored for more than 30 days.
Marketplace Enhanced Returns
Weâre continuing to refine our return exceptions policy to lower your costs, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline your operations. Starting December 1, pursuant to the Marketplace Return Policy, all eligible items will be automatically moved to our Enhanced Returns experience.
Prohibited Products Policy Reminder
We want to remind you of our Prohibited Products Policy, which lists the types of products that are prohibited and/or restricted from the Walmart Marketplace. The policy is subject to change so please periodically review the page.
Walmart will remove any product listings that per our discretion may be in violation of Law, the Prohibited Products Policy, or any other Walmart policy. Please consult with your legal counsel if you have questions about the laws and regulations concerning your products. Note that corrective action may be taken on your account as needed due to violations of our policies, this may include suspension and/or termination of your account.
If you have questions about our Prohibited Products Policy or would like additional guidance, please create a case for Partner Support and reference code TNS.
Review the Walmart Seller Pricing Policy
We want to remind sellers that the Walmart Marketplace pricing policy is in place to ensure that customers have access to fair, competitive prices for products offered by sellers on Walmart Marketplace.
For all products, including products such as hand sanitizers, cleaning agents, face masks, etc., we require sellers to continue to adhere to Marketplace policies regarding price and advertising claims to ensure customer trust in Walmart Marketplace. Products that are priced in violation of the pricing policy will be removed. Please refer to the Pricing Policy and our Prohibited Products Policy for more information.
If prices change and the item now falls within the acceptable range, the item will automatically republish, typically within 48 hours. If more than 48 hours has passed and you believe your item remains incorrectly unpublished, please create a case with Partner Support.
Product Restrictions - Pre-Approval Categories
Walmart strives to be the most trusted retailer, having a marketplace that is inclusive, robust and compliant is one of our highest priorities. As per our Prohibited Products Policy, please be aware that the following categories require pre-approval from Walmart before a Seller may offer such products on the Marketplace.
-
- Fragrance
- Luxury brands
- Software
- Cell Phones and Accessories
- Halloween and select seasonal products
- Custom Content
Sellers may apply for approval to offer products in these categories by contacting Partner Support and selecting: Items/Inventory > My item is unpublished. Include a list of the brands or products you wish to sell. Approvals will be granted for specific brands or products within these categories. Please note that approval may be retracted if there are any legal claims related to products or if your products, or account are found to be in violation of any of our policies.
If you have questions about category restrictions or our Prohibited Products Policy, please create a case via Seller Center with the code “TNS”.
Security & Privacy
Walmart protects your security and privacy. We will never ask for personal information (such as passwords or credit card numbers) in an email. If you receive such a request, please do not respond to the email.
