Would You Use New Walmart Fulfillment Services?

Walmart will begin rolling out a new offering for sellers today called Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) - the obvious comparison is to Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). However, it won't be available to everyone:

"Consistent with Walmart’s approach for all marketplace sellers, WFS upholds our high bar for vetting potential sellers, with all sellers needing to meet specific qualifications before being accepted as a viable seller."

According to Walmart, "WFS offers select Marketplace sellers access to our world-class supply chain capabilities - from storing, picking, packing and shipping items to the handling of returns and customer service - and is designed to help sellers generate more profitable sales of their inventory at scale, while growing their business with Walmart Marketplace."

The WFS requirements include the following:

- Products must ship to Walmart fulfillment centers from within the United States

- No perishable or regulated products

- Maximum product weight is 30 lb

- Maximum product dimensions: 25″ x 20″ x 14″

That means no direct shipments from China to Walmart, an area that can pose challenges to sellers who use that strategy on Amazon FBA.

It doesn't appear Walmart releases fee information prior to applying for the program - the company describes pricing as follows:

"Competitive Pricing. WFS offers transparent and simple pricing to sellers and is one of the lowest-priced services on the market. Participating sellers will pay a low storage and fulfillment fee in return for a seamless and cost-effective service that is easy to use and gives them peace of mind – all without a seller monthly membership fee."

Customers shopping on Walmart will see a badge next to WFS products that states, "Sold by (Seller Name), fulfilled by Walmart."

Let us know what you think of the new program - details can be found on this page on Walmart.com.

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