In this article, learn about:
The five shipping options for Walmart Marketplace sellers
Marketplace shipping standards and guidelines
The difference between fulfillment lag time, expected ship dates, and expected delivery dates
Walmart Marketplace is a digital selling platform that includes products sold in Walmart stores and items from approved third-party sellers that aren’t available in-store. There are five shipping methods available to Marketplace sellers: Value, Standard, TwoDay, OneDay, and Freight. Sellers must support a minimum of one shipping method.
Note: This article covers seller-managed and third-party managed fulfillment. Walmart does offer fulfillment services directly, which can be explored here.
Value Shipping on Walmart Marketplace (6-7 Day Transit Time)
The default shipping method for all Marketplace sellers is Value shipping, which has a 6-7 day transit time. Walmart automatically applies Value shipping to your full catalog (unless you create a Custom or Paid shipping template) and is supported in all 50 states plus Washington D.C.
As a Walmart Marketplace seller, you can’t charge a shipping fee when utilizing Value Shipping. If you’d like to charge a shipping fee for individual SKUs, you can disable value shipping by creating a Paid Standard Shipping Template.
Advantages for Walmart Value Shipping
The advantage of this method is that it allows sellers to take their time in fulfilling the order, and the cost is lower for the customer. However, this means that sellers may not charge the customer for shipping, regardless of the seller’s costs. As mentioned above, if the seller wants to charge the customer for shipping, a Paid Standard Shipping template may be created or sellers can exclude the items from Free Value shipping by using the same item spec sheet.
Standard Shipping on Walmart Marketplace (3-5 Day Transit Time)
Sellers on Walmart Marketplace can choose Standard shipping for their items, which has a 3-5 day transit time. This is a seller-fulfilled option, meaning the seller is responsible for the storage, packaging, and delivery of these items.
When using Standard shipping, you can choose to charge the customer a shipping fee or offer free shipping. Sellers should be aware that if they charge a shipping fee for Standard shipping, that item isn’t eligible for benefits like boosted search results or Buy Box prominence.
TwoDay Shipping
TwoDay shipping is not available to all Walmart Marketplace sellers, but it is worth pursuing wherever possible for its benefits. There are two ways to opt in, based on how you manage fulfillment.
Reminder: Remember to add in lag time (how long it takes to pack and label an order) to understand expected delivery dates. If you offer TwoDay shipping but take two days to pack and ship your items, the customer sees a four-day delivery promise.
Seller-Managed Standard Shipping on Walmart Marketplace
Seller-managed shipping means you are responsible for their fulfillment network, shipping items from your warehouses (or possibly other fulfillment providers for some items).
Sellers that utilize TwoDay shipping must meet the following performance criteria:
You must have an active Seller Center account. Inactive, suspended, or terminated accounts are ineligible.
You must maintain an on-time delivery rate of greater than 90% over the last 30 days.
You must maintain a valid tracking rate of greater than 95% over the last 30 days.
Your cancellation rate must be less than 1.5% over the last 30 days.
You must have been a Walmart Marketplace seller for more than 90 days or have fulfilled a minimum of 20 orders that meet the performance standards within the last 30 days.
If sellers meet these criteria, they are automatically enrolled in TwoDay shipping. If performance falls below the standards, they will be temporarily removed from the program but will be automatically re-enrolled seven days after standards are met again. Confirm your enrollment status by navigating to the Shipping Info page in your Premium Program Participation account.
Related Reading: Walmart Marketplace Seller Performance Standards
Third-Party Managed Standard Shipping on Walmart Marketplace
Third-party managed sellers must useWalmart’s approved, third-party providers (Flexport or Shipbob) to fulfill all orders on their behalf. Using these providers means no performance review is necessary, as they’re automatically approved for TwoDay shipping once registration is completed. This is often the choice used by sellers who can’t meet the strict fulfillment requirements needed for seller-managed Standard shipping.
OneDay Shipping on Walmart Marketplace
OneDay Shipping allows sellers who manage their own delivery to offer ultra-fast fulfillment using their own logistics providers and carriers. If a seller has been approved for TwoDay shipping, they are automatically approved for OneDay shipping. However, there is a major difference:
Sellers using OneDay Shipping have the option to charge the customer a shipping fee or can offer free shipping.
OneDay shipping has the same rules and eligibility criteria as for TwoDay shipping, and access can be requested in the Seller Center.
Freight Shipping with Walmart Marketplace (6-10 Day Transit Time)
Freight shipping is for large and bulky items that are too heavy for standard parcel carriers. If the package is more than 150 pounds, it must be shipped by freight. Walmart utilizes less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping for items that are too heavy or large to ship via basic ground or air carrier services, such as UPS.
As a seller using Freight shipping at Walmart Marketplace, you can choose to offer the customer a shipping fee or offer free shipping. Walmart recommends using one of their Walmart-approved carriers for freight shipping, which can be found here.
Related Reading: Pros and Cons of Selling on Walmart’s Marketplace
Shipping Standards
Walmart has implemented specific shipping and fulfillment policies that sellers should be aware of.
Category | Policy/Requirement | Description & Requirements |
Required | Performance Metrics | Sellers must maintain an On-time Delivery Rate of 90% or higher and a Valid Tracking Rate of 99% or higher to meet seller standards. |
| Shipping Methods | Sellers are required to support at least one of the following: Value, Standard, TwoDay, OneDay, or Freight shipping. |
| Accurate Ship Status | An order must only be marked as "Shipped" once the package has been physically tendered to the carrier. |
| Timely Fulfillment | Tracking must be uploaded by the Expected Ship Date, plus four days, or Walmart will automatically cancel the order. |
| Standard Lag Time | Sellers must generally ship orders within two operational days, with a default order cutoff time of 2:00 pm local time. |
Prohibited | Competitor Branding | You may not ship orders in competitor-branded packaging (e.g., Amazon-branded boxes). |
| Retail Arbitrage | You are strictly prohibited from purchasing items from another retailer to have them shipped directly to your Walmart customer. |
| Non-Trackable Mail | Using stamps or prepaid envelopes is prohibited as they lack the valid tracking information required by Walmart. |
| Marketing Inserts | Packages cannot include seller or third-party coupons, flyers, or promotional marketing materials. |
| TwoDay Shipping Fees | If you are enrolled in the TwoDay shipping program, you are prohibited from charging a shipping fee; it must be free for the customer. |
Allowed | Outsourced Fulfillment | Sellers can choose to outsource their shipping to Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) for end-to-end logistics. |
| Carrier Choice | You are allowed to use any reputable carrier, provided you meet the required transit times and provide valid tracking. |
| Multi-Channel Fulfillment | Using third-party fulfillment is allowed only if items are in neutral packaging and delivered via unbranded vehicles. |
| OneDay Shipping Fees | Sellers have the option to either charge a shipping fee or offer OneDay shipping for free. |
| Enhanced Returns | For Walmart Fulfillment Service orders, customers are allowed to return items in-store at over 4,700 locations or online. |
Walmart Marketplace Expected Delivery Dates
The Expected Delivery Date is the day a customer is supposed to receive their order. It’s calculated by looking at the time you (the seller) stop taking orders for the day, how long it takes you to pack and label them (lag time), the days you work, and the shipping speed you offered. Sometimes the date customers see on Walmart.com might be different from your original calculation.
Walmart adjusts that date based on how frequently you ship on time, information received from the delivery company, and Walmart’s data. This date is very important, because it helps determine how high your products show up on search results.
Walmart requires Marketplace sellers to deliver items on time at least 90% of the time. If something is five days late, or the delivery company hasn’t moved it in three days, Walmart may determine the package is stuck. At this point, Walmart cancels the order and provides the customer a refund, and any related costs are passed on to the seller. Continuing to miss delivery dates means Walmart can completely block your ability to sell on Walmart Marketplace.
Fulfillment Lag Time
Fulfillment lag time is the setting that tells Walmart the amount of time you need to get a product ready to ship (in days). This can vary based on the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs), warehouse size, internal systems, andmore. Typically, Walmart requires you to ship orders within two business days. Business days are the days your fulfillment center is active; for most sellers, this is Monday through Friday. Days can be adjusted or holidays added in Seller Center.
If you need more than two days, you can ask for a lag time exemption request. Walmart determines whether to allow this based on product type, and they can change or remove these exemptions anytime. Lag time adjustments typically take up to 24 hours to appear on Walmart.com.
Sellers should responsibly choose a lag time that realistically reflects how quickly orders can be packed, because the estimated shipping date is visible to Marketplace customers on the item page. Accurate timing is key to success in fast-shipping programs like OneDay and TwoDay shipping.
Expected Ship Date (ESD)
The Expected Ship Date (ESD) on Walmart Marketplace is the deadline for you to tell customers you’ve sent an order. The order has to be marked as “Shipped” in Seller Center and updated with a real tracking number. Once this is entered, Walmart will automatically send an email to the customer to let them know their package is on the way. This step is necessary to be considered “on time.”
If you don’t upload tracking information within four days, Walmart automatically cancels the order. For example, if your shipping deadline is Monday, but you haven’t updated the system on Friday, the order will be automatically cancelled. If you choose to send an order that’s already been cancelled, Walmart doesn’t have to pay you for that sale. Repeated failure to adhere to shipping deadlines leads to account restrictions, including being blocked from selling on Walmart.com.
Here are the guidelines Walmart expects Marketplace sellers to adhere to:
Fulfillment Lag Time | Date the Order Must Be Shipped By |
0 days | On the same day |
1 day | The next day |
2 days | The day after next |
For orders placed after the order cutoff time, an additional day is added to the fulfillment lag time.
Order Transit Times
Order transit times are the number of business days it takes for a delivery company to get the package to your customer after it’s shipped. These delivery times depend on the shipping method you pick and the customer’s location. Sellers can use any delivery company they want, as long as they’re fast enough to meet the delivery dates you chose.
Don’t Let Manual Errors Affect Your Marketplace Listings
Managing shipping timelines, tracking updates, and fulfillment data manually can lead to costly errors. SPS Commerce helps automate order and shipping data so your Marketplace listings stay accurate. Schedule a call to see how automation simplifies Marketplace fulfillment.
