Walmart vs Amazon seller approval isn't a close comparison, and this goes deeper than our full Walmart vs Amazon comparison to cover the actual mechanics of Walmart seller approval vs Amazon seller approval for dropshippers: what Walmart's application asks for, what gets an application rejected, and what a new dropshipper without an established track record can realistically do about it.
Is It Harder to Get Approved to Sell on Walmart or Amazon?
Amazon offers relatively open seller registration, while Walmart Marketplace requires an application and approval process that favors established sellers with a proven ecommerce track record. That's the short answer to how to get approved to sell on Walmart versus Amazon, but "favors established sellers" undersells how specific Walmart's actual requirements are, and there's more a new seller can do about it than the usual "just wait and build history" advice suggests.
Amazon Seller Account Approval: What It Actually Takes
Amazon's registration is closer to a checkbox process than an application, and it's worth understanding before comparing it to Walmart's, since it sets the baseline for what "approval" even means on each platform. You need a government-issued ID, business information (or your own name for a sole proprietorship), a tax ID, a bank account for payouts, and a credit card. Identity verification can take a few days, but there's no ecommerce history requirement, no revenue threshold, and no manual review of whether your business model fits Amazon's. Anyone who clears identity verification and picks a selling plan is in. That openness is exactly why Amazon is more competitive once you're inside, and it's a big part of the Amazon vs Walmart seller application gap this piece is walking through.
Walmart Marketplace Application Requirements
Now here's how to get approved to sell on Walmart, and the requirements are considerably more specific than Amazon's, published directly by Walmart rather than left to guesswork:
A registered US business entity with a Business Tax ID or Business License Number (a Social Security Number alone does not qualify)
A copy of a government-issued personal ID for the applicant or legal representative
Business entity classification and supporting documents verifying your business name and address
A demonstrated history of marketplace or ecommerce success, though Walmart does not publish one universal revenue or sales threshold
Products with valid GTIN/UPC codes and a catalog that complies with Walmart's Prohibited Products Policy
Fulfillment through Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or another B2C US warehouse with returns capability, and the operational ability to meet Walmart's Seller Performance Standards
Walmart Application Rejection Reasons
The most common Walmart application rejection reasons aren't mysterious, and most of them are avoidable with preparation rather than time:
Inconsistent documentation. Your business name, address, and phone number need to match exactly across your tax documents, business registration, and application. Mismatches are one of the most cited causes of delay or denial.
Thin or nonexistent ecommerce history. Walmart wants evidence you can operate at scale, an active Amazon or eBay account with positive metrics, a DTC store with real transaction volume, or a comparable retail track record. First-time online sellers face a noticeably higher rejection rate.
Pricing that doesn't fit Walmart's model. If your product is listed noticeably cheaper elsewhere, including shipping, that mismatch can trigger a rejection tied to Walmart's price-competitiveness expectations.
Prohibited or low-differentiation catalog. A catalog with even one prohibited item, or one that's mostly generic products already saturating the platform, signals to Walmart's review team that the application adds little value.
How to Improve Your Odds Without an Established Track Record
A new dropshipper without years of selling history isn't automatically out of the running, but the strategy has to be sequential rather than skipped.
Build initial sales history somewhere Walmart can verify. An Amazon or Shopify store with a few months of consistent sales and clean performance metrics is the single most common way sellers without a "brand name" track record still get approved. Walmart's own guidance points to this directly: sellers with proven marketplace success elsewhere clear the bar that first-time sellers don't.
Get your documentation airtight before you apply, not during. Pull your EIN verification letter, business registration, and address documentation together first, and have them match exactly. Reapplying after a documentation-related rejection costs more time than getting it right the first time.
Price to Walmart's model from day one. Research what comparable listings sell for across the web before applying, not after rejection.
Line up fulfillment that can pass Walmart's bar. A US-based warehouse with return capability, or enrollment in WFS, needs to be in place or credibly planned before you submit, since fulfillment capability is part of what Walmart is evaluating.
This is also where a professional, compliant operation behind the scenes matters most: Doba's vetted supplier network gives you the sourcing documentation and consistent fulfillment history that make a Walmart application look like it's coming from an established operator, even if this is your first marketplace launch.
Walmart Seller Approval vs Amazon Seller Approval for Dropshippers
For a dropshipper choosing where to start, Amazon vs Walmart seller application difficulty maps directly onto strategy, and it's the clearest way to think about Walmart vs Amazon seller approval overall. Amazon remains the easiest marketplace to get approved on and the practical starting point for sellers with no track record yet, since there's nothing to prove beyond identity and tax status. Walmart is the platform to graduate into once you have sales history, clean metrics, and documentation ready to show, not because Walmart's rules are unreasonable, but because they're built around verifying what Amazon simply doesn't ask for at signup.
