Walmart vs Amazon seller fees is one of the first questions any dropshipper asks before committing inventory to a platform, and the honest answer is that neither one is simply "cheaper." This is a deeper look at the fee structure dimension from our full Walmart vs Amazon comparison, verified directly against current Amazon Seller Central and Walmart Marketplace documentation, and it pairs with our Walmart vs. eBay dropshipping fees breakdown if you're weighing all three.
Which Marketplace Has Lower Seller Fees, Walmart or Amazon?
Amazon charges a monthly Professional Plan fee plus a referral fee of roughly 8-15%, while Walmart Marketplace charges no monthly fee, only a referral fee in a similar range. That's the short version of Walmart vs Amazon seller fees, but the real numbers by category tell a more complete story, and the gap looks different once you factor in fulfillment costs, which is where Amazon fees vs Walmart fees for dropshippers really diverge. Amazon's Professional Plan cost is a flat $39.99 a month (or $0.99 per item on the no-monthly-fee Individual plan, which caps out being worth it around 40 sales a month). Walmart Marketplace charges no setup, listing, or monthly fee at all, full stop, regardless of sales volume.
Amazon Seller Fees Breakdown vs Walmart Marketplace Fees Breakdown
Here's the Walmart Marketplace fees breakdown next to Amazon's, side by side, so you can see exactly where each dollar goes.
Rates checked against Amazon's standard selling fees page and Walmart Marketplace's published referral fee and WFS fee guides in October 2026. Both platforms adjust fees periodically, category by category, so confirm current rates for your specific product before finalizing your pricing.
Explore Walmart Marketplace Seller Requirements
Amazon Fees vs Walmart Fees for Dropshippers: What Actually Moves Your Margin
The monthly fee gets the most attention, but for most dropshippers it's the smallest line item once volume ramps up. At 41 sales a month, Amazon's Professional Plan already beats the Individual plan's per-item fee, and $39.99 disappears into the math fast. Walmart's zero monthly fee is a real advantage for testing new products with low or uncertain volume, since there's no fixed cost eating into a slow month.
The referral fee percentage is where Amazon vs Walmart profit margins actually diverge, and it's entirely category-dependent. A seller in Consumer Electronics pays 8% on Amazon but could land in Walmart's 6-15% band depending on the specific subcategory, sometimes favoring Walmart, sometimes not. A seller in Home and Kitchen pays 15% on Amazon; Walmart's most common rate also sits at 15% for comparable categories, which narrows the gap to nearly nothing outside of a handful of category outliers on Amazon's side (Jewelry, Amazon Device Accessories, Fine Art) and Walmart's referral fee discounts for new and high-volume sellers.
The bigger swing factor for dropshippers specifically is the optional fulfillment layer. If you're using FBA or WFS rather than shipping orders yourself, storage fees, aged inventory surcharges, and returns processing add up in ways the headline referral percentage doesn't capture. Model both scenarios, fulfilled-by-merchant and fulfilled-by-platform, before deciding which marketplace nets you more per order.
Cheapest Marketplace to Sell On: It Depends on Volume and Category
For a new seller testing a handful of SKUs at low volume, Walmart Marketplace's zero monthly fee makes it the cheapest marketplace to sell on in raw fixed-cost terms. For an established seller moving high volume in a mid-to-high referral fee category on Amazon, the $39.99 monthly fee is a rounding error next to what Buy Box eligibility and advertising access are worth, and Amazon's referral rates in categories like Computers or Consumer Electronics (8%) can undercut Walmart's comparable tiers. There isn't a universal answer, the honest comparison has to run at the category level, using each platform's own fee calculator against your actual product cost and price point.
Doba's product data can help narrow that further by flagging which categories are already performing well on each platform, so you're comparing real margin scenarios instead of headline percentages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Does Walmart charge a monthly fee to sell on its marketplace?
No. Signing up to sell on Walmart Marketplace is free, and there's no monthly subscription or listing fee. You pay a referral fee on each item sold, plus fulfillment, storage, and returns fees only if you choose to use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
Q2: Are Walmart's referral fees lower than Amazon's?
In most categories, they're the same: both platforms charge 15% for categories such as Home and Kitchen and Toys. Differences show up in specific categories. Walmart charges 6% for Personal Computers versus Amazon's 8%, and 15% for apparel over $20 versus Amazon's 17%, while Amazon Device Accessories carry a 45% fee on Amazon. Both platforms calculate the fee on the total sales price, including shipping, and Amazon applies a $0.30 minimum per item in most categories.
Q3: Are WFS storage fees cheaper than FBA storage fees?
The base rate usually is. WFS charges $0.75 per cubic foot per month, slightly below Amazon's standard-size off-peak rate. In October through December, WFS adds $1.50 per cubic foot for units stored longer than 30 days, while Amazon's standard-size peak rate is $2.40 per cubic foot. Long-term storage rules also differ: Amazon's aged inventory surcharge starts at 181 days, while Walmart's long-term storage fees apply after 365 days.
Q4: Do new sellers get fee discounts on Walmart or Amazon?
Yes, on both. Walmart's New-Seller Savings program offers up to $75,000 in referral fee discounts and fulfillment and advertising credits for sellers who go live after February 1, 2026. Amazon offers new-to-Amazon sellers over $50,000 in credits, bonuses, and benefits. Eligibility rules and terms apply on both platforms, so check each program's conditions before you count the savings in your margins.
