Walmart Fulfillment Services vs: Fulfillment by Amazon: How Do They Compare?

The DealNews Seller's Guide

WFS is an emerging program from the nation's largest retailer. But how does it compare with Amazon's FBA service? Learn what each program provides in terms of pricing, product size requirements, and other factors.

Welcome to the DealNews Seller's Guide. Today we’ll be looking at Walmart Fulfillment Services and Fulfillment by Amazon. How do these two programs compare in terms of pricing, product size requirements, and other factors?

The Walmart Fulfillment Services program features a streamlined system that makes it easy to get your items in front of millions of customers. And rapid shipping, simple returns, and accessible customer care representatives are a few of the benefits your customers will enjoy.

But how does WFS compare to the Fulfillment by Amazon program, which is available to Amazon Marketplace sellers and better known as FBA? Let's look at what both of these offerings provide.

First of all, do these programs have easy qualification criteria?

The answer for both is yes. FBA also offers extra perks, including a sponsored ads campaign and free monthly storage on select products for first-time users.

And what are the product size requirements?

Maximum product dimensions for WFS are 25 inches by 20 inches by 14 inches, and products are limited to 30 pounds. FBA requirements are determined by product size tier, and there are more flexible weight and dimension limits.

Be aware that both programs give you an account management dashboard, but do they both have the same pricing and storage fees?

Not exactly. Walmart has no monthly subscription fee. Instead there's a fixed monthly storage fee, and fulfillment price is based on shipping weight. Amazon charges about 40 bucks a month, plus selling fees, for the Professional plan. Their monthly storage fee is determined by the daily average volume in cubic feet. And the fulfillment price is based on shipping weight.

Inventory management is another important factor to know about.

It can be tracked on user-friendly dashboards if you have WFS. For FBA users, it's handled through a user-specific portal.

Let's move on now to return policies.

Walmart customers get 90 days for returns in-store, by mail, or via a scheduled home pickup. Amazon offers 30 days for returns by mail, and 90 days for select baby items in new, unopened condition.

Now what about shipping?

WFS provides 2-day shipping, and with FBA it's free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime. FBA also provides free shipping for all Amazon customers on eligible orders.

Then there's customer support.

Walmart offers personal advisors to help out Marketplace sellers. And Amazon has a free service available day and night by phone or email, though a processing fee applies for returns in select categories.

Finally, know that coverage for both WFS and FBA is nationwide.

Now we've covered the nitty-gritty details of the programs, so let's talk about how sellers can benefit from Walmart Fulfillment specifically.

Sellers can get higher profit margins from increased exposure, and delegate pesky duties so they have more free time to market their business and scale up operations. Payments are made biweekly, and you can track sales activity and generate summary reports directly from the Seller Center dashboard.

Customers enjoy expedited shipping with 2-day delivery and the convenience of ordering from the comfort of their homes. There are also call center associates standing by to help your customers with shipping, refunds, return-related issues, and other general inquiries.

Do you want to learn more about Walmart Fulfillment Services and Fulfillment by Amazon? You can get info on WFS at marketplace.walmart.com, and FBA info is available at sell.amazon.com.

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