Walmart Lets International Merchants Sell On Its Marketplace

Walmart relaxed requirements that mandated its marketplace merchants be registered domestically, Bloomberg reported, just weeks after the world’s biggest retailer said it would spend $350 billion on products manufactured, grown or assembled in the United States.

Walmart started to open its third-party marketplace to merchants outside of the United States in March. Those merchants don’t need a domestic address or business tax identification anymore. However, the merchants will continue to be vetted by the retailer’s global trust and safety workforce and locally, according to the report.

“We have strong relationships with many reputable companies around the world and we have some of the most rigorous seller requirements in the industry,” Walmart said in a statement, as per the report. “As a result, we are opening our U.S. marketplace to a limited number of international companies who share our commitment to customer trust and safety.”

While Walmart doesn’t make the number of its marketplace merchants public, Marketplace Pulse estimates the number of Walmart marketplace merchants at approximately 80,000.

Merchants also have to be invited to use Walmart’s marketplace. By comparison, Amazon’s marketplace is available to almost anyone who participates in a digital registration process, Bloomberg reported.

For their part, American marketplaces have turned into a popular method for Chinese manufacturers to reach U.S. shoppers. Marketplace Pulse says that almost 40 percent of Amazon marketplace sales to American shoppers originate from Chinese sellers.

The news comes after Walmart unveiled plans to attract more shoppers by encouraging more businesses to sell their merchandise on its platform.

“We are excited to announce ‘New-Seller Savings,’” a press release from the retailer stated in February, showcasing its promotion of providing “30 days of commission-free sales” to any merchant who joins its marketplace by the end of March and goes live by the start of May.

Also, the firm said merchants who join will be able to access its “suite of services designed to help them stay competitive,” such as Walmart Fulfillment Services and access to lines of credit through Goldman Sachs.