Most POD sellers are fighting over the same Amazon listings, bidding up ad costs, and watching their margins shrink quarter after quarter. Meanwhile, Walmart Marketplace is sitting right there — growing fast, far less saturated, and practically begging for print on demand sellers to show up. If you’ve been looking for a way to expand your POD business without just throwing more money at Amazon PPC, Walmart print on demand might be exactly what you need.
I started testing Walmart as a sales channel about a year ago, mostly out of frustration with how crowded Amazon had become in my niches. What I found surprised me: real sales with almost zero competition on designs that were buried on page 5 of Amazon search results.
Here’s what you need to know to get started.
Why Walmart Marketplace Matters for POD Sellers
Walmart.com pulls in over 120 million unique monthly visitors. That’s a massive pool of buyers, and unlike Amazon, the print on demand category is still wide open. Search for almost any niche — funny nurse shirts, dog mom mugs, fishing dad tees — and you’ll find a fraction of the listings compared to Amazon.
The math is simple: fewer sellers means less competition for visibility, lower ad costs (Walmart Connect ads are still cheap compared to Amazon Sponsored Products), and more organic discoverability for your products.
There’s also a demographic difference worth paying attention to. Walmart shoppers tend to be more price-conscious and value-driven. They’re looking for deals. This actually works in your favor with POD products, where your cost basis is relatively low and you can price competitively while still maintaining healthy margins.
The Fee Structure: No Monthly Costs
One of the biggest advantages of selling on Walmart Marketplace is the fee structure. There are no monthly subscription fees, no setup fees, and no listing fees. You only pay a referral fee when you actually make a sale.
Referral fees vary by category, but for most POD-relevant categories they range from 8% to 15%. Compare that to Amazon’s monthly Professional seller fee plus referral fees plus FBA fees (if applicable), and Walmart starts looking very attractive from a margin perspective.
Here’s a quick comparison:
- Amazon: $39.99/month subscription + 15% referral fee + variable closing fees
- Walmart: $0/month + 8-15% referral fee (category-dependent)
For POD sellers just testing a new channel, having zero upfront costs removes a lot of the risk.
Key Requirements: UPC and Lag Time Exemptions
Here’s where most guides gloss over the details that actually matter. Walmart has specific requirements that can trip up POD sellers if you’re not prepared.
UPC Exemption: Walmart normally requires UPC barcodes for every product. Since POD products are custom-made, you’ll need to apply for a UPC exemption. This is a straightforward process through Walmart Seller Center — you submit a request explaining that your products are custom/made-to-order, and approval typically comes within a few business days.
Lag Time Exemption: Walmart’s default shipping expectation is 1-2 business days. POD products take longer because they’re produced after the order comes in. You need to request a lag time exemption to set your processing time to 5-7 business days (or whatever your POD provider’s production time is). Without this, you’ll get dinged on performance metrics and risk account suspension.
Pro tip: Apply for both exemptions before you start listing products. Trying to fix performance violations after the fact is a headache you don’t need.
What Sells on Walmart: Product Categories
Not every POD product performs equally well on Walmart. Based on what I’ve seen and heard from other sellers in the space, here are the strongest categories:
Apparel — T-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts remain the bread and butter. Walmart shoppers respond well to seasonal, holiday, and occupation-based designs. Think “Proud Army Mom” or “Retired and Loving It” — straightforward messaging that connects with Walmart’s core demographic.
Home Decor — This is where Walmart has a real advantage. Wall art (canvas prints, posters), throw pillows, and blankets sell well. Walmart customers are actively shopping for home goods, so your POD home decor products land in front of buyers with purchase intent.
Mugs — Coffee mugs are a proven performer across every marketplace, and Walmart is no exception. If you’re already selling print on demand mugs on Amazon, porting those designs to Walmart is low-hanging fruit.
Phone Cases — Decent volume, though margins can be tighter. Best used as a complement to your main product lines rather than a primary focus.
Setting Up: Printify and Walmart Integration
As of now, Printify is the primary POD provider with a direct Walmart Marketplace integration. The setup process looks like this:
- Apply for a Walmart Marketplace seller account at marketplace.walmart.com. Approval can take 2-4 weeks, so start early.
- Request your UPC and lag time exemptions once approved.
- Connect Printify to your Walmart Seller Center account through Printify’s integration settings.
- Create your products in Printify and publish them to Walmart.
- Optimize your listings — Walmart’s search algorithm weighs title, description, and attributes differently than Amazon. More on that below.
When an order comes in on Walmart, Printify automatically receives it, produces the product, and ships it to the customer. Same workflow you’re used to with Amazon or Shopify integrations.
Pricing Strategy for Walmart
Pricing on Walmart requires a slightly different approach than Amazon. Walmart’s algorithm favors competitive pricing, and their “Pricing Rules” system can suppress your listings from search results if your prices are significantly higher than comparable products.
A general framework that works:
- Apparel: 30-40% markup over your POD base cost + Walmart referral fee
- Home Decor: 40-50% markup (home goods carry better margins on Walmart)
- Mugs and Accessories: 30-40% markup
Leave room for running Walmart Rollback promotions or price reductions. Walmart’s algorithm rewards sellers who participate in their promotional programs, so build that flexibility into your pricing from day one.
Walmart vs. Amazon: A Realistic Comparison
Let me be honest — Walmart isn’t going to replace Amazon for most POD sellers. Amazon’s traffic volume and established POD infrastructure are still unmatched. But that’s not the point.
The point is diversification.
| Factor | Amazon | Walmart |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fees | $39.99 | $0 |
| Competition Level | Extremely High | Low-Moderate |
| Traffic Volume | Higher | Growing Fast |
| POD Integration | Multiple Providers | Primarily Printify |
| Ad Costs | Rising | Still Low |
| Buyer Demographics | Broad | Value-Conscious |
Sellers who list on both platforms consistently report that Walmart adds 15-30% to their overall POD revenue. That’s not life-changing on its own, but it adds up — especially when the marginal effort of listing on Walmart is minimal if you’re already creating products for Amazon.
Managing Multiple Marketplaces Without Losing Your Mind
This is where things get real. Running POD listings across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and potentially Etsy means managing multiple dashboards, different listing formats, separate analytics, and distinct optimization strategies.
Doing this manually doesn’t scale. I tried, and it became a full-time job just keeping listings synced and updated across platforms.
This is exactly why I built PODtomatic. When you’re managing hundreds or thousands of designs across multiple marketplaces, you need automation that handles the repetitive work — generating listings, formatting for each platform’s requirements, and pushing products out at scale. If you’re serious about multi-marketplace POD selling, automating your print on demand workflow isn’t optional. It’s the only way to make the numbers work.
Getting Your Listings Found on Walmart
Walmart’s search algorithm (internally called “Walmart Search”) works differently from Amazon’s A9/A10. A few key differences:
- Titles should be descriptive but concise — Walmart prefers clean, readable titles over keyword-stuffed ones. Front-load the most important attributes.
- Product attributes matter a lot — Fill out every single attribute field in Seller Center. Color, material, pattern, occasion, theme — all of it. Walmart’s search relies heavily on structured data.
- Rich media helps — Walmart supports rich product descriptions with formatted text. Use this to your advantage with bullet points and clear product details.
- Reviews build velocity — Similar to Amazon, products with reviews rank better. Encourage reviews through great product quality and fast shipping.
Start Small, Scale What Works
My recommendation for POD sellers new to Walmart: start with 20-50 of your best-performing designs from Amazon. Port them over, optimize the listings for Walmart’s format, and give them 30-60 days to gain traction.
Track your data. See which niches and product types resonate with Walmart’s audience (you might be surprised — it’s not always the same things that sell on Amazon). Then scale up what works.
Walmart print on demand is still early enough that first-movers have a real advantage. The marketplace is growing, the tools are improving, and the competition hasn’t caught up yet. A year from now, that window will be smaller.
FAQ
Do I need a business license to sell print on demand on Walmart?
Yes. Walmart requires a registered business entity (LLC, corporation, etc.) with a US tax ID (EIN). They also require a US business address and a history of marketplace or ecommerce selling. Sole proprietorships are accepted in some cases, but having an LLC or similar entity makes the application process smoother.
Can I use the same designs on Walmart that I sell on Amazon?
Absolutely. There’s no exclusivity requirement on either platform. Most POD sellers list the same designs across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and Etsy simultaneously. The key is optimizing your listing content for each platform’s specific search algorithm and audience.
How long does it take to get approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller?
The application review process typically takes 2-4 weeks. Some sellers report faster approvals (within days), while others have waited 6+ weeks. Having an established ecommerce presence (existing Amazon store, Shopify site, etc.) tends to speed up approval.
Is Walmart print on demand profitable enough to be worth the effort?
For most sellers, yes — especially if you’re already creating products for other marketplaces. The incremental effort to list on Walmart is relatively small, and with lower fees and less competition, your per-unit margins can actually be better than Amazon. The volume will likely be lower initially, but the ROI on your time is strong.
What happens if a customer returns a print on demand product on Walmart?
Returns are handled through Walmart’s standard return policy. As a seller, you set your return policy within Walmart’s guidelines. For POD products, most sellers offer refunds or replacements rather than physical returns, since the products are custom-made. Printify handles return logistics if a product arrives damaged or defective.
