Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment: Which Should You Choose for Your Online Store?

Imagine this: there is a company that sells automotive parts to foreign countries. It all began in a garage for them. They were used to handling the sale of small shipments. But when orders began to pile up, they started having doubts about "how to sell" to "how to send goods out fast." They sought help from fulfillment services, but they didn't know which one to choose: Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment.

What is the role of fulfillment services? Two big names—Amazon FBA and Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)—are fighting to lift the heavy work off your back. But which one fits your company best? Let's dig into it.

What is Amazon Fulfillment Services (FBA)?

FBA means Fulfillment by Amazon. It's a service where you send your shipments to Amazon's warehouses for safety until the goods are packed properly by Amazon, and they do the rest—they pack, ship, take returns, and tackle customer grievances.

Amazon FBA was created as a way to help sellers grow, and now it is a top tool in online selling, aiding millions all over.

Example:

Meet Priya, who sells eco-friendly yoga mats from home. After a well-known person talked about her mats online, orders soared. She could not keep up, so she switched to Amazon FBA. Soon, she had faster shipping, a Prime badge, and more time to think about ads and making new items.

Key Features of Amazon FBA

Prime Badge Access: Your listings become eligible for Amazon Prime, which boosts visibility and conversions.

2-Day Shipping: Lightning-fast delivery for Prime members.

Customer Service: Amazon handles customer inquiries and returns.

Multi-Channel Fulfillment: You can also fulfill orders from your website or other platforms using FBA.

Global Reach: Access to Amazon's international markets through FBA Global Export.

How to Use Amazon Fulfillment Services

Starting up with Amazon FBA is clear-cut:

Set Up an Amazon Seller Account: Pick either an individual or a professional account.

Make FBA Listings: Put your items on Amazon and choose “Fulfilled by Amazon.”

Get and Send Inventory: Stick to Amazon’s packing and tagging rules, then ship your items to set fulfillment places.

Let Amazon Do the Work: Once live, Amazon takes care of storage, shipping, customer help, and returns.

Live Tracking: Use the Amazon Fulfillment Services Tracking to check where your goods are.

Check Performance: See how your inventory, sales, and customer feedback are doing.

What is Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)?

Launched in 2020, Walmart Fulfillment Services is Walmart’s answer to Amazon FBA. It allows sellers on Walmart.com to store inventory in Walmart’s fulfillment centers. Walmart then handles the shipping, returns, and customer service.

Although newer, WFS is rapidly growing, leveraging Walmart’s massive logistics infrastructure.

Example:

Let’s go back to Priya. With success on Amazon under her belt, she wanted to diversify. Walmart Fulfillment seemed like a natural next step. She signed up for WFS, and within weeks, her products were getting "2-day shipping" badges on Walmart.com—and sales started flowing from a new customer base.

Key Features of Walmart Fulfillment Services

2-Day Shipping: Nationwide delivery within two days.

Trusted Walmart Brand: Builds credibility with customers shopping on Walmart.com.

Simplified Returns: Walmart manages returns and customer support.

No Inventory Minimums: Start small and scale up.

Competitive Pricing: Transparent fee structure without storage fee surprises.

How to Use Walmart Fulfillment Services

To start with Walmart supply chain fulfillment, follow these easy steps:

Join as a Walmart Marketplace Seller: Apply and get the green light to sell on Walmart.com.

Join WFS: After approval, ask for access to Walmart Fulfillment Services from your Seller Center.

Make Listings: List your products and add eligible SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) to WFS.

Send Goods to Walmart: Get ready and send inventory to Walmart’s fulfillment centers, following the packaging rules.

Ship and Grow: Walmart takes care of shipping, customer help, and returns. You can look at how you're doing through real-time dashboards in Seller Center.

Calculate Costs: Use the Walmart fulfillment calculator to find the exact cost of shipping your goods.

Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment: Pros and Cons

Let’s pit Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment against each other with some honest pros and cons.

Amazon FBA Pros:

Massive audience (300+ million customers)

Prime eligibility = better conversion rates

Established and reliable infrastructure

Multi-channel support

Automated customer service and returns

Amazon FBA Cons:

Storage fees can get expensive, especially during peak seasons

Strict policies around inventory and performance

High competition and a fee structure can reduce margins

Branding can be diluted; most customers think they’re buying from Amazon

Walmart Fulfillment Pros:

Access to Walmart’s trusted customer base

Lower competition compared to Amazon

Transparent and often lower fulfillment fees

Brand visibility (your brand is highlighted more than on Amazon)

Walmart Fulfillment Cons:

Smaller audience size compared to Amazon

Stricter seller requirements to get approved

Still growing, so fewer tools and integrations

Not as globally established as Amazon

Key Differences: Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment

Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment: Which is Better?

The decision isn’t always black-and-white. Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment depends on your business goals, product type, and growth strategy.

If you want to reach international customers? → Go with Amazon FBA.

Is brand control and customer recognition important? → Consider Walmart Fulfillment.

Are you already doing well on Amazon and want to diversify your sales channels? → Try WFS.

Do you sell fast-moving products that benefit from Prime visibility? → Amazon FBA wins.

Is your product unique, less competitive, and you want it to stand out? → Walmart might be better.

Can Both Fulfillment Services Be Used?

Absolutely—and many sellers do!

Using both services can help diversify your revenue streams, reduce dependency on a single platform, and reach distinct customer bases. Just be prepared for the logistics management across two systems and the need to balance inventory carefully.

Get Amazon Fulfillment Services and Walmart Fulfillment Services with Gxpress

Gxpress Logistics is a global logistics provider specializing in e-commerce fulfillment solutions, including services tailored for both Amazon FBA and Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS). With a presence in over 192 countries and a client base of global customers, Gxpress offers comprehensive logistics support to businesses aiming to expand their reach.

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For Amazon FBA sellers, Gxpress provides:

End-to-end solutions encompassing inventory storage

Order processing

Shipping

Ensuring timely delivery

Compliance with Amazon's fulfillment requirements.

Similarly, for Walmart Marketplace sellers utilizing WFS, Gxpress facilitates:

Seamless integration by managing the logistics of packing

Shipping products

Warehousing

Quality assurance in alignment with Walmart's fulfillment protocols.

Conclusion

So, between Amazon FBA vs Walmart Fulfillment, you should pick one that lets you grow fast, increases your profits, and keeps your orders safe.

Amazon FBA is popular, great for quick growth, and reaching a lot of ready buyers. But it comes with higher fees and tough competition.

Walmart Fulfillment, though, is on the rise—great for growing and making your brand known in an open market.

You don't need just one. Sometimes, starting with one and moving to both is smart. The best service is the one that fits your plan, consults with your buyers, and lets you rest easy at night knowing your orders are done right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How does Walmart's fulfillment operation differ from Amazon's?

Walmart’s fulfillment is all about Walmart Marketplace orders, offering more brands visibility, and simpler fees. Amazon FBA helps with selling on multiple channels, reaches more globally, and lets sellers use Prime, but it does have higher fees and more rivals.

Q2. How is Walmart better than Amazon?

Walmart has less competition, shows your brand better, and often has lower fulfillment costs. It also gets you to a growing group of buyers without the heavy competition seen on Amazon.

Q3. What are the advantages of Amazon over Walmart?

Amazon touches a huge global crowd, reaches Prime members, has strong logistics, and offers tools like multi-channel fulfillment—great for growing fast and going global.

Q4. What does fulfilled by Walmart mean?

“Fulfilled by Walmart” means Walmart stores, packs, and ships your goods from its centers, and deals with customer help and returns, like Amazon FBA, but just for Walmart.com orders.

Q5. Why is Amazon FBA so expensive?

Amazon FBA bills for storage, fulfillment, and extra options like removals or returns. Prices rise due to high storage fees (especially long-term), extra charges in peak times, and fees linked to product size and weight.

Q6. Is Walmart fulfillment worth it?

Yes—if you’re selling on Walmart, WFS can make shipping faster, build customer trust, and boost visibility, all while keeping rates competitive and facing less marketplace competition than Amazon. It's a wise move to expand and grow.