Walmart held its Let’s Grow! Seller Summit in San Francisco this week where it announced a host of new opportunities for sellers on its marketplace platform. One headline grabbing announcement: Walmart will allow sellers to list used goods – including pre-owned watches and collectible trading cards. Bloomberg (paywall) reported that the move came “as the retailer looks to further beef up its e-commerce business and grab more spending from rivals such as eBay Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.”
It’s no coincidence that luxury watches and trading cards are two of eBay’s top priorities, which it calls “focus categories.” Walmart Marketplace has experienced 30% sales growth in each of the past four quarters, it said, and it’s significantly driving its “sustained ecommerce success.” Walmart explained its “Resold at Walmart” and “Collectibles” in this week’s announcement as follows:
“Resold at Walmart, its first digital destination for cross-category and cross-condition pre-owned items from performance-managed sellers. With five million items from more than 1,700 sellers, the integrated assortment offers customers a growing selection of goods from luxury fashion and electronics to collectibles, sporting goods and more at the value they expect from Walmart. By extending the life of these products, Resold at Walmart aligns with our commitment to make the more sustainable choice the everyday choice and builds on the success of Walmart Restored, a collection of refurbished electronics and small appliances powered by Walmart Marketplace.
“Collectibles: Walmart is enriching experiences for collectors, bringing customers new ways to secure highly sought after collectibles and connecting sellers to the rapidly growing market of enthusiasts shopping its aisles. In the Collector shop, sellers can now enable preorders to build customer anticipation for drops, including releases exclusive to Walmart. The experience adds pre-owned conditions for collectibles under Resold at Walmart. Eligible sellers can take advantage of 0% commission fees for collectibles and more through Oct. 31, including action figures, dolls, trading cards, sports memorabilia, comic books, records and musical instruments.”
Tuesday’s announcement quoted Tom Ward, the Chief eCommerce Officer of Walmart US: “We’re executing strategic priorities at Walmart that are helping us to become the customers’ first choice – every day, every season, for every item. Walmart Marketplace is a key component of that mission. We know the importance of personalized, seamless omnichannel experiences, and Walmart continues to advance its digital and fulfillment capabilities, including the new categories and features we announced today, that enhance the overall customer and seller experience on Walmart.com.”
Walmart previewed Walmart LocalFinds “with direct pickup and delivery from sellers’ physical stores,” and announced the following new tools for sellers:
- A reimagined Global Seller Center and new app provide seamless onboarding for eligible sellers in any market, so they can cross borders and go global by selling in the U.S, Mexico, Chile and Canada. Sellers attending Let’s Grow! 2024 will be the first to access the new cross-listing capability and free translations.
- Walmart is waiving peak season storage fees for sellers who inbound their inventory to WFS fulfillment centers through Sept. 30. Sellers are encouraged to send their inventory as early as possible to meet customer demand for Holiday deal shopping and Walmart events.
- To help sellers scale their Holiday business, Walmart Marketplace Capital is expanding to offer qualified sellers access to cash advances. This can be up to $5 million for any qualifying seller.
- Walmart is now rolling out a new Deals Dashboard that makes it easy for sellers to enroll items in Walmart’s popular deals events. The feature also provides sellers more data and insights to improve the quality of offers and make more deals available to customers during Holiday.
See the full announcement on Walmart.com.