Walmart Cross Border: Imports is an inbound ocean-freight service — it moves your inventory from manufacturing origin in Asia to Walmart fulfillment centers in the U.S., for sellers who are already enrolled in WFS. It's easy to confuse with Ship with Walmart's own "Cross Border" option, which is a completely different thing — a discounted last-mile parcel service for shipping individual orders directly from China to U.S. customers. This guide covers the inbound freight program only.

What it offers

  • Access to Walmart's negotiated import rates and supply chain partners, without you needing your own freight-forwarder relationships from scratch.
  • Ocean freight for both standard and oversize inventory, in 20 ft, 40 ft, and 45 ft containers, plus less-than-container-load (LCL) shipments for sellers without enough volume to fill a full container.
  • End-to-end tracking of estimates, bookings, and shipment status inside Seller Center.
  • Dedicated exception-handling support, with end-to-end support available in Mandarin.
  • A choice between Walmart's designated customs broker or your own broker for customs clearance.
  • A published rate quote structure under an NVOCC Negotiated Rate Arrangement (NRA), rather than needing to negotiate freight rates yourself.

Ocean transportation and non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) services are provided by WMSC Logistics Services, LLC.

Eligibility

  • You're using WFS to fulfill U.S. customer orders placed on Walmart.com.
  • Your Marketplace account is in good standing. Accounts with less than 90 days of sales history may take longer to get an enrollment request reviewed.
  • You have a validated tax profile and billing settings in Seller Center, with either an ACH account or a credit card on file.
  • You source or manufacture in China, Cambodia, India, or Vietnam, and can ship from one of the supported origin ports: Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Xiamen, or Yantian (China); Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam — Cambodia shipments also route via Ho Chi Minh); or Nhava Sheva or Tuticorin (India).

How enrollment and booking work

  1. Submit an enrollment request for review in Seller Center.
  2. Once enrolled, estimate inbound freight cost on the Shipping Plans page before committing to a shipment.
  3. Book a shipment up to 60 calendar days before your expected cargo-ready date for full container load (FCL). Walmart recommends booking at least 14 days ahead for FCL, and at least 7 days before cargo drop-off for LCL.
  4. Print WFS box labels after booking.
  5. Track shipment status on the Shipping Plans page through delivery.

What happens after your containers clear customs

Once inventory clears U.S. customs, Walmart routes it to a WFS facility one of two ways:

  • Sortable inventory goes to a transfer station first, then gets distributed across multiple fulfillment centers through Inventory Transfer Service (ITS) — spreading stock across the network for faster customer delivery.
  • Non-sortable inventory may also route through a transfer station via ITS, or ship directly to a single destination fulfillment center.

FAQs

Do I need my own import bond? This is covered in Walmart's program FAQ in Seller Center — check current guidance there before assuming either way, since bond requirements can depend on your specific customs setup.

Will my inventory stay in one location or get mirrored across fulfillment centers? It depends on whether it's classified sortable or non-sortable — sortable inventory typically gets redistributed across multiple centers via ITS, while non-sortable may ship to a single destination. Check your specific shipment's routing in Seller Center.

Are returns from Walmart Cross Border: Imports inventory sent back to Asia? No standard return-to-origin process is described in Walmart's published guidance — returns follow standard WFS returns handling once inventory is in the U.S. network. See WFS Returns and Fulfillment Exceptions.

What's the difference between this and Ship with Walmart Cross Border? This program moves bulk inventory by ocean freight into WFS warehouses before any sale happens. Ship with Walmart Cross Border is a parcel-shipping option for sellers who fulfill individual orders themselves and want discounted last-mile shipping from China straight to the customer — see Ship with Walmart for that program.