Walmart Account Suspension | How It Happens, What to Do, Staying Compliant

Selling on Walmart has proven to be a good option for many e-commerce businesses. Thankfully, Amazon is not the only online marketplace! As more sellers jump onto Walmart every day, the issues faced on the platform also increase. Among the biggest hiccups is when your Walmart seller account is suspended! 

A Walmart account suspension is not inevitable, but it’s more than possible and many sellers on the platform encounter this problem. Perhaps it’s obvious, but a suspension can severely damage a seller’s business. E-commerce sellers might benefit from knowing how these suspensions occur and why before they are affected. Anticipating the situation may allow sellers to move through the process of suspension and reinstatement more efficiently. Walmart sellers who’ve been suspended without prior knowledge of the subject have a little catching up to do! But even they can learn and then take action. 

If your account is suspended, you’ll want to figure out why. The level of complexity involved in determining the reason for your suspension varies based on your business activity. If you want to have your Walmart seller account reinstated, understanding the reason for the suspension is necessary. 

Explanations for Walmart Account Suspension

So what are the typical explanations for a Walmart seller account suspension? 

• If a Walmart seller fails to comply with operational standards.
  • Sellers have to abide by Walmart’s standards regarding operation so that the consumer is ultimately satisfied. Compliance in accordance with the standards is required to avoid suspension. 
• A violation of Walmart’s Trust and Safety Standards.
  • This pertains to compliance with all of Walmart’s policies concerning intellectual property, regulations, and the sale of approved products (as opposed to anything offensive or prohibited). 
• A violation of Walmart’s Performance Standards.
  • All Walmart sellers receive a “Seller Scorecard.” This tracks a seller’s cancellations, deliveries, tracking, and returns. 
• If the Marketplace Retailer Agreement is violated. 
  • In order to sell on Walmart, all sellers must sign off on this agreement and comply with every policy included in the agreement. 

Sellers who encounter a struggle when trying to figure out why their account was suspended ought to consider seeking legal counsel. An attorney well-versed in intellectual property law and the e-commerce world can help identify the reason for the suspension! 

Determine the Reason, Draw Up a Plan for Reinstatement, File an Appeal

Once the reason for your Walmart account suspension has been determined, you’ll then want to draw up a plan for your reinstatement. In the Business Plan of Action, sellers should include several very important details. You should note what tactics you used to determine the cause of the suspension. Secondly, sellers should specify how the violations were addressed and fixed. And lastly, Walmart wants to know what protocol changes your business made so you don’t violate their terms again. 

With the plan of action created, sellers can file an appeal via the Walmart Seller Center. While many sellers are eligible to submit an appeal, not every single seller is. The email informing you of the suspension will state whether or not you’re eligible for appeal. The reason for the suspension informs the type of questions Walmart will present to the seller who is appealing. Sellers will benefit from answering the appeal questions with the utmost specificity. 

Avoid Getting Another Walmart Account Suspension!

After your Walmart seller account gets reinstated, try to avoid another suspension! Take the necessary actions in advance, if you’re capable, so that you are aware of all of Walmart’s policies and don’t violate their terms. Keeping yourself informed of Walmart’s policies, as they exist and change over time, is the best defense against suspension. 

For example, sellers can monitor their performance records on Walmart itself, under the Walmart Seller Center section. There, you can view your Cancel Rate, On-Time Delivery Rate (OTD), Valid Tracking Rate (VTR), Refund Rate, and Seller Response Rate. In the event that your business can’t keep up with the Walmart performance standards, you might want to look into using the Walmart Fulfillment Service (WFS), which allows businesses to outsource the responsibilities related to shipping metrics. 

Sellers should also know that Walmart doesn’t permit selling arbitrage (buying from one store and reselling on another). You are expected to sell your own inventory! Items sold to consumers via Walmart.com should be shipped in boxes/envelopes that are not branded, outside of goods that ship with the manufacturer’s packaging. When selling food, medicine, or baby products, especially, stay informed of the Walmart product policy. And, provide the best customer service you can! Be sure your product images, descriptions, titles, and specifications are wholeheartedly accurate. If a customer submits an inquiry, respond in a timely fashion. Getting familiar with the Walmart Message Center is a good idea, too! 

Stick to Your Plan of Action | Seek Legal Counsel

Following account reinstatement, Walmart requires sellers to apply the steps they outlined in their plan of action. If the seller’s performance is not improved by way of that application, they could be suspended another time and/or have their account terminated. 

Contact our team today if you need help understanding why your Walmart account was suspended. The consultation is free! We will work with you to determine the reason and develop a plan of action, so you can once again enjoy selling to consumers with great success!

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