Walmart has built a reputation on being the place to shop to save money. Hence their slogan “Save Money, Live Better.” And even though they’ve ventured into the world of an ecommerce marketplace by allowing third-party sellers on their site, they still want their customers to score good deals. That’s why it isn’t surprising that Walmart encourages third-party sellers to give customers free shipping.
There are 5 shipping methods available to sellers through the Walmart Marketplace: Value, Standard, Expedited, Next Day, and Freight. The default method being Value Shipping. Walmart claims that the Free Value Shipping method is the best option for both customers and sellers. Customers love free shipping, and sellers can benefit from choosing to fulfill orders with the shipping method and carrier of their choice.
While this sounds nice for some sellers, it may not work for everyone. So if you are one of those sellers who needs to override the Free Value Shipping method, we’ve got you covered.
How to Override Free Value Shipping via API
Free Value Shipping can’t be disabled through Seller Center. Instead, you need to create shipping overrides for items individually. With a third-party data feed provider, like GoDataFeed, you can avoid the headache of individually creating overrides and create rules to complete the overrides in bulk.
To complete shipping overrides via API, fill out the following attributes for the desired SKUs:
- isShippingAllowed: false
- shipRegion: STREET_48_STATES
- shipMethod: Value
- shipPrice: 0.00
You’ll then want to replace Value Shipping with another shipping method such as Next Day:
- isShippingAllowed: true
- shipRegion: STREET_48_STATES
- shipMethod: ONEDAY
- shipPrice: Enter the shipping price you want to charge (i.e., 1.99)
How to Override Free Value Shipping via Manual Uploads
If you want to submit shipping overrides manually, you’ll need to use the Full Item Spec File. Walmart warns that you must leave all of the attribute information in the Spec for each SKU when creating shipping overrides. If not, your data will be erased.
To complete value shipping overrides via the spec file, fill out the following attributes:
- Shipping Override-Is Shipping Allowed: No
- Shipping Override-Ship Method: VALUE
- Shipping Override-Ship Region: STREET_48_STATES
- Shipping Override-Ship Price: 0.00
When you go to add a different shipping method such as One Day, the file should read as follows:
- Shipping Override-Is Shipping Allowed: Yes
- Shipping Override-Ship Method: ONE_DAY (or choose from another available shipping method)
- Shipping Override-Ship Region: STREET_48_STATES
- Shipping Override-Ship Price: Enter the shipping price you want to charge (i.e., 1.99)
You’ll want to upload the shipping override information in the place where you upload the Spec to create new items.
If you do decide to move away from free shipping, be wary. Shoppers may be more likely to purchase from a seller that offers free shipping. If you are able to take it a step further by offering free expedited or next day shipping, shoppers might be even more inclined to purchase from you.
Conclusion
Value Shipping can be a great method for merchants who want to offer customers free shipping and take their time sending out the item. But this may not be favorable for all sellers. Sellers who want to switch up the shipping method should familiarize themselves with shipping overrides. For more information on these overrides, check out Walmart’s knowledge base.
