The stock and the current files.
Product and variant quantities, supplier ready dates, existing-label photos and the current seller-approved WFS files.
NORTH AMERICA / PREP BRIEF
Walmart WFSWalmart WFS
Prepared in China.
China prep for US WFS: match product labels and inbound cartons, then confirm return rules and the approved receiving route.
What should be agreed before China stock is prepared for US WFS?
For US Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), SinoWarehousing scopes China receiving and preparation around the seller’s current approved item and shipment files. Before work begins, confirm the physical SKU and variant, approved UPC or GTIN, existing labels, sellable-unit protection and carton allocation. The seller supplies and approves catalog setup, the inbound order and final destination labels. Keep the finished carton contents, release approval and remaining China stock together. China handling and destination arrangements require acceptance for the actual shipment.
THE CHINA WORK TO AGREE
A WFS batch from your China stock.
Useful when several suppliers feed one WFS release, or stock carrying another channel’s labels needs a separate preparation review.
The accepted China operations.
Agree receiving checks, any old-label treatment, unit protection and the carton allocation before preparing the accepted batch.
Platform names describe seller workflows. China handling and destination arrangements require acceptance for your stock; your team provides and approves the current selling-program files.
The channel-specific control points.
- 01
Catalog alignment
Check the item identifier against the seller’s WFS item setup.
- 02
Visible identification
Use the approved GTIN or UPC on the item’s outer packaging, following current instructions.
- 03
Individual protection
Review sealed packaging, bags, fragile handling and any required warnings.
- 04
Shipment matching
Match the inbound order, carton quantities and destination labels before release.
Before you approve the prep.
Do not substitute an Amazon-specific FNSKU for the WFS product identifier. Walmart also offers its own prep options; choose the scope deliberately rather than assuming every item needs third-party relabeling.
Send the current instructions from your seller account, approved identifiers and final shipment labels. The seller owns catalog setup and the shipment plan.
Set the return route before stock comes back.
For US WFS customer returns, Walmart checks condition and applies the seller’s return settings. The defaults are restock for sellable items and disposal for unsellable items. Confirm the category rules and accepted WFS return address before choosing return-to-seller.
These settings have exceptions: Walmart keeps returns identified as Walmart at fault, and may dispose of expired inventory regardless of the preference. Use the account’s return record before arranging separate local receiving or rework.
Walmart handles WFS customer refunds under its return process. A local stock receipt does not itself authorize a refund or replacement.
US guidance checked 6 October 2026: WFS return rules; WFS customer orders and returns. Use the current account settings for the actual program and product.
Plan the receiving and stock workflowTrace a receiving difference by SKU.
When the seller sees a difference between dispatched stock and the WFS receiving record, compare the same shipment and item references at each stage. Keep the original quantities alongside later corrections so the difference can be traced.
| Evidence | What to compare |
|---|---|
| China dispatch record | Physical SKU, approved item identifier, carton contents and units released |
| Carrier handover | Shipment reference, carton or pallet count and available collection evidence |
| Delivery record | Carrier tracking and available delivery confirmation for the assigned destination |
| Seller receiving record | Item-level quantities and status shown in the seller account, with the review date |
Record where the counts first diverge. A signed delivery record and sellable inventory status describe different stages. The seller should confirm the current WFS support procedure and any applicable deadlines before submitting an investigation.
Review dispatch and receiving recordsCompare the same report and stock state
Walmart’s WFS inventory health report separates available, reserved and inbound units, alongside other stock states. Its guidance says the available-to-sell quantity in this report updates less often than the Inventory page. Different snapshots can therefore show different quantities.
Keep the report name, export time, seller SKU, item identifier and exact state with each quantity. Compare like-for-like records before asking the seller to investigate a difference; a report mismatch alone does not establish missing stock. Use the appropriate fulfillment report for the seller’s fulfillment method.
Use the WFS stock-state and timestamp comparison to record each report snapshot on the same basis before tracing a difference.
Source checked 6 October 2026: WFS inventory health report. Recheck the seller’s current configuration and instructions before acting.
Source checked 6 October 2026: Fulfillment reports overview, updated 3 September 2026. Recheck the seller’s current configuration and instructions before acting.
Official references.
References reviewed October 6, 2026. Recheck the current instructions before each shipment.
Check the identifier before printing.
Walmart’s US WFS label guide accepts scannable UPC or GTIN identifiers for sellable units and excludes FNSKU, vendor SKU and EAN identifiers. Match each variant to the approved item record. Keep receiving labels for cartons separate from item labels.
Sources checked 6 October 2026: Walmart WFS label guide, updated 7 August 2026. Confirm the current seller instructions before release.
Agree a sample label and packaging photo before processing the batch. A barcode scan confirms readability; separately check that its value matches the intended product.
Read the cross-channel barcode guidePreviously labeled stock needs its own review
When transferring stock that already carries another channel’s labels, include existing-label photos in the prep brief. Confirm the treatment of those labels and the selected prep-service scope against the current WFS shipment instructions before dispatch. Do not assume a booked labeling service includes every removal or rework task.
For Amazon-labeled units, review the Amazon-to-WFS label and variant checks before approving label removal, rework and carton release.