The Walmart API is a set of Marketplace APIs that let a seller, or a solution provider the seller has approved, manage items, prices, inventory, orders and reports from software instead of by hand in Seller Center. You get access by signing in to Walmart's Developer Portal from Seller Center and copying your Client ID and Client Secret. Use the API directly if you have developers and unusual needs. Use a connector or provider if you mainly need your catalog, stock and orders to sync with a store or ERP you already run.
What the Walmart Marketplace API is
Walmart's developer portal says sellers and solution providers can use the Marketplace APIs to "manage items, prices, orders, and more." Walmart's introduction page lists the scope more fully: items, inventory, orders, pricing, promotions, reporting and other operational workflows. The Developer Portal is where you find documentation, credentials and onboarding.
Access is open to sellers and approved solution providers. The credential steps below start in Seller Center, so finish seller onboarding first (see getting started as a new seller and the Seller Center guide).
How to get your API credentials
This is the path Walmart describes for a seller. Screens change, so treat the labels as a guide and follow what you see in Seller Center.
- Finish seller onboarding and get approved to sell.
- In Seller Center, open the API Integration page.
- Choose API Key Management. This signs you in to the Developer Portal with your Seller Center login.
- Find your personal key pair and copy the Client ID and Client Secret.
- Request an access token from the Token API using HTTP Basic authentication, with the Client ID as the username and the Client Secret as the password.
- Send that token in the
WM_SEC.ACCESS_TOKENheader on your other API calls.
Walmart says authentication uses OAuth 2.0 and that access tokens are valid for 15 minutes, so your software must request a new one when the old one expires. Treat the Client Secret like a password: anyone who has it can act on your account through the API.
Before you touch live data, Walmart offers a sandbox for testing. Its "dynamic sandbox" is a self-service environment where you can create test items and inventory and simulate orders, deliveries and returns without touching production or Seller Center.
The main API areas
Walmart's US reference is organized into 27 sections. Most sellers only need a handful of them:
| What you want to do | API section in Walmart's reference |
|---|---|
| Create and update listings | Item Management, Feed Management |
| Keep stock accurate | Inventory Management, Lag Time |
| Change prices and run promotions | Price Management, Promotion Management |
| Pull and acknowledge orders | Order Management |
| Handle returns and refunds | Returns Management |
| Download reports | On Request Report Management, Payment Reports |
| Watch account and listing health | Insights Management (including Seller Performance and Listing Quality) |
| Fulfillment and shipping | Fulfillment Management (WFS, Multichannel Solutions, Walmart Preferred Carriers), Ship With Walmart |
| Get notified of events | Notifications Management |
The reference also includes Authentication, Disputes, Claims, Payments, Advertising, Reviews Acceleration, Settings and others. Rate limits are set per endpoint in the reference. For example, Walmart's Ship With Walmart scan form download allows 100 requests per minute, and its price incentives endpoint drops from 60 to 3 requests per minute from October 27, 2026. Check the limit on every endpoint you plan to call before you design around call volume.
Is the API available in Canada?
Walmart publishes a separate "CA Marketplace" documentation site that includes guides titled "Get started as a seller" and "Get started as an approved Solution Provider," plus migration material on moving from market-specific APIs to global ones. The Canada getting-started page has a short Canada section shared with Mexico and Chile. Its detailed credential and token steps are written in the general part of the guide, and it does not say whether they differ for Canada. The token endpoint it shows is https://marketplace.walmartapis.com/v3/token, with no separate Canada address.
It does describe Delegated Access for Canada: sellers can create separate API keys and credentials for each solution provider and grant permissions per service, such as item setup or order management. Walmart recommends this to protect your key. The same page's US Solution Provider section says the opposite for the US: "The Delegated Access method is no longer supported," and approved US providers are expected to use OAuth 2.0. So Delegated Access is a Canada (and Mexico and Chile) option in Walmart's current documentation, not a US one. Confirm in the portal which option your account shows. For the wider Canadian picture, see our Canada overview.
The Shopify connection
We could not retrieve a Walmart page that documents a Shopify connector, so we will not describe one. Walmart's solution provider hub says sellers can find providers with "ready-to-use integrations," and it lists a "Built for Marketplace" badge for apps that meet Walmart's standards for performance, security and integration. If you want a Shopify connection, look for it among the listed apps or in Shopify's own app store. Before you install anything, open the listing and check what it syncs (products, inventory, orders, tracking), which countries it supports, who gets the support calls, and what it costs. Our Shopify to Walmart page explains how we approach it.
Solution provider or API directly?
Walmart's own wording is that sellers can integrate directly or "leverage authorized connections with approved solution providers." Providers do not get keys on their own: Walmart's US getting-started page tells them to apply and work with the seller to get delegated access keys. Its seller guide, however, says Delegated Access is no longer supported for US providers and that they use OAuth 2.0, while Canada sellers can still create a separate key per provider. Ask any provider which method it uses in your market.
| Your situation | Usually a better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small catalog, one store platform, no developers | Connector or provider | No code to write or maintain; you review what it syncs |
| Catalog data lives in an ERP or PIM with your own rules | Direct API, or a provider that integrates with your ERP | You control mappings, timing and error handling |
| Need a field or workflow the connector does not support | Direct API | The reference covers more sections than most apps expose |
| Several marketplaces, one inventory | Multichannel provider | Stock is allocated across channels in one place |
| You want a provider but control over what it can touch | Provider with Delegated Access | Separate credentials and per-service permissions; Walmart documents this for Canada, Mexico and Chile, not the US |
Questions to ask any provider
- Which API sections does the app use, and which of your needs fall outside them?
- Does it support Canada? In Canada, does it use Delegated Access instead of your own key; in the US, does it connect through OAuth 2.0?
- What happens to a listing or order when a sync fails, and who is told?
- How do you export your data and revoke its access if you leave?
Treat any provider's case-study figures with care: the one growth figure on Walmart's hub is footnoted as data provided by the provider and its agency, the other entries are seller quotes, and your results will differ.
Practical checklist before you build or buy
When a feed or API call is rejected, search the code or message in our free Walmart error code lookup. Each entry quotes Walmart's own text and links to the Walmart page it comes from.
- Seller account approved and in good standing.
- Sandbox test passed for items, inventory, orders and a return.
- Product data complete enough to pass listing quality; see listing optimization.
- Token refresh handled before the 15-minute expiry.
- One owner for the Client Secret, stored outside shared documents.
If you want a second pair of eyes on which route fits your catalog and systems, our multichannel integration service starts with that decision.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Walmart API key?
In Seller Center open API Integration, choose API Key Management to sign in to the Developer Portal, and copy the Client ID and Client Secret from your key pair. You need a Seller Center account first.
Is the Walmart Marketplace API free to use?
Walmart's developer pages we fetched do not state a fee for API access. Check the Developer Portal and any provider's pricing before you commit.
What can the Walmart seller API do?
It covers items, inventory, prices, promotions, orders, returns, reports and more, across 27 sections in Walmart's US reference.
Does Walmart Canada have an API?
Walmart publishes CA Marketplace documentation with seller and Solution Provider getting-started guides. The credential steps are written generally, and it recommends Delegated Access for Canadian sellers who use a provider.
How long does a Walmart API token last?
Walmart says access tokens are valid for 15 minutes, so your software needs to request a new one when it expires.
Can a solution provider use my API key?
For Canada, Walmart recommends Delegated Access: a separate key per provider with per-service permissions. For the US, its seller guide says Delegated Access is no longer supported and approved providers use OAuth 2.0, though another US page still mentions delegated access keys, so ask the provider which method it uses.
Should I use a connector or the API directly?
A connector suits a small catalog on one platform with no developers. The direct API suits ERP-driven data or workflows a connector does not support.
Sources
- Walmart Developer Portal (checked October 28, 2026)
- Walmart Marketplace API: getting started and credentials (checked October 28, 2026)
- Walmart Marketplace API: introduction (checked October 28, 2026)
- Walmart Marketplace API reference (US) (checked October 28, 2026)
- Walmart CA Marketplace documentation (checked October 28, 2026)
- Getting API access for Canada Marketplace (checked October 28, 2026)
- Walmart Marketplace solution providers (checked October 28, 2026)