Walmart prohibited items: what you can't sell

Walmart's prohibited products policy lists what you can't sell, or can only sell with extra requirements, on Walmart Marketplace. It covers whole groups such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco and vaping, firearms and ammunition, recalled products, hazardous items, digital goods and software, live animals and anything that infringes someone's intellectual property. For resellers, the rule that matters most is the resold products policy: unless Walmart invites you to its Resold program, you can only list items in new condition. Margenos is a Walmart reseller tool (Chrome extension and Android app) that shows whether a product is worth selling on Walmart Marketplace: fees, profit, ROI, sales estimates, every competing seller with stock, the Buy Box winner and the product's price and Buy Box history.

Prohibited vs restricted

Walmart uses one policy for two different things. Some products are prohibited outright. Others are allowed with restrictions: you need approval, specific documents (like a children's product certificate) or accurate claims in the listing. Brand and category approvals are covered separately in Walmart restricted brands and approval categories.

Walmart's prohibited product categories

Walmart's policy overview groups its category rules like this. Each one has its own page with what's banned and what's allowed with conditions:

Walmart also bans products made or sourced in Iran, Cuba, North Korea and certain regions of Ukraine, and products made with forced labor.

Can you sell used items on Walmart?

Usually not. Walmart's resold products policy says selling items that aren't in new condition is prohibited unless Walmart invites you to its Resold program. Invited sellers can list Restored, Pre-Owned, Open Box or Remanufactured items in allowed categories, with disclosure rules. Some categories are closed to resold items even then, including cosmetics, food, hazardous materials and batteries, medical devices, pet supplies, tobacco and weapons.

For retail and clearance resellers, "new" means sealed, unused, in its original retail packaging. A returned or open-box item from a store shelf doesn't qualify. See Walmart clearance reselling and retail arbitrage for what does.

What happens if you list a prohibited item

Walmart says it will automatically unpublish an item that doesn't meet its category requirements and can remove any listing that breaks the law or its policies. Repeated or serious violations can lead to your seller account being suspended or terminated, and Walmart can remove a product category without notice. Unpublished items also hurt if you've already shipped stock to WFS, which has its own prohibited products list.

How to check a product before you buy it

1. Check the category rules in Walmart's prohibited products policy for anything consumable, electrical, for kids or with batteries.
2. Check brand and category approval for your account in Seller Center.
3. Make sure it's new in original packaging, with an invoice or receipt.
4. Look at the listing: who sells it, how much stock they have and whether it sells.
5. Run the profit after Walmart's fees before you buy.

Margenos covers steps 4 and 5 on any Walmart.com product page. The full check is in how to know if a product will sell on Walmart.

Sources: Walmart prohibited products policy: overview · Walmart prohibited products policy: resold products · Walmart prohibited products policy: jewelry. Walmart changes its rules; confirm in Seller Center.