Same product — a $39.99 Yoga Mat, 4.5 lbs. Amazon adds a $1.51 packaging surcharge, a 3.5% fuel surcharge, and a $39.99/month subscription. Walmart charges none of these. With New-Seller Savings, Walmart drops to $10.95 — $14,280/year cheaper on one product.
At 4.5 lbs, Walmart is $4.75/unit cheaper — and the gap widens with New-Seller Savings (up to $72,000 in referral discounts). But Walmart's weight bands are pound-based, Amazon's are ounce-based with price multipliers, so the comparison flips at different weights — and the Yoga Mat's $1.51 SIPP packaging surcharge on Amazon doesn't exist on Walmart at all.
Walmart has no subscription fee. Amazon charges $39.99/month. At low volume the subscription is meaningful; at high volume, negligible. Your product mix determines where each platform wins — and FineMargins runs every SKU across both.
The things you can change are structurally different. Amazon has 184 — mostly operational (how you package, ship, configure). Walmart has 115 — plus 152 programme eligibility rules most sellers haven't explored. Walmart's programmes are largely automatic enrolment; Amazon's require seller action.
Amazon operates 11 marketplaces with different fee structures. Walmart US is the primary marketplace, with Cross Border: Imports supporting sellers shipping from Asia. A different multi-region story entirely.
Both platforms run the marketplace model: a referral fee on the sale price, plus a fulfilment service. The architecture below shows what each platform charges — and what only exists on one side.
| Amazon (FBA) | Walmart (WFS) |
|---|---|
| Referral fee (15%)Fixed | Referral fee (15%)Discountable |
| FBA fulfilment ($9.07)Configurable | WFS fulfilment ($6.15)Configurable |
| Packaging surcharge ($1.51)Avoidable | Doesn't exist on Walmart |
| Fuel surcharge ($0.32)Fixed | Doesn't exist on Walmart |
| Monthly storageOperational | WFS storageOperational |
| Inbound placementConfig | Doesn't exist on Walmart |
| Digital services feeConditional | Doesn't exist on Walmart |
| Monthly subscription ($39.99/mo)Fixed | No subscription ($0) |
| Doesn't exist on Amazon | New-Seller Savings (20–40% off)Automatic |
| Doesn't exist on Amazon | Pro Listing Savings (5–10% off)Performance |
| Doesn't exist on Amazon | WFS return processingEvent-triggered |
1. Subscription. Amazon: $39.99/month. Walmart: $0. At 40 units/month, that's $1.00/unit on Amazon. At 200 units/month, $0.20/unit. Walmart adds nothing at any volume.
2. Referral fee discounts. Amazon's referral rate is fixed by category. Walmart publishes two discount programmes — New-Seller Savings (20–40% off, up to $72,000) and Pro Listing Savings (5–10% off, permanent). On this product, New-Seller Savings drops the referral fee from $6.00 to $4.80 at the 20% tier. Amazon has no equivalent.
3. Fuel surcharge. Amazon applies 3.5% on top of every FBA fee. Walmart does not. On this product: $0.32 per unit that exists on Amazon and doesn't exist on Walmart.
4. Weight band structure. Amazon uses ounce-based bands with price multipliers. Walmart uses pound-based bands. At 4.5 lbs (Yoga Mat), WFS is $6.15 vs FBA $9.07 — Walmart is $2.92 cheaper on fulfilment alone. Add the packaging surcharge ($1.51) and fuel surcharge ($0.32) that only exist on Amazon, and the gap widens to $4.75. The heavier the product, the wider the gap.
5. Inbound placement. Amazon charges $0.16–$0.32 per unit if the seller chooses minimal shipment splits. Walmart has no equivalent fee. A seller on Amazon paying minimal splits is paying a fee that doesn't exist on Walmart.
| Amazon (FBA) | Walmart (WFS) | Walmart (new seller, 20% tier) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $39.99 | $39.99 | $39.99 |
| Referral fee | −$6.00 (15%) | −$6.00 (15%) | −$4.80 (20% off) |
| Fulfilment | −$9.07 (FBA) | −$6.15 (WFS) | −$5.54 (10% off) |
| Packaging surcharge | −$1.51 (non-SIPP) | — | — |
| Fuel surcharge | −$0.32 (3.5%) | — | — |
| Storage | −$0.42 | −$0.42 | −$0.42 |
| Platform fees | −$17.32 | −$12.57 | −$10.76 |
| Passed through | $22.67 | $27.42 | $29.23 |
| Annual difference (2,400 units) | — | $11,400 cheaper | $15,744 cheaper |
Amazon also charges $39.99/month subscription. Walmart charges $0. And Walmart has no packaging surcharge — the $1.51/unit SIPP penalty on Amazon is a fee that doesn't exist on Walmart.
Every number computed from the published rate card. That's how we check your actual charges too →
Sources: Amazon FBA fees, verified 18 Apr 2026 · SIPP packaging fees, verified 18 Apr 2026 · Walmart WFS fees, verified 17 May 2026 · New-Seller Savings, verified 17 May 2026
| Programme | What it does | Value on this product (2,400 units/year) |
|---|---|---|
| New-Seller Savings | 20–40% off the $6.00 referral fee, automatic enrolment | $2,880–$5,760 |
| WFS new-seller discount | 10% off the $6.15 WFS fee, capped at $2,000 | Up to $1,476 |
| Pro Listing Savings | 5–10% off the $6.00 referral fee, permanent (post new-seller) | $720–$1,440/year ongoing |
| Advertising credits | $500 Walmart Connect | $500 one-time |
| Keep It returns | Skip return processing on low-value items | Varies |
| Decision | What moves | Annual impact (2,400 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfilment method (FBA → FBM) | Removes $9.07 FBA + $0.32 fuel + $0.42 storage; you add your own FBM shipping. | Depends on FBM cost |
| SIPP enrolment | Removes the $1.51/unit packaging surcharge — free certification. | $3,624 |
The structural difference: Walmart's biggest savings come from programmes — discount programmes that reduce the published rate. Amazon's come from configuration — how you set up shipments, packaging, and fulfilment method. On Walmart, the question is "have you enrolled?" On Amazon, the question is "how have you configured?"
Your product. Both platforms. Every fee from published rate cards — including every Walmart programme you might not know you qualify for. Launching September 2026.
Upload your settlement report. Every fee line checked against the published rate card. How it works →
Amazon vs eBay → · Amazon vs Shopify → · eBay vs Shopify → · Amazon UK vs US vs EU →
Amazon figures from published Seller Central rate cards, verified 18 April 2026. Walmart figures from published Marketplace rate cards, verified 17 May 2026. Product: Yoga Mat, $39.99, 4.5 lbs, Small Bulky, Sports and Outdoors. Amazon verified 25 Jun 2026, Walmart verified 14 Jun 2026.