SERVICES · RELAY MODULES
Marketplace expansion services: add a channel without breaking the one that works
Channel Launch adds Amazon, Walmart or Shopify to a brand that already sells, with stock, catalog and fulfillment planned before the first listing goes live.
Channel launch checklist
Priced as a launch, run on your monthly plan afterwards
Marketplace expansion services add a new sales channel to a brand that already sells. Channel Launch (RELAY-10) does this for Amazon, Walmart and Shopify: a margin and readiness check per SKU, account application support, catalog and stock sync and launch pricing you approve. Fulfillment runs through FBA, WFS, Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment or your 3PL. It is priced as a Store Launch, from $999 a channel, and the new channel then runs on your existing monthly plan.
Why a new channel puts the one that works at risk
When a channel launch goes wrong, the damage usually shows up on the marketplace that was already working. Shared stock oversells, Walmart cancellations eat into a performance standard, the Shopify store starts pulling units out of FBA without a plan and the team that ran one channel well is now running two badly.
That is why Channel Launch starts with the numbers and the stock plan, and only then with listings. For the specific failure of selling the same unit twice, see overselling across channels.
Is the new channel worth it for your SKUs?
Before anything is built, every SKU you plan to list gets a go or no-go margin check on the new channel: price, referral fee, fulfillment cost, ad cost per unit and landed cost. Some SKUs that work on Amazon do not work on Walmart at the same price, and the reverse.
The fixed costs of each channel, checked Oct 20, 2026:
| Channel | What it costs to sell | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Professional selling plan $39.99 a month, plus selling fees | Sell on Amazon pricing |
| Walmart | Referral fee set by contract category: 15% for Everything Else, each category at its own rate | Walmart referral fee schedule (Mar 9, 2026) |
| Shopify | Basic $39 a month billed monthly, plus 2.9% + 30 cents per online card order on standard cards; some cards cost more | Shopify pricing |
The market, kept apart from any forecast: Walmart reported more than 50% growth in Walmart U.S. marketplace net sales in the quarter ended Jul 31, 2026 (Walmart, Aug 20, 2026), and its marketplace crossed 200,000 active sellers in Jun 2025 (Marketplace Pulse, Jun 12, 2025). Those figures describe the whole marketplace and say nothing about what any one store will sell.
New to Walmart? Its New-Seller Savings program offers up to $75K in referral fee discounts and fulfillment and advertising credits, subject to eligibility, to sellers who go live after Feb 1, 2026. It runs until Jan 31, 2027 (Walmart, checked Oct 20, 2026).
The order of operations
About 4 to 8 weeks, in this order. Marketplace approval time is set by the marketplace, not by us.
- 01Week 0: margin and readiness check.
Go or no-go per SKU, and the stock plan.
- 02Weeks 1 to 2: application and verification.
Walmart asks for a business tax ID or business license number (an SSN is not accepted), GTIN/UPC numbers with a GS1 Company Prefix, a history of marketplace or ecommerce sales and a US warehouse with returns capability or use of WFS (Walmart Marketplace Learn, Sep 2, 2026).
- 03Weeks 2 to 4: catalog.
Built from your master product record, with the SKU map extended to the new channel. Catalog Ready is the module behind this step.
- 04Weeks 3 to 6: fulfillment and stock.
FBA, WFS, Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment or your 3PL, with stock allocated and buffers set.
- 05Weeks 5 to 8: soft launch, then full catalog.
A subset of SKUs first, then the rest, with 30 days of launch support.
We add one channel at a time unless your stock and your team can carry two. The full Walmart path is in our how to sell on Walmart guide.
Channel-pair risks we plan for first
| From | To | The risk | What we set up first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Walmart | Shared stock oversold, and Walmart's cancellation standard is 2% or below (Jul 28, 2026) | Buffers and sync before go-live; WFS or seller-fulfilled decision; pricing rules that respect Walmart's Pricing Rule, which unpublishes offers priced egregiously higher than comparable prices |
| Amazon | Shopify | Shopify orders drawing on FBA stock | A choice between your 3PL and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, connected through Amazon's MCF app for Shopify |
| Amazon | Walmart (seller-fulfilled from FBA) | Amazon-branded boxes on Walmart orders | Amazon MCF ships orders in blank packaging, and Amazon advises unbranded boxes and a non-Amazon carrier for Walmart orders; the 5% surcharge for using a carrier other than Amazon Logistics is waived until Jan 14, 2027 (Amazon, Nov 13, 2025) |
| Shopify | Amazon | Listing control and brand claims | Trademark filed before launch (USPTO base application fee $350 per class; firms in Amazon's IP Accelerator charge at most $700 plus government fees for a US application) and Brand Registry application support |
| Shopify | Walmart | Approval and item setup | GTINs, category attributes and WFS onboarding |
| Walmart | Amazon | Inbound prep and labels | Amazon ended US FBA prep and labeling services on Jan 1, 2026, so prep is planned at your supplier or 3PL |
Once the channel is live, Stock Flow keeps one stock count across all of them.
What marketplace expansion services include, and what you pay others
Included per channel, the same scope as a Store Launch:
- Amazon ($1,499):
Account Setup; Brand Registry application support; up to 10 listings; FBA shipment plan, labels and the first FBA shipment; launch ads on rules you approve; 30 days of support.
- Walmart ($1,499):
Account Setup and application support; up to 25 items; WFS onboarding and the first WFS shipment; pricing rules you approve; 30 days of support.
- Shopify ($999):
theme setup; up to 25 products; payments, shipping, taxes and core apps; stock synced across channels; 30 days of support.
Two channels are $2,499 and all three are $3,499. Extra listings are $79 each. Billing is 50% at the start and 50% at go-live. Full terms are on pricing.
You pay directly: platform fees, inventory, freight, ad spend and apps. You submit applications in your own name, and no one can promise approval.
Founding offer: 20% off launch fees, add-ons and the Foundation, plus 20% off monthly plans for the first 6 months, for our first 25 clients or until Jan 31, 2027, whichever comes first.
Named user access with multi-factor authentication. Never your owner password. No bank, payout or legal-entity permissions. Every account, listing and login stays in your name.
The go-live checklist
Before we call a channel live, every item on this list is checked with you:
- Every launched SKU is mapped to the master SKU and synced.
- Buffers are set on shared stock.
- First orders flow to fulfillment.
- The new channel's health metrics are in the daily check.
- Pricing rules are approved in writing.
Who runs it after launch
The new channel runs on the plan you already have: Ops Desk from $1,499 a month, or Store Care from $399 a month. Same named lead, same weekly review, one more channel on the report.
Who it is for
Brands already selling on at least one of Amazon, Walmart and Shopify. Channels are limited to those three. Starting from zero? The free Launch Readiness Check and Store Launch are the right door. Channel-specific detail is on Amazon store launch, Walmart store launch and Shopify store launch, and all ten modules are on the Relay Modules hub.
How much does Channel Launch cost?
The Store Launch price for each channel: Shopify $999, Amazon $1,499 and Walmart $1,499. Two channels are $2,499 and all three are $3,499, with 30 days of launch support included. Platform fees, inventory, freight, ads and apps are paid by you directly.
How long does it take?
About 4 to 8 weeks from the readiness check to the full catalog. Marketplace approval and verification time is set by Amazon or Walmart, so the timeline is typical rather than promised. You get a written update at each step.
Will Walmart approve our application?
No one can promise that. We prepare the application with you against Walmart's published requirements and check the catalog and fulfillment plan before you apply. You submit it in your own name. If Walmart asks for more information, we help you answer.
Do we need a separate warehouse?
No. We plan fulfillment through FBA, WFS, Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment or your current 3PL, whichever suits the SKU's margin and the channel's rules. MCF ships Walmart Marketplace orders in blank packaging, which matters if your stock sits at Amazon. Amazon's own guidance for Walmart orders is to choose unbranded boxes and a carrier other than Amazon Logistics, so we set both before the first order arrives.
What happens after launch?
30 days of launch support, with health metrics and stock watched daily. Then the channel runs on your Ops Desk or Store Care plan, with the same named lead and the same weekly review you already have. The new channel's metrics join the daily account health check from its first order.
Is this the same as Store Launch?
Same price and same scope, for a brand that already sells and has stock, reviews and operations to protect. The difference is the starting point: we check your existing SKUs, stock and fulfillment before anything is listed. New sellers start with the free Launch Readiness Check instead, which gives a written plan within 3 business days.
A free Profit Leak Scan shows margin by SKU and channel today, which is the starting point for deciding which channel to add next.
Ecomrelays LLC is a Texas company. Part of our team works outside the US, as one managed team with a named US-facing lead. 597 Mountcastle Dr, Rockwall, TX 75087. +1 (469) 331-3129.
Sources15 sources
- 01sell.amazon.comProfessional selling plan $39.99 a month plus selling fees; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02shopify.comShopify Basic $39 a month billed monthly; 2.9% + 30 cents online on standard cards; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03marketplacelearn.walmart.com"The Referral Fee is determined by the contract category"; Everything Else 15%; updated Mar 9, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04marketplacelearn.walmart.comup to $75K in incentives and benefits, conditions apply, offer lasts until Jan 31, 2027; updated Sep 2, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 05marketplace.walmart.comWalmart New-Seller Savings terms: qualified sellers must go live after Feb 1, 2026; runs Feb 2, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 06uspto.govtrademark base application $350 per class, fee code 7017; schedule effective Jan 19, 2025, last revised Aug 14, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 07sell.amazon.comIP Accelerator US trademark application "$700 plus government fees" maximum service fee; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 08marketplacepulse.comWalmart's marketplace crossed 200,000 active sellers; Marketplace Pulse, Jun 12, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 09corporate.walmart.comWalmart U.S. more than 50% growth in marketplace net sales, quarter ended Jul 31, 2026; Aug 20, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 10marketplacelearn.walmart.comWalmart application requirements; updated Sep 2, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 11marketplacelearn.walmart.comcancellation rate 2% or lower; updated Jul 28, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 12marketplacelearn.walmart.comPricing Rule unpublishes offers priced egregiously higher; updated Dec 12, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 13supplychain.amazon.comMCF ships Walmart orders in blank packaging; 5% non-Amazon-carrier surcharge waived until Jan 14, 2027; Nov 13, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 14apps.shopify.comAmazon MCF: US Fulfillment app for Shopify; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 15developer-docs.amazon.comUS FBA prep and labeling services ended Jan 1, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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