What the Spike in International Sellers Means for Omnichannel Brands on Walmart Marketplace
Marketplace Pulse recently reported that nearly 60 percent of new Walmart sellers in 2025 are located in China. This is a significant shift for the platform and one that has drawn attention across the retail community. It would be easy to interpret the trend as increased pressure on established brands, but the reality is more nuanced. For national brands already operating across Walmart’s ecosystem, this is not a marketplace problem. It is an opportunity to strengthen what already makes them competitive.
Many of these new marketplace-native sellers rely on aggressive pricing, large assortments, and rapid product turnover. These tactics can generate short-term activity, but they do not replace the advantages that omnichannel brands have built through years of investment. That difference matters, especially on a platform like Walmart, where customer trust and operational consistency hold real weight.
One of the strongest advantages established brands bring is presence. Customers see these products in stores, online, and in advertising long before they begin a search. Recognition shapes decision-making, and marketplace-native sellers starting from scratch cannot replicate this kind of built-in trust.
Another advantage is the depth of retailer relationships. National brands work directly with Walmart’s merchant teams across in-store categories, promotional planning, replenishment, and other strategic functions. These partnerships influence how products flow through the broader Walmart ecosystem and provide additional context that goes far beyond a marketplace listing.
Brand equity also plays a major role. Many household brands have invested for decades in product quality, safety, packaging, marketing, and customer experience. That equity carries over to Walmart Marketplace and gives customers confidence when evaluating competing options.
Operational capability is another area where omnichannel brands excel. They already run supply chains built for large-scale distribution, quality assurance, compliance, and long-term reliability. These capabilities support consistent marketplace performance in ways that newer sellers cannot quickly duplicate.
Compliance requirements add another layer of protection. National brands have established systems for meeting U.S. regulations, testing standards, and documentation. For Walmart, these capabilities reduce risk and strengthen the customer experience. For brands, they serve as a competitive advantage in a marketplace that continues to raise expectations.
This is why established brands should not view Walmart Marketplace as a channel where they compete on price alone. It is a channel where they extend the same brand experience customers already know and trust. Marketplaces reward reliability and relevance, and these qualities align naturally with the strengths of omnichannel businesses.
At SellCord, we help brands leverage this advantage by building strategies that support long-term growth without compromising brand standards. Marketplace success is not about outpacing every low-cost seller. It is about guiding customers toward the products they already recognize while maintaining the level of quality they expect.
The increase in international sellers does not dilute the market. It highlights which brands have real competitive moats. The real question for established companies is whether they are fully using those strengths or leaving marketplace revenue untapped.
Walmart continues to prioritize trust, consistency, and operational excellence. Brands that embody these qualities across their omnichannel operations are in a better position today than ever before.
Michael Lebhar
Michael Lebhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of SellCord, a leading full-service agency dedicated to helping brands succeed on Walmart Marketplace. His work at SellCord is focused on building the strategies, systems, and support structures that allow brands to grow predictably and profitably on the world’s largest retailer.
Under Michael’s leadership, SellCord has become a trusted partner for hundreds of emerging and established brands. The agency provides hands-on expertise across product listing optimization, catalog and operations management, advertising, and overall marketplace strategy. Michael directs SellCord’s approach to client success, which centers on deep platform knowledge, operational reliability, and long-term visibility planning—three areas that consistently determine performance on Walmart.com.