Walmart is among the top retail stores in America, and it is gradually increasing its reach in the online marketplace. Now thousands of users buy products through Walmart’s website and while doing the final payment they are sometimes charged merchandising fees. Some customers know what it means, but some might not know. Merchandising fees are charged when the item is shipped to the U.S. from outside of the country, but there’s more to find about the merchandising fee on Walmart items like how the merchandising fee is different from each other and many other queries.
Merchandising fee
Merchandise fees are the charge collected for importing the merchandise into the U.S. This fee is collected to ensure successful processing of the entering merchandise into the U.S.
This fee is usually 0.3464% of the merchandise’s price, which may range from a minimum of $25 to $485. Here if the 0.3464% of the merchandise entering is less than $25, then the customer has to pay $25 for that, and the merchandise processing fee is capped after $485.
What is the merchandising fee at Walmart?
For online purchases, third-party sellers charge a merchandising fee on the Walmart.com website. Some sellers charge a merchandising fee of $0.34% to sell their merchandise on Walmart.
For in-store purchases the merchandising fee is different. The in-store merchandising is charged for some of the additional products.
Merchandising fees are charged on buying in-store products like cell phones, iPods, TVs, etc.
Walmart charges additionally merchandising fees on certain products like TVs, iPads, mattresses, tires, car batteries, and other electronic items. This merchandising fee depends on the location of the store.
The in-store merchandising fee is charged as a tax for the items that those products need some additional resources to dispose of since it’s not possible to dispose of them in regular waste facilities.
Walmart also uses the merchandising fee as an incentive if the customers use its disposal sites for disposing of those products. The battery core charge is a similar example by Walmart, customers get a cash back or store credit on returning those batteries for disposal.
Merchandising fee on online purchase
A merchandising fee is also charged on items that need to be shipped through air, ship, or internationally.
The U.S. Customs and Border Control issues the merchandising costs including the labor cost. The merchandising charge is different from the shipping charge, it means customers have to pay both the fees to receive the order.
When do customers pay the merchandising fee?
Customers have to pay merchandising fees if their orders are shipped from another country and have reached them by traveling overseas.
For most of the products, customers will be charged a merchandising fee because most sellers of Walmart are from outside the country (U.S.). As already told above, the customer has to pay both the charges, i.e., delivery charge and merchandising charge.
Customers are charged this merchandising fee at the time of the final checkout, and it is advised to re-check the statement before processing for payment.
The amount of merchandising fees
Various factors define the merchandising fee of the goods, such as the weight and size of the goods. The lightweight items have lower merchandising fees than heavy items. In the same way, the merchandising fee of delicate products and goods is higher because these products need extra care while shipping them.
Walmart considers orders below $2,500 informal orders. And for this type of order, the merchandise fees can range from $2 to $10 (equal to 0.3464% of the merchandise cost).
While the orders above $2,500 are considered as formal orders and the merchandising fees for these items can go from $25 to $485. The merchandising fees can get influenced by the company’s custom charges too. The customer can find the information and the origin of the seller under the product information on Walmart’s website.
When people don’t pay merchandising fee
In situations when people don’t pay the merchandising fee, then either the order is returned to Walmart or back to the third party seller who sent the package.
After returning the package, customers can get the refund amount, or they can reorder the item if they wish.
For online orders, Walmart.com avoids this kind of situation by adding the merchandising fee at the final checkout, and until customers don’t pay the complete amount, the process is not completed.
Conclusion
Walmart charges merchandising fees on items that are shipped through air, ship, or international mail. For informal orders, below $2,500 value the merchandising fee ranges from $2 to $10, and for items above the $2,500 value, the merchandising value can go up from $25 to $485.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Control, the merchandising fee is maintained at 0.3464% of the item’s value and the merchandising fee is capped at $485, and no merchandise is charged above $485.
Walmart also charges an additional fee on in-store purchases because of the extra care required to ship them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1: How do I check if I will be charged a merchandising fee or not.
For online purchases, one can check the seller’s origin under the product details section, and they will know if the order is from outside of the country or not.
Q.2: What are the merchandising fees at Walmart?
Walmart charges the merchandising fees between $2 and $10 for informal orders and for orders above $2,500, the merchandising fee is $25-$485.
Q.3: Who manages the amount of the merchandising fee?
The U.S. Custom and Border Control manage and issue the merchandising fee for different packages (usually 0.3464% of the item’s price).
