Walmart Waives Holiday Storage Fees for WFS Sellers in 2025
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Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is waiving peak season storage fees from Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2025. Normally $1.50/cu ft during Q4, fees will drop back to the standard $0.75/cu ft. Sellers can save thousands, stock more inventory, and boost margins without extra costs. But remember — long-term storage fees still apply after 365 days.
Introduction
The holiday season (Q4) is the most profitable time of the year for online sellers, but it’s also the most expensive. Normally, peak season storage fees eat into profits, especially when sellers need to stock up more inventory to meet holiday demand.
In 2025, Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) announced through its official pricing page that it will waive peak season storage fees from October 1 to December 31, 2025, giving sellers a major cost advantage.
What are WFS Peak Season Storage Fees?
Normally, Walmart charges sellers:
- $0.75 per cubic foot for standard storage (non-peak months).
- $1.50 per cubic foot during the holiday season (October–December).
This surcharge often discourages sellers from sending in enough inventory during the busiest sales period.
Example in simple terms: If you have 1,000 cubic feet of inventory stored in a WFS warehouse for two months during Q4, you’d normally pay an extra $3,000 in storage fees. That’s money that could have been used for ads, discounts, or reinvestment.
The 2025 Holiday Offer Explained
According to Walmart’s WFS Pricing page:
- Timeframe: October 1 – December 31, 2025
- Fee waiver: No peak season storage surcharge during this period
- No action required: The waiver is applied automatically
- Reminder: Long-term storage fees (after 365 days) remain unchanged
This means sellers can stock up confidently for the holiday season without worrying about paying double storage fees.
Why Walmart is Doing this? (Strategic Move)
Walmart’s move is aimed at:
- Encouraging early stocking so customers can always find products in stock during peak demand.
- Reducing seller burden during the most competitive season by removing an extra cost barrier.
- Building marketplace confidence by making WFS more attractive compared to other fulfillment providers.
- Inviting hesitant sellers to start selling on Walmart — many who were considering Walmart Marketplace may have stayed back due to high holiday storage costs. With this fee waiver, Walmart sends a clear signal: it’s the right time to join and grow on Walmart Marketplace without worrying about seasonal overhead.
Walmart is telling sellers — “Send in your holiday stock, and we’ll store it at no extra cost.”
Benefits for Sellers
Here’s what this means in practice:
- Cost savings – No $1.50/cu ft surcharge.
- Example: 1,000 cubic ft of holiday inventory could save $750 per month in Q4.
- Inventory freedom – Ship more units without penalty.
- Competitive advantage – More stock means fewer missed sales due to stockouts.
- Stronger cash flow – Extra savings can be redirected into promotions, ads, or margin protection.
For a fashion seller, bulky items like coats and sweaters are no longer expensive to store during Q4. For a home decor seller, seasonal items like curtains and festive lights can be stocked in larger volumes without cutting into profits.
What if Inventory is Left in WFS After the Holiday Fee Waiver?
The WFS holiday storage fee waiver ends on December 31, 2025. From January 1, 2026, standard storage fees ($0.75/cu ft) resume, and if stock remains unsold for 365+ days, long-term storage fees apply.
That means sellers must plan ahead for seasonal inventory that may not move after the festive rush.
Inventory Removal or Disposal
Walmart allows sellers to create removal or disposal orders for excess inventory. While removal or disposal fees apply, this option can often save you from paying ongoing storage charges that slowly eat into your profits.
Example:
Imagine you sell Halloween-themed gift baskets and send 1,000 units (about 500 cubic feet) to WFS in September.
- During Q4: Storage is covered by the waiver, saving you around $1,500.
- After December 31: If 400 units remain unsold, you’ll start paying $375 per month in storage. In six months, that’s $2,250 in storage fees.
- Instead, if removal fees are $1.50 per unit, removing the leftover 400 units costs $600 — far less than continuing to store them.
By removing or disposing of unsold seasonal stock, you:
- Avoid excess fees that can quietly reduce margins
- Free up storage capacity for evergreen or fast-moving items
- Protect profitability by cutting losses early
Seller takeaway: Use WFS removal orders wisely — especially for seasonal products like Halloween gifts, holiday décor, or limited-edition items that won’t sell after Q4. It’s often better to remove or liquidate stock than to let storage fees drain your profits.
How to Maximize Profit While Claiming this Offer
Operational Moves
- Forecast demand based on past Q4 performance.
- Send inventory early to avoid last-minute bottlenecks.
- Focus on best sellers & seasonal SKUs rather than flooding warehouses with slow movers.
Data-Driven Moves with KwickMetrics
- Track profitability in real time → See exactly how waived fees affect margins.
- Forecast replenishment → Avoid running out of stock during peak demand.
- Monitor ad spend vs profit → Keep ads profitable with fee savings in mind.
- Optimize listings → Update titles, keywords, and images before traffic spikes.
Pro Tip (Seller Caution)
Even with free Q4 storage, don’t overstock slow movers. After December 31, standard storage fees resume, and after 365 days, long-term storage fees still apply.
👉 Best approach: Balance between holiday heroes (fast movers like gifts, apparel, seasonal décor) and evergreen products that will continue selling in January.
Conclusion
Walmart’s 2025 holiday storage fee waiver is a big win for WFS sellers. By eliminating the peak surcharge, Walmart is helping sellers maximize profits, improve stock availability, and reduce stress during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Takeaway: This is the perfect time to stock smart, sell faster, and protect your margins.
Plan smart with KwickMetrics — track your profits in real time and optimize your inventory strategy this holiday season.
Get Your Questions Answered (FAQ)
No. It only applies to sellers using Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or Walmart MCS. If you handle fulfillment on your own or through a 3rd-party not integrated with Walmart, you won’t benefit from the fee waiver.
Not necessarily. While the fee is waived, Walmart still enforces capacity and storage limits based on your account performance and demand forecasts. Sellers should check their Seller Center dashboard for storage allocations.
For many categories, yes. Amazon FBA charges higher Q4 storage fees ($2.40/cu ft for standard size), while Walmart is waiving its $1.50/cu ft surcharge. However, sellers should compare overall fulfillment and referral fees before deciding.
From January 1, 2026, Walmart’s standard storage fee of $0.75/cu ft resumes. If items remain unsold for 365+ days, long-term storage fees will apply.
No. Walmart designed this offer to encourage sellers to stock early. More inventory in WFS means products stay closer to buyers, often resulting in faster delivery times.
Yes. Since you’re saving on storage, you can be more flexible with discounts and ads. Many sellers reinvest these savings into competitive pricing or PPC campaigns to capture more holiday sales.