How to pass Walmart Marketplace verification with a Mississippi LLC

Walmart Marketplace requires sellers to pass a multi-step business verification process before listing products. For a Mississippi LLC, this includes providing an EIN (US Business Tax ID), completing a W-9 tax classification, submitting your Mississippi business registration documentation (the Certificate of Formation), and verifying the identity of the legal representative. Walmart cross-checks all information with federal and state records, and the process typically takes a few minutes to a few business days. Payouts are disbursed via a connected payment processor. Payoneer is the default.

In Mississippi the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $50. Mississippi publishes a turnaround of same day (online). Because Mississippi names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Walmart Marketplace asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.

Mississippi has 18,611 solo retail trade businesses with no employees, averaging $64,284 in annual receipts (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics (NES), 2023).

What Walmart Marketplace requires, and how a Mississippi LLC meets each

Mississippi-specific things to watch

• Mississippi names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Walmart Marketplace's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records, and you still upload a government ID for each owner. (Mississippi's Certificate of Formation doesn't list members, but under Mississippi law the mandatory annual report requires the names and business addresses of managers (if manager-managed) or the name and address of at least one member (if member-managed), plus principal officers if any.)
• Mississippi issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Walmart Marketplace asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
• Budget for Mississippi's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Walmart Marketplace margins: No franchise or privilege tax on a default LLC (Mississippi's corporate franchise tax reaches an LLC only if it is taxed as a corporation, and none is levied for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2028); note the foreign LLC annual report carries a $250 fee while the domestic LLC annual report is $0.

Mississippi sales tax & nexus rules for Walmart Marketplace sellers

Mississippi charges a 7% state sales-tax rate, and like every state with a sales tax it has a marketplace-facilitator law, so Walmart Marketplace collects and remits Mississippi sales tax on your marketplace orders for you. You still need your own Mississippi registration if you also sell off-marketplace (your own site, invoices) and either have physical presence in Mississippi (an in-state location, inventory, or employees) or cross the state's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $250,000 in sales in the previous 12-month period.

Mississippi was one of the first states to enact economic nexus rules (December 2017), predating the Wayfair decision. The $250,000 threshold is higher than the typical $100,000, and there is no transaction count. Mississippi has a 7% statewide rate, and some cities add their own local taxes. Register through the Mississippi Taxpayer Access Point (TAP).

Register for Mississippi sales tax directly with the state: tap.dor.ms.gov.

How to verify your Mississippi LLC on Walmart Marketplace

1. US Business Tax ID (EIN). Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool), independent of Mississippi.
2. W-9 tax classification. Complete the tax interview. A Mississippi LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity Mississippi LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
3. Business name and address match IRS records. Use the exact LLC name as Mississippi recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
4. State business registration documentation. Upload the Certificate of Formation Mississippi returned to you, stamped and approved.
5. Legal representative personal ID. Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Mississippi filings. Mississippi names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
6. Verified US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Mississippi (your Mississippi registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.
7. Payment processor account for disbursements. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Mississippi Certificate of Formation.

Non-US founders with Mississippi LLCs

Walmart Marketplace eligibility for non-US businesses varies by country of incorporation. For a Mississippi LLC owned by non-US founders, the entity must be validly formed with a US address and an EIN, which the Certificate of Formation plus an EIN letter establishes. The legal representative completing verification must provide a valid government ID. Check Walmart's current seller application for the list of supported international seller countries, as eligibility expands periodically.