Walmart Guide
This is a complete guide to setting up and running Walmart drops using Refract. Follow each section in order if you are a new user. Experienced users can jump to the section they need.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have the following ready:
Walmart accounts - all new Walmart accounts need SMS (see Accounts Setup). Existing accounts that are not SMS verified can, for the most part, checkout without SMS verification.
Profiles - one unique profile per task, already created in Refract (see Profiles Setup)
Proxies:
A list of ISP/local proxies for the monitor (at least 10)
A list of residential proxies for tasks (at least 5,000)
(Optional) A list of ISP proxies for queue proxies (at least 1 per task if used)
IMAP configured in Refract settings for auto-login codes (see IMAP Setup)
Product SKU - found in cookgroups or on social media (TikTok, X, etc.)
Recommended Task Count
Around 200 tasks is a solid baseline. See Scaling Guidelines for details on why more is not always better.
Accounts Setup
Important Rules
All new Walmart accounts will need SMS when they are made. Exisitng accounts without SMS usually do not need to get verified.
Never assign proxies directly to accounts in the Accounts tab. Proxies are configured at the task level.
Each account should only be used once per product. Never run the same account on multiple tasks for the same SKU.
IMAP Setup
IMAP allows Refract to automatically retrieve Walmart login verification codes sent to your email. Without it, you will need to manually enter codes every time tasks log in.
For detailed setup instructions, see the official IMAP guide: https://help.refractbot.com/general-setup/settings
Tips
IMAP is a bot-wide setting - it applies to all task groups automatically.
Most users forward all their Walmart account emails to a single master Gmail or iCloud inbox for simplicity.
Outlook users: Make sure emails are directly forwarded, not rule-based forwarded. Refract does not support rule-based forwarding from Outlook.
If IMAP appears to not be working, Walmart itself can be slow to send codes or may skip sending them entirely. Give it time before troubleshooting.
Profiles Setup
Each task requires its own unique profile. A profile contains your shipping address, billing address, and payment card information.
Create or import profiles
Create profiles individually or import them. For import formatting, see: https://help.refractbot.com/general-setup/profiles
How Profiles Work with Walmart Accounts
Refract uses the profile info in the bot to checkout - not whatever is saved on the Walmart account.
On task start, Refract will automatically add your profile's shipping address and card info to the Walmart account and save it. You do not need to manually log into Walmart and add this information yourself.
If you update your profile info (new card, new address), just create new tasks with the updated profile. Refract will update the account on the next task start.
Important Rules
Use a unique profile for each task. Do not reuse profiles across tasks for the same product.
To minimize card authorization issues, try to reuse the same card on the same Walmart account when possible. See Invalid Card Details for more info.
We do not provide guidance on account creation, profile creation methods, or address formatting strategies. These are your responsibility.
Proxy Lists Setup
You need to create multiple proxy lists for different purposes.
Proxy Lists You Need
Monitor Proxies
ISP / Local
10+
Monitors the product page for stock
Task Proxies
Residential
5,000+
Used by each task for login, checkout, and queue entry (if no queue proxy is set)
Queue Proxies (optional)
ISP
1 per task
Dedicated proxies for entering the queue
Proxy Type Details
Residential proxies should be sticky/static (not rotating). US-based only - international or mixed-location pools (Mexico, Canada, etc.) will trigger blocks.
Budget around 2-4 GB of residential data per 200 tasks per drop.
You can reuse the same proxy list across task groups for different products, but avoid using the same list on multiple groups for the same product/site simultaneously.
Refract automatically removes duplicate proxies from a list.
Using the same proxy on too many tasks causes queue loops. If using queue proxies, aim for at least 1 ISP proxy per task.
Diversify your proxy providers. Many providers share the same IP pools, which leads to overlap and queue loops.
Task Group Setup
The task group is where you configure the monitor, product input, and all group-level settings.
Creating a Task Group
Task Group Settings (Left Panel)
Configure the following fields:
Monitor Input
Product SKU (e.g., 17115306492)
The numeric ID from the Walmart product URL
Monitor Proxy List
Your ISP/local proxy list
Select from the dropdown
Monitor Delay
4500 (default)
Drop to 1000 right before the drop
Offer ID
Leave blank
Not needed for queue drops
Skip Monitoring
OFF
Not needed for queue drops
Allow Third Party Vendors
OFF
Not needed for standard Walmart drops
Price Min
Leave blank
Price Min of 1 item (pre tax + shipping)
Price Max
Leave blank
Price max of 1 item (pre tax + shipping)
Statistics Panel
The task group also shows live statistics:
Running - tasks currently active
Carted - tasks that added the item to cart
In Queue - tasks waiting in Walmart's queue
Passed - tasks that passed through the queue
Success - completed checkouts
Failed - tasks that errored out
Note: If your tasks disapperared or you think they were randomly deleted, make sure you do not have one of these filters on.
Schedule (Optional)
You can optionally schedule tasks to auto-start. If using this, schedule them to start 20 minutes before the drop. Most users start tasks manually.
Task Creation
Once your task group is configured, create tasks inside it.
Configure profiles and proxies
Profiles
Select your Profile Group
Each task gets a unique profile
Task Proxy List
Your residential proxy list
Queue Proxy List (optional)
Your ISP proxy list
Leave blank if not using queue proxies
Match accounts to profiles
ON
Keeps account-profile pairing consistent
Accounts
Select your Account Group
Use Account Proxy
OFF
Never enable this
Reset Invalid Password
ON (recommended)
If an account gets flagged, the bot auto-resets the password and stores it
Allow Lower Item Quantity
ON
Allows any quantity up to the max (currently 5) if full quantity is unavailable
Retry Delay
4500
Default is fine — has no effect on queue entry speed
Task Qty
1
Always 1. Creates one task per profile
Important
One task per profile per product. Never run the same profile on multiple tasks for the same SKU.
One account per product. Never use the same Walmart account on more than one task for the same drop.
You can reuse the same accounts and proxies across groups for different products.
Drop Day Flow
Walmart drops are typically on Wednesdays at approximately 9:00 PM EST. These are Pokemon card products and are queue-based drops.
At Least 1 Hour Before the Drop — Login
Make sure your task group has the correct SKU in the monitor input. You can also start tasks without a monitor input — tasks will go to "Waiting for Product."
Make sure Use Saved Session is OFF (unless you already have a valid saved session — see below).
Start all tasks. The bot will auto-login to each Walmart account and store the session.
Wait for tasks to reach "Waiting for Restock" (if a product SKU is set) or "Waiting for Product" (if no SKU is set). This confirms login was successful.
Stop all tasks once logged in.
Using Saved Sessions
Once your tasks have logged in and a session is stored, you should reuse that session for as long as it works — sessions can last weeks.
To check if your saved session is still valid: start a couple tasks with Use Saved Session ON. If they reach "Waiting for Restock," the session is good.
Only generate a new session (by logging in with Saved Session OFF) if your saved session fails.
During the Drop
Tasks will detect stock and automatically enter the Walmart queue.
Do not stop or restart tasks. Let them run. See Queue Behavior.
Once tasks pass the queue, the bot will attempt add-to-cart and checkout automatically.
Queue Behavior
Walmart queue drops can be unpredictable. Here is what to expect:
Placeholder Timers Are Normal
Queue timers like 29:59, 14:59, or 9:59 are not your actual wait time. These are placeholders Walmart uses while it determines when to move you forward. Do not panic if you see these.
Waves
Walmart releases users through the queue in waves. You may sit at a placeholder timer for a while before being moved forward. This is normal behavior.
Do Not End Tasks Early
If your tasks are sitting in queue, do not stop them. You may still get through in a later wave. Ending tasks early guarantees you lose your spot.
No Monitor Updates in Queue
If the monitor section appears inactive while your tasks are in queue, that is completely normal.
Queue Stuck at ~30 Minutes
This usually means you entered the queue late and are at the back of the line. The key is to get into queue as fast as possible — this is why monitor delay should be dropped to 1000 right before the drop.
This can also be caused by proxy pools being too small or flagged. See Scaling Guidelines.
Queue Looping at ~14:59
This is almost always proxy related. Too many proxy providers reuse the same IP pools, and Walmart flags this as abuse. There is no bot-side fix for this — the solution is to diversify your proxy providers.
Scaling Guidelines
More tasks does not always mean more checkouts. Overscaling is one of the most common reasons users struggle.
Why Overscaling Hurts
Network bottleneck: Hundreds or thousands of tasks entering queue simultaneously can overwhelm your network bandwidth and slow everything down.
Proxy overlap: Residential proxy pools are only so large. Running too many tasks increases the chance of proxy IP overlap — both within your own tasks and with other users on the same provider.
Queue loops and rate limits: Walmart flags repeated requests from the same or similar IPs. Overscaling amplifies this.
Recommended Setup
Tasks per drop
~200 is a solid baseline
Tasks per instance
Do not exceed ~1,000 per Refract instance
Multiple instances
Available for $50/month per additional instance via the Refract dashboard. Run on separate networks for best results.
Proxy diversity
Use multiple residential providers to avoid IP pool overlap
Real-World Context
Users consistently hit drops with as few as 50-200 tasks on high-stock drops.
Some of the most successful botters run no more than ~1,000 tasks per instance.
Users running 5,000+ tasks on a single network frequently bottleneck and miss drops entirely.
The goal is speed, not volume. A fast, clean setup of 200 tasks will outperform a sluggish setup of 2,000.
Walmart+ Membership
Some Walmart drops require a Walmart+ membership to purchase. This varies from drop to drop.
How It Works
In the Create Tasks panel, the Membership Purchase Settings dropdown has three options:
Full Membership (monthly)
Trial
$1 W+ (if eligible)
Selecting a tier will automatically purchase the membership when tasks start, even if the product is out of stock.
Free trials and $1 trials do not always work. If Walmart+ is required and you are using a trial, you may see
unknown response [400].
What To Do
Check Discord announcements before every drop. We will try to tell you if Walmart+ is required.
If Walmart+ is required, select Full Membership (monthly).
If Walmart+ is not required, leave the setting unselected.
Do not blindly select a membership tier every week — you will be charged for memberships you do not need.
Skip Monitoring & Offer ID
You do not need Skip Monitoring or an Offer ID for Walmart queue drops. It is strongly advised to never use them for queue drops.
What They Are For
Skip Monitoring and Offer ID are designed for first-come-first-serve (FCFS) restocks — non-queue drops where speed is critical and you want to spam add-to-cart the instant a product goes live.
When to Use Them
Only use Skip Monitoring and Offer ID if explicitly instructed in Discord. This would be for a rare non-queue drop or a specific FCFS restock scenario.
How They Work (If Needed)
Add the PID (SKU) to the monitor input.
Add the OID (Offer ID) in the Offer ID field. Both PID and OID are required — Skip Monitoring will not function with only one.
At drop time, enable Skip Monitoring to force add-to-cart attempts.
Common Errors & Fixes
Access Denied (456)
What it means: Your account or proxy is being blocked by Walmart's security.
Common causes:
Low-trust or flagged proxies (most common cause)
Flagged Walmart account
Non-US proxy IPs
How to fix:
Let the task auto-rotate proxies and retry.
Use US-based residential proxies with a good trust score.
If tasks have already passed the queue and are stuck on 456, try removing the proxy and switching to your local IP to push the task through.
Try re-logging into the Walmart account to refresh session data.
Invalid Card Details
What it means: Walmart is rejecting your payment card.
Why it happens:
Even if your cards work on other sites, Walmart may reject them if the same card is used across multiple profiles or tasks. Each task sends an invisible $0.00 authorization charge when adding a card. Too many of these in a short time triggers your bank's fraud protection.
Important: This is a bank-side block, not a Walmart ban. Generating new card numbers from the same bank/issuer will not help — the block is at the issuer level.
How to fix:
If your card details are correct, the card just needs to cool off. The block clears on its own.
Once cleared, you can use the card again.
How to prevent it:
Reuse the same card on the same Walmart account whenever possible. If the card is already saved on the account, Walmart will not resend the authorization charge.
Limit to one task per card during initial setup to reduce authorization spam.
Proxy Error
Your proxy is dead, out of bandwidth, or the provider is offline. Replace the proxy or check with your provider.
Connection Error
Typically caused by proxy or internet issues - the bot could not reach Walmart. Check your proxies and internet connection.
Invalid Address Details
Walmart rejected your shipping address. Enter the address manually on Walmart.com to test it. Use the suggested format if Walmart provides one. If the bot shows "Invalid Address Details," it means Walmart did not provide an override or suggested address.
Unknown Response [400]
Usually seen when Walmart+ is required for the drop but your account does not have an active membership, or a trial membership is not accepted. Check Discord for drop-specific Walmart+ requirements.
Setting Cookies
The bot is generating/solving required PX cookies to proceed. This is normal. If tasks get stuck here, try toggling Saved Session off, restarting tasks, and retrying.
Payment Failure
Your payment was declined by your bank — likely flagged as suspicious. Contact your bank to whitelist Walmart, try an alternative card, or wait and retry later.
Out of Stock, Retrying
The product is out of stock and the bot is retrying. No action needed — let tasks continue.
Rate Limited
Too many requests from your IP or proxy. This is common when entering queue with too many tasks at once. See Scaling Guidelines. Reduce task count or diversify proxies.
Solving PX Captcha
The bot is solving a Perimeter X (PX) challenge. This is normal during login. If tasks loop between "Setting Cookies" and "Solving PX Captcha" without progressing, your proxies are likely flagged — switch to fresh residential proxies.
Max Card Attempts Reached
Walmart has blocked further card authorization attempts on this account. This is caused by too many rapid authorization charges. The card and/or account needs to cool off. See Invalid Card Details.
Reset Locked Walmart Account
Refract detected that the account was locked and automatically reset the password. If you have Reset Invalid Password enabled, the new password is stored in the Accounts tab automatically. No manual action needed.
Walmart+ Not Allowed
The account is not eligible for the selected Walmart+ tier, or there is an issue with the account. Try a different membership tier, or purchase W+ manually on the account through Walmart's website.
Request Timed Out
The task did not receive a response from Walmart — usually caused by proxy issues or Walmart server load. Reduce task count, check your proxies, or try local IP if running very few tasks.
FAQ
Sessions & Login
Q: Do I need to generate new sessions every week?
No. Saved sessions can last for weeks. Only generate a new session if your saved session stops working (tasks fail to reach "Waiting for Restock" with Saved Session ON).
Q: What if my IMAP is not picking up codes?
First, wait - Walmart can be slow to send codes or may not send them at all sometimes. If the issue persists, check that your IMAP login is correctly configured in Settings and that emails are being forwarded properly (especially for Outlook - must be direct forwarding, not rule-based).
Q: Do I need to log into my accounts manually in the Accounts tab?
No. Walmart accounts log in via tasks. When you start tasks, the bot handles login automatically. The Accounts tab login button will show "Login via Tasks" for Walmart for accounts that have not logged in yet.
Q: If I move Refract to a new PC, do I need to re-login all accounts?
If you export and import your Refract app data, your saved sessions transfer with it. You should not need to re-login unless the sessions have expired.
Q: Is it normal for accounts to go through 2FA multiple times before reaching "Waiting for Product"?
It can happen. As long as the task eventually reaches "Waiting for Product" or "Waiting for Restock," the login succeeded.
Proxies
Q: Should I use sticky or rotating residential proxies?
Use sticky/static/hard residential proxies for Walmart tasks.
Q: Should I use residential proxies for the monitor?
No. Use ISP or local proxies for monitoring. Residential proxies will burn through data on monitoring and are better reserved for tasks.
Q: How many GB of residential data do I need?
Around 2-4 GB for 200 tasks per drop is a fair estimate.
Q: Can I use the same proxy list for both task proxies and queue proxies?
You can, but it is not ideal. If you use queue proxies, they should ideally be ISP proxies separate from your residential task proxy list to maximize diversity.
Q: Can I use the same monitor proxy list as my queue proxy list?
They serve different purposes. Monitor proxies check for stock; queue proxies enter the queue. You can use the same ISP list for both, but keep in mind monitor proxies need to be unbanned in order to detect stock.
Q: Should I use ISP or residential for the monitor proxy list?
ISP or local is recommended for monitoring. They are faster and more reliable for repeated checks.
Q: What if my monitor ISPs get banned?
Rotate to fresh ISP proxies. If all your ISPs are banned, you can temporarily use residential proxies for monitoring, but this will consume more data and be slower.
Q: Do I need proxies if I'm only running a few tasks?
Users with fewer than 5 tasks can technically run on local IP, but this is a very small setup and you will likely not hit. Proxies are still recommended.
Accounts & Profiles
Q: Can I use the same accounts and proxies for multiple products?
Yes. You can reuse accounts, profiles, and proxies across different task groups for different products. Never reuse the same account for the same product in more than one task.
Q: Can I run the same account for 2 different SKUs in the same drop?
Yes - create separate task groups for each SKU and use the same accounts/profiles across them. Each account should only appear once per task group. Multi-SKU/Multi-Input does not work for Walmart queue drops.
Q: Does the profile email need to match the Walmart account email?
No. The profile contains your checkout info (card, address). The account is your Walmart login. They are separate.
Q: Does Refract update my Walmart account with profile info automatically?
Yes. On task start, Refract automatically adds your profile's shipping address and card info to the Walmart account. You do not need to manually add this on Walmart's website.
Q: Does the phone number in my profile need to match the one on my Walmart account?
No, they do not need to match.
Q: Do I need to warm/age new Walmart accounts before drops?
It is not required. Some users believe farming activity helps reduce cancellations, but the best approach is to just keep running. There is no guaranteed method.
Q: Does Refract help create Walmart accounts?
No. Refract does not create accounts. You must create and SMS verify your new Walmart accounts yourself before importing them. Existing Walmart accounts often do not need to be SMS verified.
Task Setup
Q: What SKU do I use?
The product SKU is the numeric ID from the Walmart product URL (e.g., 165545420 from walmart.com/ip/d/165545420). Find the SKU from cookgroups, TikTok, X, or other community sources before the drop.
Q: Do I need an Offer ID?
No. Offer IDs and Skip Monitoring are not needed for queue drops. Only use them if we specifically announce it in Discord.
Q: Does Loop Checkouts work on Walmart?
We do not recommend enabling Loop Checkouts for Walmart. It almost always does not work on Walmart queue drops.
Q: What does "Use Account Proxy" do?
It would force the task to use whatever proxy is assigned to the account in the Accounts tab. Never enable this -- -you should never set proxies on accounts directly, and this toggle should always be OFF.
Q: Can I use Multi-Input/Multi-SKU for Walmart?
No. Multi-Input does not work for Walmart queue drops. Create separate task groups for each SKU.
Q: What does "Allow Lower Item Quantity" do?
Walmart currently allows a max item quantity of 5 per checkout. With this toggle ON, the bot will accept any available quantity up to 5 - so if only 3 are available, it will checkout 3 instead of failing.
Q: What does Retry Delay do? Does it affect queue time?
Retry Delay controls how long the bot waits before retrying after an error. It has no effect on queue entry speed or queue time. Leave it at the default 4500.
Queue & Drop
Q: Should I use queue proxies?
Queue proxies are optional. Some weeks ISP queue proxies perform better, some weeks they do not. If you use them, you need at least 1 ISP proxy per task. If you do not use them, tasks will enter the queue using your task (residential) proxies.
Q: My tasks are stuck at a queue timer - should I restart them?
No. Placeholder timers (29:59, 14:59, 9:59) are normal. Do not restart or stop tasks. Walmart releases people in waves.
Q: How many tasks should I run?
Around 200 is recommended. See Scaling Guidelines. More tasks is not always better.
Q: When should I start tasks for a Walmart drop?
Start tasks to login at least 1 hour before the drop. Then stop tasks, enable Saved Session, and restart 20-30 minutes before the drop.
Q: What is the difference between "Waiting for Product" and "Waiting for Restock"?
Waiting for Product - the monitor has not found the product at all. Check that your SKU is correct and that your monitor proxies are working (check monitor logs).
Waiting for Restock - the monitor found the product but it is currently out of stock. The bot is actively watching for it to come back in stock. This is the expected pre-drop status.
Q: Which proxy enters the queue - monitor, task, or queue proxy?
The task proxy is used to enter and sit in the queue. If you have a queue proxy set, that is used instead of the task proxy for queue entry. The monitor proxy only checks for stock and when queue is live - it does not enter the queue.
Q: Can I change proxies while in queue?
It is not recommended. Changing proxies mid-queue can disrupt your position.
Q: Is it better to run on a local PC or a server?
Both work. Many people hit locally, many people hit on servers. Refract works the same on either. Test and see what works best for your setup.
Q: Do I need a cookie harvester or browser extension for Walmart?
No. Walmart does not require a cookie harvester or browser extension. That is a Target requirement, not Walmart.
Walmart+ Membership
Q: If my account already has Walmart+, do I need to select anything in task creation?
No. If Walmart+ is already active on the account, leave the Membership Purchase Settings unselected. If you accidentally select a tier on an account that already has W+, the bot will detect it and skip the purchase — it will not charge you again.
Q: What does the "$1 W+ (if eligible)" option mean?
This attempts to purchase a $1 Walmart+ promotional offer. Not all accounts are eligible, and this option does not always work for drops that require W+. If W+ is required, Full Membership (monthly) is the safest choice.
Q: How do I know if Walmart+ is required for tonight's drop?
Check Discord announcements before every drop. We will always announce whether W+ is required.
Cancellations
Q: Why are my Walmart orders getting cancelled?
Order cancellations are handled by Walmart's fraud/policy review team. We do not have specific guidance on preventing cancellations. This is outside the scope of Refract support.
Q: Can Refract cancel Walmart orders for me?
No. Refract does not have a feature to cancel Walmart orders. You must manage orders directly through Walmart.
Quick Reference - New User Setup Order
All new Walmart accounts will need SMS when you make it. Existing Walmart accounts should, for the most part, not need to be SMS verified.
Add accounts to Refract (Accounts tab) and create an Account Group
Set up IMAP in Settings for auto-login codes
Create/import profiles (Profiles tab) and create a Profile Group
Create proxy lists (Proxies tab) - monitor (ISP), task (residential), and optionally queue (ISP)
Create a task group for Walmart and configure the monitor settings
Create tasks inside the group with your profiles, accounts, and proxy lists
Login tasks at least 1 hour before the drop (Saved Session OFF) to login
Stop tasks, bulk edit to turn Saved Session ON
Start tasks 20-30 minutes before the drop and leave running
Drop monitor delay to 1000 about 15-30 seconds before drop time
Let tasks run - do not stop them during the queue
For additional setup help, visit the full Refract documentation: https://help.refractbot.com
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