中文 (中国)
Last updated on January 9th, 2023
Written by Mark Salvania
Amazon is such a household name in ecommerce that it has become synonymous with shopping and convenience. Indeed, almost 215 million people visited Amazon’s website in December of 2019 alone, and the number just keeps on rising. Because of its popularity among buyers and sellers alike, it’s no surprise that many hijackers and counterfeiters take advantage of the situation. There are many ethical business practices in Amazon that you can use. However, there are also many unethical methods people use to make money. This is why Amazon brand protection is vital in maintaining your cash flow, and good business.
Hijackers are third-party sellers or distributors who go on a listing of a private label or product and sell the same (or sometimes counterfeit) merchandise usually at a lower price. Products that are very successful are often the targets of these unscrupulous characters.
Counterfeiting is one of the ways to hijack a listing. These sellers often offer fake merchandise, usually hijacking a legitimate product listing. This can be very harmful to the sales volume and brand of private label sellers.
For your products to be authentic, Amazon has an Anti-Counterfeiting Policy. No third-party seller may offer anything that's not allowed to be sold legally, such as products that have been illegally reproduced, replicated, or manufactured. To make sure your products are authentic, Amazon may ask for documentation (e.g., invoices) proving your merchandise's authenticity and your authorization to sell them.
How to protect your brand in Amazon? The simplest way to deal with a hijacker is to confront them directly. Their success mostly relies on operating under the radar. Calling them out on their shady practices will usually solve the problem for you. Of course, a general message won’t do it for you. A Cease-and-Desist Letter will send a message to them that you mean business.
Amazon protects its sellers as much as the buyers. If you have a reasonable chance to report hijacking or counterfeiting, file a report with Amazon and they’ll take care of your issue. Remember, Amazon requires complete documentation before initiating an investigation. Keep your information as updated as possible.
The easiest way for hijackers to take over your listing is when you run out of stock. Of course, you’re not directly losing business because you don’t have anything to sell anyway, but your chance to win the buy box might be seriously affected by the time you do.
These programs were started by Amazon for a reason. They enable you to protect your brand and at the same time, improve customer experience. Some programs like the Amazon Brand Registry and Project Zero can make it easier for you to detect hijackers and report them to Amazon. It can even give you advantages in knowing how to sell Prime on Amazon.
After sending them a cease-and-desist letter and filing a complaint with Amazon, you can make test purchases to support your claim. That way, you can provide information about the rival product -- its quality, price, etc. Doing this kind of research will go a long way in reinforcing your case with Amazon.
Don’t give hijackers an opportunity to affect your business. Remember, Amazon brand protection is vital in maintaining your sales volume and brand integrity. Do an inspection of your listings regularly. If possible, hire Amazon experts to monitor your brands closely. Detecting a problem early on will make it easier for you to deal with these issues.
Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] to know more about our team of Amazon brand protection experts. We can help you formulate an action plan that will effectively protect your account from hijackers and counterfeiters.
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