If you’re an approved Amazon reseller, you have a great opportunity to attract new customers by selling online. As the number of unlicensed sellers and resellers on Amazon has gone up, it’s negatively impacted both brands’ incomes and reputations. Keep reading to figure out how to stop unauthorized sellers on Amazon and how to report and eliminate unauthorized vendors on Amazon so you can protect your goods and trademark on the marketplace.
Table of contents
Who Are Unauthorized Sellers on Amazon?
As of 2021, the number of active Amazon sellers has reached six million. With 1.6 million already registered and hundreds of thousands more joining each year, it’s safe to say that this trend is only going up.
With the market as big as it is and everyone wanting to get a cut, sellers who are not authorized have been an ongoing issue in Amazon’s marketplace.
If a seller sells products from a brand without the permission of said brand, they are unauthorized. An example of this would be somebody who bought wholesale items from a legitimate distributor and competed with the original store. Another possibility is that someone manufactured counterfeit products and sold them as authentic on Amazon’s detail page.
Types of Unauthorized Sellers
After taking a closer look at the issues in the supply chain, it became apparent that there are two types of unauthorized sellers who present different risks and therefore require unique solutions.
Gray Market Sellers
Gray market selling occurs when authorized sellers obtain and resell genuine products on unauthorized channels. Amazon’s primary objective is to offer the most diverse range of products, so they don’t take steps to stop gray market sellers.
Black Market Sellers
Counterfeit goods that are being manufactured without the brand owner’s permission violate intellectual property rights and are known as the black market. Amazon is willing to take action against counterfeit goods (if you can provide evidence), but they will not do anything about copycat products that go against intellectual property.
Most companies choose to ship their products to Amazon’s fulfillment centers so that they can provide Prime shipping speeds for their customers through FBA. Want to learn How to Ship Items to Amazon FBA? Explore this guide. Although it is more efficient for Amazon to commingle inventory once it reaches the FBA, this makes it easy for counterfeit products to become mixed in with genuine products.
What Should You Do to Remove Unauthorized Sellers on Amazon?
While Amazon’s marketplace is extensive and contains many items, the company does not always help sellers trying to sell authorized items combat unauthorized ones.
Although measures are in place to prevent unauthorized sellers, some still manage to sell on Amazon without following the correct procedures.
While it can take some time, follow these steps when you discover someone selling your products without permission. Just be aware that it may feel like playing whack-a-mole – as soon as you remove one unauthorized seller, another may pop up.
Here are tips to restrict and remove unwanted sellers on Amazon:
- Be Proactive – ASINs are identification numbers that Amazon uses for every product in its catalog. Unauthorized resellers, whom you want to avoid, would create their own ASINs, so scanning software wouldn’t be able to detect them as third-party sellers. In addition, unauthorized resellers might sell your products under different (yet similar) brand names. It’s generally advisable to think that these sellers are looking to profit from your hard work, so you have to be proactive in searching for them, or they’ll continue selling without your go-ahead.
- Be Patient – Unfortunately, Amazon is usually very slow in replying to such claims. Often, many of them get denied or rejected for different reasons. Be patient and don’t give up hope! Although it might be alluring to surrender, you have to remain careful with these vendors if you desire to keep a positive brand image. Acting quickly will triumph in the end.
- Make Use of Amazon’s Brand Registry – Are you aware that you may join the Amazon Brand Registry program if your products are protected by a trademark or copyright? You’ll be given greater power when learning how to report unauthorized merchants on Amazon after signing up for Brand Registry. In order to manage claims and assist with the registration process, you may also work with a company like SupplyKick.
- Practice Test Buys – The best way to show a reseller is selling a counterfeit product is often by doing test buys and then filing disputes after you receive the knockoff item. In order to take down a listing that is not yours, you have to be able to show that the product does not match yours exactly. If you think an unauthorized seller is using your products but with a different ASIN, you can try to find evidence by test buying. If successful, follow these steps next.
Steps to Remove a Seller from Your Amazon Listing?
A major issue when trying to stop resellers on Amazon is that you don’t have control over your product listing. Because Amazon almighty owns every listing, you as the seller have to follow suit with their policy. this can often be unfair and not work out in your best interest. So, it’s no wonder that getting kicked off an Amazon listing is such a pain having to go through various time-consuming channels.
If you want to know how to remove a seller from your Amazon listing, here are the tips suggested by our Amazon account management experts:
- Read Through Amazon’s Policies – Amazon’s policies are difficult to navigate, and most resellers aren’t violating any specific rules. You can easily report an unauthorized seller and have them removed from the marketplace by reviewing Amazon’s terms and conditions.
- Keep a Detailed Record of all Pertinent Information – Jot down anything you can about the unauthorized reseller, for example, ASINs, pricing, product descriptions, brand name, etc. The more data you can furnish Amazon with, the more advantageous.
- File An Official Complaint – You must go to the Selling Policies and Code of Conduct Page to report abuse. Once there, select the appropriate infraction and click “Report Abuse.” Lastly, fill out the necessary information.
- Call Seller Support – After you file a formal complaint and send an email. It will be easier for seller support to find your account information if they have a paper trail of your communications. Although understanding the system can be difficult, speaking with a customer service representative may provide a quicker resolution. It’s easy to become agitated, but remembering to remain calm and patient will serve you better in the long run.
- Don’t Be Disappointed – If you’re selling products that aren’t your own on Amazon, don’t get discouraged – their policies may not always favor the seller. If you’re not the primary manufacturer, removing unauthorized listings from your page is significantly more difficult. Authorized sellers are a big issue, and our team can help you if you’re struggling with them. We have experience handling these situations through our Wholesale and Agency partnerships.
Will Amazon Help if You Report an Unauthorized Reseller?
There are a few things to keep in mind if you ever come across a retailer abusing Amazon by listing your products without permission.
Amazon typically only becomes involved in manufacturer-retailer disputes when there are violations of intellectual property rights, other issues, or counterfeit products where the manufacturer can show that the retailer is deceiving customers in some way.
- Amazon’s policy is made clear that the company does not help manufacturers or brand owners uphold reseller policies or distribution agreements.
- When you lodge a complaint with Amazon Seller Central about another retailer, they will only investigate policies that Amazon has in place—not your company’s own separate violations or interests.
A rogue merchant may also be breaking some of Amazon’s own policies, even though Amazon won’t remove a listing just because you allege that the store doesn’t have your consent to sell them. You may be able to get them removed from Amazon’s marketplace by giving them proof of these violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
With eCommerce continuously growing, this problem will only intensify in the future if not handled properly and proactively. The options mentioned above will help protect your brand’s credibility and allow you to better control pricing. Because unauthorized sellers and counterfeit products are rampant on Amazon, you must constantly be on the lookout for them.
Please share your feedback about this post if you found it valuable in the below comment section or contact us if had any other concern, In this regard the team at Bizistech will love to respond you!
