Got a negative review on one of the best-reviewed products on your Amazon listing? Are your sales for a product dropping and you need help? If that’s the case, then dear, you might have got your Amazon listing hijacked.
Well, if you are wondering what Amazon listing hijacking is, don’t worry! We have got you all covered.
Amazon listing hijacking is the name of an illegal activity when an unauthorized seller on Amazon hijacks your product listing and offers a cheap and counterfeit version of your original products. But that’s not the end of the world! There are many ways you can prevent Amazon listing hijacking.
So, make sure to read this article till the end to learn seven simple ways in which you can stop Amazon listing hijacking.
What Is Amazon Listing Hijacking?
Amazon listing hijacking is when a third-party seller on Amazon starts selling a cheap and counterfeit version of your products. Such products are usually of very low-quality materials and sold at heavily discounted offers.
It is very easy for Amazon listing hijackers to steal your product photos and name, and start offering a counterfeit version of it on their platform. Lower prices serve as an attraction for budget customers. And eventually, it creates tough competition in the marketplace.
Let’s have a look at one of the examples of Amazon listing hijacking.
When you sell products under a private label, your products can never be sold by any third-party seller who is not certified. In this example, you can see that the other four sellers are selling the same product at different prices.
However, note that not all the other sellers can be Amazon listing hijackers. They can also be certified resellers who are legally reselling the product.
Well, Amazon listing hijacking can have very severe impacts on your business and can damage your reputation.
What Is the Impact of Amazon Listing Hijacking on Your Business?
Poor Ratings on Your Products:
Product ratings have a big say in making sales on Amazon. The importance of good product ratings on Amazon is what only a true businessman can understand.
When the customers get to buy counterfeit versions of your product from the listing hijacker at lower rates, the product quality is of course not up to the mark. This makes the customers complain and leave negative reviews of your product which will go on your page.
When such negative reviews and poor ratings add up, it eventually leaves a bad mark.
Losing Sales:
When a hijacker hijacks your product listing, you are expected to lose your sales as customers are always expected to go for lower price tags offered by the hijacker.
People can’t distinguish between an authentic Amazon seller and an Amazon listing hijacker. So, the sales made by the hijacker will make your brand lose sales and decrease profits.
Increased Competition in the Marketplace:
When another seller claims to offer the same product as you at a lower price on Amazon, you will have to face increased competition in the marketplace. It will eventually make it difficult to beat the competition and generate sales.
Knowing the quality of the counterfeit product, you may not be able to compete with the prices offered by the hijacker. And it will drive you out of the buy box because then the “buy now” button will be on the lowest price tag.
Bad Brand Reputation:
Low-quality and counterfeit products can damage your customers’ trust. When buyers get to see a lot of complaints and poor ratings about your products, they will not be looking up to your brand for any purchase.
In this way, you may also lose your loyal customers because of the hijacker. Bad reviews also lower your impression and click rates on your product listing.
What Is the Difference Between Reselling and Listing Hijacking?
The main difference between a reseller and a product listing hijacker is very simple. Resellers resell the genuine product they have bought from an authentic seller. Meanwhile, a hijacker tries to copy and sells a counterfeit version of the actual product.
So, if you see your products being sold by other sellers too, don’t panic. They might have bought from you only and then decided to resell. But, resellers would have mentioned that the product is used.
Apart from this, analyzing the prices can also help differentiate between a reseller and a hijacker.
So, you need to beware of hijackers and know how to deal with them..
7 Ways to Stop Amazon Listing Hijacking
There are numerous ways in which you can protect your brand and prevent Amazon listing hijacking. Keep reading to learn about all the steps in detail.
1. Enroll Your Brand in Amazon’s Brand Registry
One of the most effective ways to prevent your product listing from getting hijacked is to
enroll your brand in Amazon’s Brand Registry program.
To enroll in the Amazon Brand Registry you will be required to get a few things for the application like
- A registered trademark number for your brands
- Your brand’s name and logo
- Your categorized product listings
Amazon Brand Registry programs give you access to many helpful marketing tools and a verified control over your brand.
Once you are enrolled, Amazon will monitor your account and it will get a lot easier for you to deal with brand infringement and similar issues that include Amazon listing hijacking as well.
2. Brand Your Product Photos
When displaying your products on Amazon, you need to focus on branding. The primary focus is to add uniqueness to your product listing so that hijackers cannot copy it.
Firstly, you must have your brand’s name or logo design clear on your product and its packaging. Put up clear product photos where your brand’s name is visible. You can also mention details of the packaging in the description so that the buyers would know exactly what to look for.
This makes it very difficult for hijackers to copy the product information and sell counterfeit versions of your product.
Here is an example of a product photo from Amazon that has a clear brand name on it.
3. Sell Products in Bundles
Selling products in bundles can also decrease the chances of Amazon listing hijacking to a great extent. When you sell products in bundles, the hijackers find it difficult to copy the product listing and offer all the bundle products on their platform.
However, you need to go for bundles that make some excellent combinations that customers can find helpful. You can take some ideas from Amazon’s Buy with its section and make notes for your bundles.
Have a look at this one:
4. Obtain a Trademark
A trademark can help with the legal protection of your brand. If you haven’t already obtained a trademark for your brand, don’t wait any further to trademark your brand. As it is a slow process you might want to start as early as possible.
Even if you are not looking forward to going for Amazon Brand Registry, being a trademark owner can help you in many places.
Amazon sellers who have obtained a trademark for their products have an easier time reporting any listing hijacking. Moreover, it helps Amazon understand you more as an authentic seller and take your side to remove the hijacker.
5. Make Use of Amazon Anti-counterfeit Programs
Amazon features some anti-counterfeit programs for the sellers to like the Amazon
Transparency program and Project Zero. These programs are thoughtfully designed for seller accounts to stay protected from Amazon listing hijackers.
Project Zero
Project Zero is a counterfeit removal tool popularly known for its automated protection against counterfeits. It regularly monitors the account for authenticity and removes the potential listing hijackers instantly before it impacts the buyers.
Amazon Transparency
Amazon’s transparency programs ensure that only authentic products are delivered to the customers. It also works with transparency codes and products without it cannot be shipped.
Moreover, it optimizes your supply chain and helps with related issues.
Being a registered brand on Amazon, you can also be a part of the Amazon Transparency program.
6. Set up a Website for Your Brand
Selling products on your website as well may seem a little extra work and requires some investment as well. But, it is a great way to build up your credibility and gain the trust of your loyal customers.
When you sell products on a website, it acts as a reference to check the authenticity of the products. It also helps Amazon verify your ownership of the product listing and eventually put down the hijacker’s offer.
Besides, your website can also generate more revenue and increases sales. You can link your website and mention it on your Amazon account to let the customers visit and purchase your products directly.
7. Use Monitoring Services
Monitoring your account on short intervals regularly can help you a lot from listing hijackers.
One of the options is to monitor your product listing manually by checking for other products similar to yours. But this process can consume a great amount of time.
Being a brand owner, you might not have enough time to manually monitor your product listings and ensure their protection against Amazon listing hijackers. That’s where the hijacker alert and monitoring services come into action.
There are many software and tools you can use for monitoring services for your Amazon product listings. Some of the recommended options are
How Can You Deal With an Amazon Listing Hijacker?
If you have finally got to know your Amazon listing hijacker, be quick with taking action against the hijacker as it may lead to damage to your brand’s reputation. You have to respond fast and send the hijacker a cease and desist letter and file a complaint.
For the letter, you can ask a lawyer to write it or do it yourself with the help of a letter template. To send the letter, follow the steps written below.
- First, click on the seller’s name to jump into their Amazon page
- You will see a button saying, “Ask a question” at the upper-right corner of the page. Click on it.
- Select “an item for sale”
- Then, go to “Question about a product” and write your cease and desist letter.
- Once you are done, you can submit it.
Make sure your letter covers all the important details. Mention the product that you want them to put down and write about the legal actions you can take against them for hijacking your product listing.
By sending a cease and desist letter, the hijacker may remove their offer. If they don’t respond within 24 hours or do not agree to put down their offer, you can take further action.
How to Remove Unauthorized Sellers on Amazon?
After sending a cease and desist letter to the hijacker you might want to take further action. You can report the listing hijacking to Amazon. Also, we recommend you purchase the counterfeit product and report it to Amazon.
How to Report Unauthorized Seller on Amazon?
To report Amazon listing hijacking, you can file a notice of infringement with the help of Amazon’s Report Infringement form.
You will be required to sign in to your seller account to access the form. Fill in the form with the information asked regarding your brand and the type of infringement that has happened. After submitting the form, you need to wait for 1-3 working days till Amazon responds.
Note that to report the issue, you need to have a registered trademark for your product.
Buy the Counterfeit Product and Report It
Another way is to purchase the counterfeit product and then report it.
Once you have made your test purchase, take some pictures of the counterfeit product and the genuine one to make the differences evident. Compile all the differences you see and the evidence of it being counterfeit. Make your argument strong and report it to Amazon.
If you are willing to go for this option, make sure you purchase it before sending the cease and desist letter to the hijacker or reporting the issue. If you do so, the hijacker may not send you the product.
Conclusion
Amazon listing hijacking is getting very common. So, you must know how to prevent it.
Amazon listing hijackers not only make you lose out on your sales to them but also leave you with a damaged brand reputation. With the help of the detailed explanation and strategies we have mentioned above, you can stop amazon listing hijacking.
We hope that this guide has proved to be helpful for you and you are no more stressed out about your product listing being hijacked.
