As the dust settles from Black Friday, the holiday shopping season shifts into high gear. For cross-border e-commerce sellers, this period represents the most lucrative time of the year. Yet just as sales were poised to surge, a sudden wave of product takedowns has left many Amazon sellers in the U.S. marketplace reeling.
Carefully curated Christmas-themed bestsellers have been abruptly removed overnight, with evidence pointing to coordinated malicious complaints and copyright extortion schemes. Is this a troubling escalation of competitive tactics, or does it expose gray areas in platform governance? How can sellers protect themselves during this critical sales period?
Holiday Best-Sellers Abruptly Removed
The period from late November through early December typically marks peak sales season for holiday products. One seller, operating under the pseudonym Li Huan, specializes in seasonal merchandise. In 2018, their company developed an original Christmas placard design that became a consistent performer, selling 3,000-5,000 units annually. Last year's sales reached approximately 5,000 units. This year, after implementing product improvements, the company anticipated another strong performance.
Instead, on November 25—as Black Friday promotions launched—Li Huan's account received an Amazon warning notice. The notice alleged copyright infringement based on a rights holder's claim. Amazon removed the listing and advised submitting a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) counter-notice.
The email included the copyrighted content and rights holder contact information. When Li Huan's team attempted verification, the claimant immediately demanded licensing fees based on inventory levels. Requests for copyright documentation went unanswered. Shockingly, the "copyrighted image" referenced was simply Li Huan's own product listing photo.
"They took our product image, registered it voluntarily with Guizhou's copyright office in China, then used that registration to file a complaint with Amazon U.S.," Li Huan explained. Despite demanding evidence or threatening legal action against extortion, the claimant disappeared. The listing remains inactive during peak sales days, with estimated losses exceeding $60,000 across two products.
Coordinated Attacks Target Multiple Sellers
Li Huan's experience reflects a broader pattern. Sellers Wang Xiaolu and Zhang Feng (both pseudonyms) reported identical complaints against their Christmas placards on November 25-26, citing the same Guizhou-registered image. Wang's two established products (on market since 2020-2021) face potential losses in the tens of thousands. Zhang estimates $5,000 in lost sales if listings remain inactive for 1-2 weeks.
All cases trace to the same email address, suggesting organized targeting. One seller reported 19 listings simultaneously attacked. Complainants create websites hosting Amazon product images/descriptions, then file complaints Amazon routinely approves. Sellers describe receiving demands for $80-$120 payments via WeChat to withdraw complaints—only to face repeat filings.
"The barrier to filing these fraudulent complaints is absurdly low—just one image—while the damage to sellers is enormous, especially during peak season," Li Huan noted. "Even restored listings suffer ranking drops that cripple sales."
Root Causes Behind Malicious Complaints
Several factors enable this exploitation:
1. Copyright Awareness Gaps: Some sellers inadvertently use protected content, creating vulnerability.
2. Platform Oversight Weaknesses: Amazon's complaint review process appears easily manipulated by falsified claims.
3. Unscrupulous Competition: Rivals increasingly weaponize takedown requests as anti-competitive tools.
4. High Defense Costs: Sellers incur significant time/legal expenses contesting claims, often missing key sales windows.
5. Minimal Consequences: Limited penalties fail to deter repeat offenders.
Protective Measures for Sellers
Experts recommend proactive strategies:
• Documentation: Maintain original design files and register copyrights for key products.
• Vigilance: Monitor account alerts and act immediately on complaints.
• Verification: Demand complete evidence from complainants before engagement.
• Collective Action: Collaborate with other sellers to identify repeat offenders.
• Platform Engagement: Report suspicious activity patterns to Amazon's seller support teams.
Calls for Platform Reforms
Sellers urge Amazon to implement:
• Enhanced Review: More rigorous validation of infringement claims before takedowns.
• Offender Penalties: Account suspensions for fraudulent filers.
• Transparent Tracking: Public records of frequent complainants.
• Expedited Appeals: Faster resolution processes for contested removals.
As e-commerce competition intensifies, these malicious tactics represent growing operational risks. Only through combined seller diligence, platform accountability, and regulatory attention can the marketplace maintain fairness during its most vital sales periods.