The specter of product hijacking continues to haunt Amazon sellers, with one brand-authorized store recently facing a severe account crisis after receiving policy warnings from the platform. The incident highlights the precarious position of authorized resellers in combating unauthorized listings while maintaining compliance with Amazon's strict policies.
Account Crisis Triggered by Warning Notice
"Attempts to harm other sellers or abuse their products or ratings violate our policies..." A series of performance notifications served as a wake-up call for the seller, whose account health score plummeted to zero. Amazon representatives directly accused the store of "attempting to harm or harass other sellers."
The store had experienced four hijacking incidents since September, including one where they used a buyer account linked to their seller account to send warning messages to the hijacker. While the language remained professional, this action violated Amazon's policies against direct seller interference. The store had also employed third-party services to remove hijackers across multiple marketplaces.
Compounding the problem, the affected products were in their critical launch phase with minimal reviews. The seller expressed concern that hijackers might engage in fraudulent shipping practices that could generate negative reviews and permanently damage the product listing.
Compliance Dilemma: Admission Versus Appeal
Faced with Amazon's warning, the seller confronted a difficult choice: admit policy violations by completing educational modules or attempt an appeal with supporting evidence. The admission path would clear the immediate warning but increase future suspension risks, while an appeal offered uncertain outcomes.
The seller ultimately chose to acknowledge the violation and completed Amazon's anti-competitive behavior training, achieving perfect scores on the assessment. This restored their account health metrics, but left lingering questions about sustainable hijacking prevention strategies.
Strategic Considerations for Brand-Authorized Sellers
Industry experts emphasize several compliance-focused approaches for authorized sellers combating hijackers:
Authorization Clarity: Sellers must precisely understand their contractual rights regarding sales territories, product categories, and enforcement authority against unauthorized resellers.
Communication Protocols: Direct contact with hijackers through any channel violates Amazon's seller interaction policies. All communications must flow through official platform channels.
Legitimate Removal Methods: Test purchases remain the most reliable method for documenting violations. Authorized sellers should purchase hijacked products to verify authenticity and file formal complaints with supporting evidence.
Brand Registry Utilization: While authorized sellers cannot directly access brand registry tools, they can coordinate with brand owners to file intellectual property complaints when trademarks or copyrighted materials appear on hijacked listings.
Listing Protection: Participation in Amazon's Transparency program and pursuing exclusive selling rights (when contractually permitted) can deter unauthorized sellers. Regular monitoring through brand analytics tools helps detect hijacking attempts early.
The incident serves as a cautionary tale for all marketplace sellers about maintaining strict policy compliance while protecting business interests. As Amazon continues refining its anti-counterfeiting measures, authorized sellers must balance aggressive brand protection with meticulous adherence to platform rules.