Amazon brand protection is harder than most sellers expect. Here is what actually works to stop counterfeits, hijackers, and unauthorized sellers before they cost you.

How to Protect Your Brand on Amazon Before Counterfeiters Take Over

Amazon seized more than 15 million counterfeit products in 2024. That number doubled from the year before. If you sell on Amazon, that stat should stop you cold.

Counterfeit sellers and listing hijackers do not just steal your sales. They destroy the trust you spent years building. A fake version of your product with your brand name on it can sink your reviews overnight.

This post will show you exactly how amazon brand protection works, what tools Amazon gives you, and what steps you need to take right now to keep your brand safe. You will learn about Brand Registry, the Transparency program, listing hijacker removal, and more.

The Scale of the Counterfeit Problem Is Bigger Than You Think

Amazon scans over 5 billion product listings every single day using AI. Its proactive controls blocked more than 99% of suspected infringing listings before brands even reported them. That sounds impressive. And it is.

But here is the reality. Amazon invested over $1 billion in brand protection and employs 15,000 people dedicated to this problem. The reason they have to spend that much is because the threat is massive. Global counterfeiting costs $467 billion every year. That is 2.3% of all world imports.

Even with Amazon catching most fakes, bad actors keep coming. In 2023, Amazon stopped 700,000 bad actor account creation attempts. That is down from 6 million in 2020, which means the tools are working. But it also means people are still trying every single day.

Your brand is a target. The good news is you have more tools available than most sellers realize.

How to Enroll in Brand Registry and Why It Changes Everything

Brand Registry is the foundation of amazon brand protection. Without it, you have almost no tools to fight back against fakes or hijackers.

Here is a real-world example. Say you sell handmade leather wallets under your own brand name. A seller in another country lists a cheap knockoff using your exact product photos and brand name. Without Brand Registry, your options are limited and slow. With it, you can file an amazon intellectual property infringement report directly and get results fast.

To enroll in Brand Registry, you need:

• An active registered trademark in your country
• The trademark registration number
• A list of product categories where your brand appears
• Images of your brand on your products and packaging

Once you enroll, Amazon gives you access to tools like Report a Violation, Brand Analytics, and Sponsored Brand ads. It also opens the door to advanced programs like Project Zero and the Transparency program.

Getting help from an amazon brand registry enrollment service can speed up the process if your trademark situation is complicated.

Three Powerful Tools That Stop Unauthorized Sellers and Counterfeiters

Once you are in Brand Registry, you can go on offense. Here are the three tools that make the biggest difference.

Project Zero lets brands remove counterfeit listings themselves without waiting for Amazon to act. More than 35,000 brands use it. You do not need to file a ticket and wait. You find the fake, you remove it.

The Amazon Transparency program assigns unique codes to every unit you make. Customers and Amazon can scan those codes to verify a product is real. The program has enrolled 88,000 brands and verified over 2.5 billion product units. If a seller cannot show a valid Transparency code, their listing gets blocked.

Brand Gating limits who can sell your products. A brand gating service for amazon sellers can help you apply for gating so that only approved resellers can list under your brand. This is one of the most effective ways to stop resellers from selling your products without permission.

Use all three together and you build layers of protection that are very hard to break through.

What to Do When a Hijacker Takes Over Your Listing

Listing hijackers are a different problem from counterfeiters. A hijacker jumps onto your existing listing and sells their own product, often a fake, at a lower price. They steal the Buy Box from you on your own listing. It happens fast and it hurts fast.

Here is how to fight back:

1. Buy the hijacker’s product yourself so you have physical proof it is fake or unauthorized.
2. File an amazon intellectual property infringement report through Brand Registry with that evidence.
3. Send the hijacker a cease and desist letter directly through Amazon’s messaging system.
4. If they do not leave, escalate to an amazon listing hijacker removal service that knows how to push Amazon for faster action.
5. Apply for Brand Gating to prevent this from happening again.

Speed matters here. Every day a hijacker holds your Buy Box, you lose sales and risk bad reviews from customers who received a fake. Do not wait and hope they leave on their own.

What You Should Do Next

Amazon brand protection is not a one-time task. It is an ongoing process. Here are the three things that matter most.

First, get enrolled in Brand Registry if you are not already. It unlocks every other tool on this list. Second, apply for the Transparency program. It is the strongest proof-of-authenticity tool Amazon offers. Third, set up monitoring so you catch hijackers and counterfeiters fast.

The brands that lose the most are the 52% that have no dedicated amazon brand protection support at all. Only 8% of brands have a full-time person handling this. You do not need a full-time employee. But you do need a system.

Book a free brand protection consultation today and find out exactly where your brand is exposed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop unauthorized sellers from listing my products on Amazon?

The most effective way to stop unauthorized sellers on Amazon is to combine Brand Registry with a brand gating service. Brand gating requires sellers to get your approval before they can list under your brand. You can also file cease and desist notices through Amazon and report violations directly using the Report a Violation tool inside Brand Registry.

What is the Amazon Transparency program and how does it protect my brand from counterfeiters?

The Amazon Transparency program lets you put unique, scannable codes on every unit you produce. When a customer or Amazon scans that code, it confirms the product is authentic. Any seller who tries to list your product without valid Transparency codes gets blocked automatically. Over 88,000 brands use the program and it has verified more than 2.5 billion units worldwide.