If you’re an Amazon Seller, then you’re at risk of Amazon listing hijacking. Hijackers are always poised to steal your sales and can ruin your reputation with bad reviews. Even seasoned sellers fall victim to these underhanded attacks. So, BE PREPARED and learn how to shake them from your listing.
In this post, I share:
An Amazon hijacker is another seller that piggybacks onto your listing and is selling their inventory through your listing by controlling the Buy Box.
Sounds like you got hacked. Nope! It’s actually just how Amazon works.
What’s important to understand is that when you create a new catalog entry (a new ASIN) with your own unique product, you still don’t 100% own that product listing.
What it means is that another seller can come along and take control of the Amazon Buy Box by simply hitting the ‘Have One to Sell?’ button located under the Buy Box!
Once you are ranking well, you’re prone to hijackers who want to profit from your hard work and money invested into PPC campaigns and listing optimization.
You become a target for ruthless characters stealing the Buy Box.
They can steal the Amazon Buy Box because they almost always list their inventory at a lower price because:
Their inventory is usually of lower quality.
They purchased inventory from you during a sale event.
You are selling unbranded untrademarked products and they can source and sell the exact same product with slightly less margin and still make a profit.
You'll know you've been hijacked if:
Your listing is missing the Buy Box.
You're not listed as the seller on the Buy Box.
Or, if you see other buying options.
Alternatively, you can use software like Helium 10 Alerts. Get notified immediately when a hijacking takes place by creating alerts (in Helium 10) for activities such as when:
If you're already using Helium 10 for other parts of your Amazon FBA business, then set up Amazon hijacking alerts now!
Otherwise, Helium 10 offers a free trial that you can use to test the feature.
Being hijacked is a common occurrence but can be damaging to your business. Here are some good reasons to act fast to remove a hijacker:
Your sales will be affected. Less money in your pocket and more in theirs!
If a hijacker is selling low quality goods, this causes an additional problem because YOU will likely get stuck with bad reviews against your listing.
If you notice a new hijacker, they likely haven’t invested in a large volume of stock. They will test out the listing and watch performance. If you catch and stop them quickly, they are LESS likely to invest in large stocks and retarget you.
Once you’re aware of a listing hijacking you want to ACT FAST to contain the damage! Here are some legitimate options to get rid of a hijacker.
This first method is to use a cease and desist letter that threatens legal action. This is useful if you have a branded product or trademark, and it will deter some hijackers. If it works, this is a quick fix to claiming back your listing and sales.
You can contact the seller by going to your listing. Using the list of all the hijackers selling the same item you can select a seller and then ask the seller a question.
You can use the messaging assistant to contact the seller. The easiest thing to do is to copy and paste your Cease and Desist message into the chat box. Make sure to keep the letter formal, include important information such as product ASIN and that no approval has been given for them to use your branding or IP. Refrain from any personal insults and set a definitive timeframe for action.
This is usually enough to scare off most hijackers without having to take it any further.
The second action you can take to counteract a hijacking is to contact Seller Support and tell them someone is selling counterfeit products on your listing. You can file an IP claim using Amazon's Report Infringement Form.
When reporting an Amazon listing hijacking, focus on trademark infringement or other rights that have been violated and express your concerns regarding counterfeit products or product inferiority. Describe the situation in a manner such that the buyer may be hurt or disadvantaged by the seller. Framing it in this way is more likely to get quick action by Amazon.
A further action you can take is to prove that another seller has breached your Intellectual Property rights. This method requires you to buy one of their products and compare it to your own product.
You need to take pictures, document any differences, and send a full report to Amazon using the Report Infringement Form. Amazon takes counterfeiting seriously, and if you have proof then you’ll see Amazon take swift action to remove the hijacker.
You can take step #3 further. Once you’re confident that you’re dealing with counterfeit products (then if you can afford to) order ALL their remaining stock. This action cuts them off at the knees and stops any further damage.
This is going to cost you money BUT if you report this to Amazon then you can normally claim a refund for counterfeited goods!
If you run a big promotion, then you can leave yourself open to another type of listing hijacking. This is when a seller buys up your discounted stock and then relists those same products against your listing.
In this scenario, the hijacker is selling the exact same product (not counterfeited or inferior). To deal with this you have some other options:
Ideally, you want to deter hijackers and PREVENT it from happening in the first place. The best way to protect yourself is to make your product as difficult as possible to copy by:
Add your brand or logo on the product and packaging.
Registering your trademark.
Applying for Amazon brand registry.
By protecting your product listing, the hijackers will look for and target other products before your own. So, even though it isn’t complete protection, it’s an effective deterrent.
Product listing hijacking is an everyday occurrence on Amazon and it’s a normal part of selling on Amazon. Even so, hijacking can have many negative consequences for your sales and reviews. Protecting your brand is a good start to protecting your listings.
Even though you can deter hijackers, this isn’t 100% foolproof. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to stay vigilant and take swift action to win back the Buy Box. A 24/7 monitoring solution is available with software like Helium 10 Alerts. Try Helium 10 today for free.
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Jessica Clark has a passion for all things eCommerce. She’s always learning and adapting to find efficiencies and to stay competitive in a fast-paced sector.
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