Picture this: You wake up, check your Amazon listings, and discover your best-selling product now has a mysterious new seller offering it at half your price.
Your heart sinks as you realize what’s happened. Your Amazon listing has been hijacked. And every minute that passes means lost sales, damaged reputation, and frustrated customers receiving counterfeit products.
If you’re reading this in crisis mode, take a deep breath. Amazon listing hijackers might feel unstoppable, but with the right strategy and immediate action, you can reclaim control of your listings and protect your brand.
This guide will walk you through exactly what to do the moment you discover a hijacker, plus provide you with proven templates and tools to fight back effectively.
If this is happening to you right now, deep breaths. This is the help you’ve been looking for.
And if you’re just getting ahead and preparing for when it happens? Remember to bookmark this after reading.
What exactly is an Amazon listing hijacker?
An Amazon listing hijacker is an unauthorized seller who infiltrates your product listing to sell counterfeit products, generic knockoffs, or sometimes even stolen inventory.
Unlike legitimate resellers who purchase and resell your genuine products, hijackers typically offer inferior alternatives while piggybacking onto your hard-earned reputation and optimized listing.
Amazon’s automated technology scans over 8 billion daily attempted changes to product detail pages, looking for potential abuse, yet hijackers still find ways to slip through.
Recent data shows that sellers report dealing with new counterfeit sellers on their listings every day, making this an urgent and ongoing threat for Amazon sellers.
How hackers destroy your sales, rankings, and reputation
When hijackers target your listings, the damage extends far beyond immediate lost sales:
Immediate revenue loss
Hijackers typically undercut your prices significantly to win the Buy Box. In most cases, an Amazon seller that hijacks your listing will advertise your product at a lower price. For example, if you sell your product for $50, they may offer it for $25.
Brand reputation damage
When customers receive inferior counterfeit products, they leave negative reviews on YOUR listing. Dissatisfied with their purchase because of the poor quality, the shopper shares a negative review on your product listing. You receive a bad testimonial for something that you do not even sell.
Search ranking decline
Negative reviews and reduced sales velocity can hurt your Best Seller ranking and organic visibility.
Customer trust erosion
Once customers lose faith in your brand due to counterfeit experiences, winning them back becomes exponentially harder.
Next, ever wondered what to do first when a hijacker hits your listing? Read on.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE: Your 5-step crisis action plan
When you discover an Amazon listing hijacker, speed is absolutely critical. Speed is critical when someone hijacks your Amazon listing. You have to respond fast to minimize your sales losses and potentially negative feedback from shoppers who purchase from the Amazon hijacker. Here’s your immediate action plan:
Step 1: Document everything (5 minutes)
Before taking any action, gather evidence:
- Screenshot the hijacked listing showing all sellers
- Note the hijacker’s seller name, location, and feedback rating
- Record the price difference and any changes to your listing content
- Check “Other Sellers on Amazon” for complete seller information
- Save the hijacker’s storefront page for future reference
Step 2: Send an immediate cease and desist (15 minutes)
The quickest action your business can take is with a cease and desist letter. Here’s how to send one quickly:
- Click the hijacker’s seller name on your listing
- Visit their seller profile page
- Select “Ask a question” in the upper right corner
- Send the cease and desist letter (template provided below)
Step 3: Report the violation through Amazon Brand Registry (10 minutes)
If you’re enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, immediately:
- Log in to Brand Registry
- Navigate to “Protect” > “Report a Violation”
- Select “Trademark” as the infringement type
- Provide the hijacker’s ASIN and seller information
- Include your documentation from Step 1
Step 4: Initiate a test buy (same day)
If you locate a suspected counterfeit, we recommend performing a test buy to confirm the violation. Purchase the hijacker’s product using a different account or have a friend make the purchase. This provides concrete evidence of infringement.
Step 5: Monitor and follow up (Ongoing)
- Check your listing every few hours for changes
- Track the status of your violation report in Brand Registry
- Prepare for additional action if the hijacker doesn’t respond within 24-48 hours
Proven cease and desist letter template
Here’s a proven template that gets results. Of course, you may want to adjust the tone a little to match your brand.
Subject: Immediate Removal Required – Trademark Infringement Notice
Dear [Seller Name],
We are the exclusive owner and manufacturer of [Your Brand Name] products, including the product listed on ASIN [ASIN Number]. Our brand is protected by registered trademark [Trademark Number] in [Country/Region].
We have identified that you are currently selling products on our listing without authorization. This constitutes trademark infringement and unauthorized use of our intellectual property.
REQUIRED ACTIONS:
- Immediately remove all unauthorized listings of our branded products
- Cease all sales of products bearing our trademark
- Confirm removal within 24 hours
CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE: Failure to comply will result in:
- Formal DMCA takedown notices
- Amazon seller account suspension requests
- Legal action for trademark infringement
- Claims for monetary damages
We prefer to resolve this matter amicably and quickly. Please confirm the removal of the infringing listings immediately.
Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Your Company] [Contact Information]
Leveraging Amazon’s advanced brand protection tools
Amazon Project Zero: Your secret weapon
If you qualify, Amazon’s Project Zero program is a game-changer. Amazon’s proactive controls automatically removes over 99% of suspected infringing listings before a brand ever had to find and report them.
To qualify for Project Zero, you need:
- Active Brand Registry enrollment as rights owner
- 90% acceptance rate on violation reports in the last six months
- Clean history of using Brand Registry tools appropriately
With over 25,000 brands enrolled in the program, Project Zero is a smashing success, boasting billions of daily removal attempts and a 99% automatic removal rate of infringing listings.
The power of Amazon Transparency
For ultimate protection, consider enrolling in Amazon’s Transparency program. More than 2.5 billion product units have been verified as genuine through Amazon’s Transparency program. This serialization system makes it nearly impossible for hijackers to sell counterfeit products on your listings.
Proactive prevention strategies
1. Strengthen your listing defense
Make hijacking more difficult by:
- Including your brand logo prominently in all product images
- Adding branded packaging shots to your listing
- Using unique product bundles that are harder to replicate
- Ensuring clear brand messaging throughout your content
2. Monitor like a hawk
Manual monitoring isn’t sustainable for growing businesses. Consider automated solutions that provide real-time hijacker alerts. Many sellers report discovering hijackers within hours rather than days or weeks with proper monitoring tools.
3. Build an integrated protection strategy
Your hijacker defense should work alongside your overall private label brand protection strategy. Regular competitor analysis helps you spot unusual market activity that might indicate hijacking attempts.
Advanced tactics for persistent hijackers
Legal escalation
When cease and desist letters fail:
- File DMCA takedown notices
- Pursue legal action for trademark infringement
- Work with Amazon’s legal team for persistent violators
- Consider hiring IP attorneys for complex cases
Supply chain investigation
Sometimes hijackers obtain genuine products through:
- Unauthorized distribution channels
- Retail arbitrage of clearance items
- Employee theft or supplier fraud
Investigating your supply chain can help identify and close these loopholes.
Working with Amazon’s enforcement team
Amazon takes brand protection seriously, with teams all over the world ready to respond to IP infringement reports 24/7. However, the quality of your violation reports directly impacts response time and effectiveness.
When reporting violations:
- Provide clear, specific evidence
- Include test buy documentation when possible
- Reference your trademark registration details
- Maintain professional communication throughout
Long-term brand protection excellence
Successful hijacker defense requires ongoing vigilance and the right tools. Consider implementing:
- Automated monitoring systems alert you immediately when a new seller appears on your listing.
- Regular brand audits help you catch unauthorized seller activity before it escalates.
- Team training empowers your staff to recognize and respond swiftly to hijacker behavior.
- Legal relationships with IP attorneys means you’re ready to take legal action if needed.
For comprehensive protection strategies, explore advanced repricer competitor analysis tools that can help monitor pricing patterns and detect suspicious seller activity.
Don’t let them steal what you’ve built
Amazon listing hijackers thrive on delayed responses and passive sellers. The moment you suspect hijacking activity:
- Implement the 5-step emergency response plan immediately
- Send the cease and desist letter using our proven template
- Enroll in Amazon Brand Registry if you haven’t already
- Set up automated monitoring for future protection
- Build relationships with legal professionals who understand e-commerce IP issues
Every day you delay action is another day hijackers profit from your hard work while damaging your brand reputation. Delay allows counterfeit reviews and Buy Box erosion within hours.
The sellers who successfully combat hijackers are those who respond immediately and systematically.
Your brand deserves protection, and your customers deserve authentic products. With the right strategy, quick action, and proper tools, you can eliminate hijackers and build a fortress around your Amazon business that keeps counterfeiters at bay.
Make pricing as solid as your defences
You’ve taken control of your listings. But don’t stop there. You need to make your pricing equally bulletproof.
Repricer’s AI-powered automation ensures:
- You stay significant in the Buy Box without compromising your margins
- Your pricing keeps pace with competitors, instantly and 24/7
- You free up time to focus on brand protection and growth
See repricing in action and keep hijackers (and competitors) from stealing your sales. Book a demo.
