June 2025 Newsletter: How to Spot Unauthorized Sellers

As a brand’s success grows on Amazon, so do its opportunities and vulnerabilities. Unauthorized sellers, whether in the form of resellers or bots that latch onto your listings, can potentially damage your pricing, customer experience, and brand reputation. This is especially important during high-traffic events like Amazon Prime Day, when your brand can be most visibly at its peak. During these key sales moments, unauthorized activity can quietly erode your performance with you being none-the-wiser before it’s too late.

Here’s how to recognize if your brand is at risk and how to start responding—before your next major sales event gets compromised.

Warning Signs You May Have a Brand Control Problem

Early detection can save your listings and livelihood, especially when you know the red flags to look for. If you see a recurrence in the situations below while auditing your listings, you may be facing an unauthorized seller situation:

• Other sellers suddenly appear on your listings with your products, either in the “comparison” section on the listing or with frequent Sponsored Ads.
• You lose the Buy Box, or Amazon shows you as “priced too high”—even when you're pricing close to a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).
• Slower than normal sales over a week, especially without major changes to your ad spend or customer behavior.
• Your ads start getting suppressed, or items become ineligible for advertising.
• International or unknown sellers are suddenly winning Buy Box or listing under your brand.
• Your product appears on other platforms at a lower price, making your listing appear overpriced to Amazon.
• You spot your images or infographics reused on non-authorized listings with no identifiable branding to prove they’re from you.

Ways to Identify Unauthorized Sellers

Brands with well-maintained and monitored internal distribution processes will find it easier to identify ways an unauthorized third party could be getting hold of their inventory. Here are some recommendations on tracking brand control issues more effectively before deciding to act or seek outside help:

• Run weekly audits of your listings to track who else is appearing and if Buy Box ownership has changed.
• Master and use the Amazon Seller Central tools available to track sales activity, including the Price Competitiveness Dashboard, Inventory Dashboard (to see Buy Box loss and number of sellers on a listing), and Pricing Dashboard.
• Monitor trends and search behavior more closely after one week of abnormal sales to see if unauthorized sellers are undercutting your price.
• Use test buys: Order products from suspicious sellers to verify authenticity and trace inventory paths.
• Check if sellers are using different UPCs—a signal they might be using diverted or gray-market inventory.
• Make sure all MSRP policies are outlined in contracts with distributors to track leaks.
• Keep a distribution map and document every channel where your product is sold. Deviations will be easier to spot.

Ways to Protect Your Brand

Once you’re sure brand control is slipping, here’s what you can do—quickly and effectively:

• Don’t ignore it. The longer you wait, the more visibility unauthorized sellers gain.
• Use Amazon’s reporting tools to flag listings with stolen content or inaccurate branding.
  
• Visibly brand your content thoroughly so Amazon easily recognizes your intellectual property with elements like:
  
  • Logos, brand colors, and unique design elements in infographics and product images.
  • Fill all content infographic and bullet description slots in your listing and utilize A+ Content, Brand Stories, or Storefronts to increase legitimacy.
  • Include high-quality lifestyle imagery with clearly visible branded packaging or brand-use scenarios.
• Set internal SOPs for content production and distribution that make it easy to catch when corners are being cut, and make sure your brand is brand-registered and brand-gated if applicable.
• Contact a third-party partner, like Vorys, that specializes in brand control across marketplaces to effectively handle when your brand terms are being violated.

Don’t Let Brand Control Issues Derail Your Prime Day

Brand control isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s vital for long-term success on Amazon. Ignoring the signs of unauthorized selling or price suppression can lead to significant revenue loss and even account issues. Especially during high-traffic periods like Prime Day, the impact of these problems multiplies.

Your risk grows as your brand grows. That means constant vigilance and structured auditing are key. Only once you know the scope of your vulnerabilities can you decide whether to escalate to professional help, like a trusted partner or legal support such as Vorys, who can help enforce Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies or remove unauthorized sellers through proper channels.

Stay proactive. Stay protected. And make sure Prime Day drives growth, not setbacks.

Amazon Prime Day Advertising Checklist

Looking for an extra perspective as you finalize Summer Prime Day Ad campaigns? This checklist offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to help brands maximize their advertising impact before, during, and after Amazon Prime Day. From listing optimization and inventory planning to real-time budget adjustments and post-event retargeting, it covers all critical areas to drive visibility, sales, and long-term brand growth. Check out our full Amazon Advertising Strategy article for a deep dive on how to prepare your Summer Prime Day campaigns.

1. Preparation (2–4 Weeks Before Prime Day)

• Audit and optimize product listings 
• Set advertising budgets 
• Plan bidding strategy

2. Inventory and Fulfillment

• Forecast demand based on past Prime Day data 
• Restock high-interest and top-performing items 
• Confirm FBA or third-party logistics readiness 
• Monitor Buy Box eligibility 

3. Campaign Launch (2–3 Weeks Before Prime Day) 

• Launch Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display campaigns early 
• Build brand awareness and traffic momentum 
• Use Store Spotlight or custom landing pages for easier navigation 

4. Prime Day Advertising Tactics 

• Utilize Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display
• Use Amazon DSP (if available) for broader audience targeting 
• Activate Prime Exclusive Discounts, Coupons, or Lightning Deals 
• Ensure deal badges are live  

5. Real-Time Monitoring (During Prime Day) 

• Monitor campaign performance throughout the event 
• Shift budget to high-performing ads and SKUs 
• Pause underperforming campaigns promptly 
• Adjust keyword bids in real time based on performance 

6. Post-Prime Day Retargeting 

• Retarget shoppers who viewed but didn’t purchase 
• Run follow-up campaigns using Sponsored Display or DSP 
• Offer bundle discounts or limited-time follow-up deals 

7. Measurement and Optimization 

• Analyze TACOS, ROAS, CVR, CTR, CPA and Active Bid Hours 
• Review performance by ad type and keyword 
• Evaluate new-to-brand customer acquisition