If an unfamiliar seller shows up on your listing, check the offer count and who holds the Buy Box, then work out whether they’re a legitimate reseller of your genuine product or a hijacker selling fakes or something different. Do a test buy to get evidence, report counterfeit or trademark violations through Brand Registry’s Report a Violation tool, and prevent repeats with Brand Registry, distribution control and, if it fits your product, Amazon’s Transparency program.
If someone else is suddenly selling on your Amazon listing, first work out whether they’re a legitimate reseller of your genuine product or a hijacker selling counterfeits or something different. Check the offer count and who holds the Buy Box, do a test buy to get proof, then report violations through Brand Registry’s Report a Violation tool. Genuine resellers can’t be removed just for selling your product. Hijackers usually can.
This one hits small brands hard. A hijacker can take most of your sales within hours, and if they’re shipping junk, the bad reviews land on your listing, not theirs. Here’s how to spot it early and deal with it calmly.
How can I tell someone else is selling on my listing?
There are a few signals. Check them as a routine, not just when sales drop.
- The offer count on your detail page. Look for a line like “Other sellers on Amazon” or “New (3) from $19.99.” If you’re the only seller, you shouldn’t see other new offers.
- The Buy Box. Look at “Ships from” and “Sold by” next to the Add to Cart button. If it isn’t you, someone else has the featured offer.
- Your Featured Offer percentage. In Business Reports, the “Featured Offer (Buy Box) Percentage” column shows how often you held it. A drop from near 100% is a red flag.
- A sudden sales drop with no change in traffic. Sessions stay steady but your orders fall, because shoppers are buying from someone else.
- Odd new reviews complaining about quality, smell, fake packaging or a different item than pictured.
Check from a browser where you’re logged out of Seller Central, so you see what shoppers see.
Is it a hijacker or a legitimate reseller?
This distinction matters more than anything else in this guide. Under US law, someone who legitimately bought your genuine product can generally resell it. That includes a store that bought from your distributor or someone doing retail arbitrage. Amazon allows them to sell on your listing. Filing a counterfeit complaint against a genuine reseller is a false report, and it can hurt your standing with Amazon.
| Legitimate reseller | Hijacker | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Your genuine product, new and unaltered | Counterfeit, knockoff, used, or a different version |
| Price | Often close to yours | Often well below your cost to make it |
| Seller history | Established storefront, related products | Brand-new account, or a storefront of random items |
| Can you get them removed? | Generally no (control distribution instead) | Yes, with evidence |
A seller offering your product for less than it costs you to make is a strong hint something’s off. But hints aren’t evidence. That’s what the test buy is for.
How do I do a test buy?
- Before ordering, screenshot the listing showing the other seller’s offer, name, price and the date.
- Order one unit from that seller specifically. Use the “Other sellers” list to choose their offer rather than the Buy Box, in case the Buy Box changes.
- Keep the order ID. Amazon’s counterfeit reports may ask for it.
- When it arrives, photograph the outer box, shipping label, product packaging, labels, and any lot, batch or date codes.
- Compare it side by side with a unit from your own stock. Note every difference: materials, print quality, labels, inserts, weight.
- Keep the unit. Don’t use it or throw it away until the case is closed.
If the unit is genuinely yours, stop here. You have a reseller, not a hijacker. Skip to the prevention section below. If it’s fake or different, you now have what you need to report it.
How do I report a hijacker through Brand Registry?
If your brand is enrolled in Brand Registry, use the Report a Violation tool, found in Brand Registry under the brand protection section. It lets you search for the ASIN, select the offending offer and choose a report type. The common ones are counterfeit, trademark infringement, copyright and patent. Amazon’s exact menus change, so search Brand Registry help for “Report a Violation” if you can’t find it.
Tips for a report that gets acted on:
- Pick the right violation type. Counterfeit is for fake products bearing your trademark. Trademark infringement fits misuse of your brand name or logo. Choose the one your evidence supports.
- Include your test-buy order ID and describe the specific differences you found, with photos where the form allows.
- Be factual and brief. Say what you ordered, what arrived and how it differs.
- Report each offending seller separately if there are several.
- Follow up in the case if the offer is still live after a few days.
If you aren’t in Brand Registry, you can still use Amazon’s public intellectual property infringement form. Search Seller Central Help for “report infringement.” It works, but Brand Registry gives you more tools and more control over your detail page.
Should I message the other seller?
Sometimes a short, polite message makes a hijacker leave, especially opportunists who hope nobody’s watching. You can contact a seller through the “Ask a question” link on their storefront page.
Keep it factual. Something like: “You’re listing an offer on our brand’s ASIN. We’re the brand owner and have confirmed through a test buy that your product isn’t our genuine item. Please remove your offer. We’ve reported it to Amazon.” Don’t threaten legal action you don’t intend to take, don’t insult them, and don’t make claims you can’t prove. Amazon can see these messages.
Treat the message as optional. The report to Amazon is what actually gets the offer removed.
A worked example: what a hijacker costs
For example, say you sell a $25 product and make about $8 profit per unit after fees and landed cost. You normally sell 30 units a day. A hijacker lists at $17.99 and takes the Buy Box.
- If you lose most of your sales for 5 days, that’s roughly 150 units, or about $1,200 in lost profit.
- If your ads keep running, you’re paying for clicks that turn into the hijacker’s sales.
- If their product is fake, a few one-star reviews can drag down conversion for months after they’re gone.
That’s why speed matters. Catching it on day one instead of day five is the difference between a small annoyance and a bad month. Pause or cut ad spend on the affected ASIN while someone else holds the Buy Box.
How do I stop hijackers from coming back?
- Enroll in Brand Registry. It requires a registered or pending trademark, and it gives you Report a Violation, more control over your detail page and access to brand protection programs.
- Consider Transparency. Amazon’s Transparency program puts a unique code on every unit you make. Amazon checks codes before shipping, so units without a valid code can be blocked. It needs Brand Registry, a barcode like a UPC on the product and a way to apply codes to every unit, and there’s a per-code fee. Check current terms in Brand Registry before enrolling.
- Look into Project Zero if you qualify. It lets eligible brands remove counterfeit offers directly.
- Control your distribution. Most “hijackers” who sell genuine product got it from a wholesaler or distributor. Know who you sell to and set clear terms about Amazon.
- Make your product harder to copy. Distinctive packaging, printed branding on the product and bundles unique to your listing all help.
- Watch every day. Turn on Seller Central notifications for listing and offer changes, and check your Buy Box as part of a weekly routine at minimum.
- Keep your listing clean. Hijackers sometimes change listing details too. Know what your correct listing looks like, and fix issues quickly, as covered in how to fix a suppressed listing.
Shelfmate checks who holds the Buy Box on each of your listings and flags a new seller the morning they appear, as part of its listing health checks. It gives you the offer details for your test buy and report, and, with your OK, pauses ads on that ASIN until the Buy Box is yours again.
For short definitions of Buy Box, Brand Registry and hijacker, see the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove other sellers from my Amazon listing?
Not just because they’re on it. Anyone can sell genuine, new units of your product on your listing. You can report sellers offering counterfeit, trademark-infringing or materially different products, and Amazon removes those offers when the evidence supports it.
How do I know if another seller is a hijacker or a real reseller?
Do a test buy. Order from the other seller, then compare the packaging, labels, quality and any batch or lot codes with your own stock. If it’s your genuine product, they’re a reseller. If it’s different or fake, you have evidence for a report.
Do I need Brand Registry to report a hijacker?
Brand Registry gives you the Report a Violation tool, which is the most direct way to report counterfeits and trademark infringement. Without it, you can still report infringement through Amazon’s public infringement form, but you get fewer tools and less control over your detail page.
Why did I lose the Buy Box when no one else is selling?
Amazon can show no featured offer at all if your price looks high compared with other prices it sees, or if your offer has a delivery or account-performance problem. Check your price against your own website and other retailers, and check your stock and Account Health.