The last thing you need after spending a lot of time and money to launch a product on Amazon is for someone to come along and sell a cheap knockoff of your product and hijack your listing. There are steps you can take to keep anyone from hijacking your Amazon page, as well as steps you can take to stop highjackers on Amazon.
Though I believe that conducting a competitive analysis before entering any company or selecting any product to sell on Amazon is critical, it is not prudent to be concerned about the ever-present yet ambiguous threat of competitive “hijackers.
In this article, I’ll go into what Amazon hijackers do and how you can defend yourself and intervene if this happens to you.
What is a hijacker?
Another Amazon seller who has listed their product under your listing is known as a hijacker or piggybacker. Hijackers can be found by going to your listing and looking for the section where it shows other purchase options.
A hijacker would most likely try to market a counterfeit version of your product by duplicating the packaging. Occasionally, the final product will be completely different from yours.
The problem with hijackers is that they usually list their goods for a lower price, essentially stealing your buy package. This means that your listing will no longer generate any sales.
The problem is made worse by the fact that not only are you losing sales to the hijacker’s offering, but it is also typically of lower quality, causing unhappy consumers to leave negative reviews under your page.
This is why you must take action to eliminate hijackers from your Amazon page as soon as they appear.
How to prevent a hijacker
Unfortunately, online hijackers, like traditional home burglars, are often cunning and have honed their ability to gain access to someone else’s house. But, just as installing a protection device in your home would make you less likely to be a target, following the advice below will make it more difficult to hijack your listing.
- Before placing an order, distinguish the product or packaging.
It might be too late for you now, but if you’re considering starting a business on Amazon or adding another product to an existing listing, consider how your product will stand out from the turn-key items on the market.
If you’re buying a product that’s easily available to someone else trying to sell it, hijackers can easily replicate it with a cheaper version. So think of a way to spice up your item by including an accessory or bundling it with other pieces.
If you can’t differentiate your product, think about how you can differentiate your packaging. Rather than using a traditional poly wrap or polybags, make the packaging exclusive to your company, making it more difficult for hijackers to imitate. This would also make it easier for consumers to tell the difference between your genuine product and imitations.
- Register the company’s name as a trademark.
Just because you come up with a new brand name doesn’t mean Amazon would remember it as yours. It is incredibly beneficial to have your brand name licensed as a legitimate trademark to protect your products and your listing.
Ensure that your trademarked brand is registered with Amazon.
The fact that you’ve registered your brand with Amazon doesn’t mean that other sellers won’t be able to sell your stuff. It does, however, accomplish an incredibly important task: your product listing knowledge is now locked exclusively to your brand, making hijacking and changing the content of your listing even more difficult.
- Screenshots of your Amazon listing page
Having recorded pictures of your Amazon listing will help prove that you are the listing’s original owner, and it will be useful in showing Amazon how the page might look after the hijacking situation has been resolved.
- Make a website with your brand name in the address bar.
You do not believe you need a website at this time, but having a website domain associated with your brand can assist Amazon in determining that you are the brand behind the product. According to James Thompson, the previously described former Amazon employee, you can create a page on your website where you can list items and their SKUs. You can also use the same copywriting as you used on your Amazon page here. This may be additional proof that the product is, in fact, yours. And if you are unable to sell via the website, when Amazon sees the product SKUs on your own branded site, they will be able to assist you in resolving the issue.
- Amazon’s Uncomplicated Packaging
Frustration-Free Packaging is a special packaging certification offered by Amazon for sellers. The certification’s primary goal is to reduce the use of surplus materials and increase the use of recyclable materials in product packaging, according to Amazon. Amazon can stamp the packaging with its official certification stamp after a vendor has completed the process. While Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging serves its purposes, it can be a useful difference in your packaging that hijackers would find difficult to mimic.
After a hijacking experience, contact Amazon
If you’ve gone beyond the point of protecting your site and discovered it’s been hacked, you can contact Amazon right away.
Due to language barriers, some Amazon sellers have discovered that making phone calls can be difficult at times. Send an email if this has happened in the past.
Take the time when writing your email and be as detailed as possible in describing what happened. Give any relevant dates (when you first started selling, when you first realized something was wrong, etc.), and be sure to include any clear proof you have.
Screenshots, customer images, email correspondence with the alleged hijackers – everything that can aid the customer service representative in performing their duties effectively and efficiently.
If you prefer, you can call us right after you send the text. Both can be beneficial in bringing the situation to a satisfactory end.
Being in touch with the hijackers
If you’ve figured out who’s behind your hijacking and have their contact details, don’t be afraid to give them an email or a text. This correspondence should have a formal tone and should not include any exaggerated threats. Keep a copy of your history, and make a note of when you submitted the correspondence.
A legitimate “cease” form letter is available on many websites. If you want to sound more formal and official, customize these models to suit your needs and send them by mail if at all possible.
This type of correspondence has always put a stop to the hijackers’ operation right away, but even if it doesn’t, it’s nice to have a copy on hand in case Amazon needs assistance.
Being in touch with a customer who has bought a counterfeit product.
Frequently, Amazon sellers learn about their hijacking situation from a negative customer review. Unknowingly, the consumer believes they were duped into purchasing a subpar product. You mustn’t simply let the customer leave without resolving the issue.
Respond as soon as possible to the customer’s review and inform them of the situation. Buyers aren’t necessarily thinking about the ins and outs of Amazon selling, so explain it in clear terms. Also, request that they give you their contact information via your company account, and offer to send a genuine product at no additional cost.
When you’ve given the customer a replacement, follow up with them after it’s been shipped and see if they like the new product. At that point, you can also request that their analysis be updated to represent the reality of the situation. You can’t make a customer change their mind, but most people will understand your situation.
Conclusion
Hijackers are a pain in the neck that can seriously harm your Amazon company. It’s never too early to begin safeguarding yourself and devising a current plan to address this potential issue. Nobody claims that removing an Amazon hijacker is easy, but using all of the tools mentioned in this article will make it a lot easier.