Amazon is moving my products to other Branded Stores
Hi,
- I am a long time seller on Amazon and I manage a client and I am the only seller of their products on Amazon. Around 8 years ago, before Brand Registry, I created all of their product pages for them, assigned their products legitimate UPC codes, but not GS-1 Codes. Nobody even discussed this back then. I have been happily growing their brand for the last 8 years to their delight and mine.
- About 2 weeks ago, one of my ASINS went inactive and low and behold, it was assigned to a Branded Lighting Store. (I am in the Grocery Category). After a couple of email and proving that all of the reviews ect. were food products, the product was switched back....UNTIL Today....it switched back to the lighting store. The product images are still all mine, the product description is all mine, but clicking on the brand name takes you into a light store.
- Yesterday, 2 more of my ASINS were hijacked and assigned to a different brand ....this time a crystal figurine store. Again....I am in the Grocery Category. Again My products on the page, my product review, just in the wrong store.
- Today I reviewed all of my ASINS to find another ASIN reassigned to yet a 3rd brand.....this time a whatnot assorted type store. Again...my product reviews and all mine, but in the wrong store.
- I have never seen anything like this in all my years on Amazon.
My client completed Brand Registry about 1.5 years ago, but didn't ever set up a store. Currently we are working quickly toward setting up a store and GS-1 codes in the store. Not there yet, Probably after this Christmas. Finally here is my question....
I know my original Listings weren't GS-1 codes, but they are legitimate UPC codes that I have been successfully selling on for 8 years. How to I resolve this? At least long enough until the Actual Brand registry store is set up next year. Don't I still have some rights to get my product pages back. They certainly don't belong to these other brands, and they are probably as confused as I am.
Help anyone?
Amazon is moving my products to other Branded Stores
Hi,
- I am a long time seller on Amazon and I manage a client and I am the only seller of their products on Amazon. Around 8 years ago, before Brand Registry, I created all of their product pages for them, assigned their products legitimate UPC codes, but not GS-1 Codes. Nobody even discussed this back then. I have been happily growing their brand for the last 8 years to their delight and mine.
- About 2 weeks ago, one of my ASINS went inactive and low and behold, it was assigned to a Branded Lighting Store. (I am in the Grocery Category). After a couple of email and proving that all of the reviews ect. were food products, the product was switched back....UNTIL Today....it switched back to the lighting store. The product images are still all mine, the product description is all mine, but clicking on the brand name takes you into a light store.
- Yesterday, 2 more of my ASINS were hijacked and assigned to a different brand ....this time a crystal figurine store. Again....I am in the Grocery Category. Again My products on the page, my product review, just in the wrong store.
- Today I reviewed all of my ASINS to find another ASIN reassigned to yet a 3rd brand.....this time a whatnot assorted type store. Again...my product reviews and all mine, but in the wrong store.
- I have never seen anything like this in all my years on Amazon.
My client completed Brand Registry about 1.5 years ago, but didn't ever set up a store. Currently we are working quickly toward setting up a store and GS-1 codes in the store. Not there yet, Probably after this Christmas. Finally here is my question....
I know my original Listings weren't GS-1 codes, but they are legitimate UPC codes that I have been successfully selling on for 8 years. How to I resolve this? At least long enough until the Actual Brand registry store is set up next year. Don't I still have some rights to get my product pages back. They certainly don't belong to these other brands, and they are probably as confused as I am.
Help anyone?
5 replies
Michelle_Amazon
Hello @Seller_YunKOBrYj8sxY,
Michelle at Amazon here. I am sorry to hear that your listings are being taken over by other sellers. Brand Registry is your ultimate protection to getting this resolved, so the sooner that you can get your products into the program, the better.
Can you please send me over the cases that you have on this issue? You will need a case for each/all of the ASIN's that are effected.
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Regards,
Michelle
Seller_6gxmduAZ4G44b
Hello, you have been a victim of Brand Hijacking.
1st. a seller who is selling low quality sub par products contracts the black hat Amazon Vendor Central account holder who has the ability to CHANGE BRANDS.
2nd. the black hat Amazon Vendor Central account holder changes your brand to a different brand.
I see for example that one of your products was changed from the brand "Mascot" to the brand UUC
https://www.amazon.com/Mascot-Chocolate-covered-Georgia-Pecans/dp/B076TKDXZ3
It is Amazon Choice and it has lots of awesome reviews!!!
That is why it was brand changed so it's reviews can be ultimately hijacked....
So I used my brand registry to search on brand UUC and found LOT OF OTHER BRANDS hijacked where the original brand was changed to UUC and title overwritten to 'MICROFIBER CLOTH"
3rd. The Black hat brand UUC obviously sells Microfiber Cloths and now that the brands of other products were overwritten to UUC, it will be able to add those unrelated products, including yours, as VARIATION of Color or Size to their Products branded UUC and
HIJACK ALL THE REVIEWS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE UNRELATED ITEMS.
This is an OLD VULNERABILITY IN AMAZON CATALOG, dating to 2016 or earlier where Vendor Central account can overwrite brand, title, description, bullet points on any other products. It does not matter if the product is brand registry or not. Vendor Central can change brand with click of a button.
Once the brand is changed, such ASIN can be added as variation to the hijacker's brand to hijack all the reviews the victim asin earned.
That is called Brand Hijacking->Review Hijacking.
If Amazon did not allow Vendor Central Accounts change the brand, most of the Brand Hijacking/Review Hijacking would not exist.
For some reason, Amazon is aware of this vulnerability for years but has not plugged this security hole.
Thus Brand Hijacking / Review Hijacking became a favorite way for certain sellers to launch new products.
Amazon Algo heavily favors products that have lots of reviews, those products get elevated in Search Results, Awarded Amazon Badges, like Amazon Choice, etc.
Unfortunately, as long as Amazon allows Vendor Central Accounts to change a brand from one brand to another, the black hats will continue this havoc because the $$$ one can make with rogue Vendor Central Account is staggering. Last I have heard, the Vendor Central Accounts are being sold for 6 figures.
