Amazon product authenticity and quality

Ensuring product authenticity and quality

Customers trust that they can always buy with confidence on Amazon. As a seller, it's important to understand Amazon's guidelines on product quality and authenticity.

Reviewing and complying with the guidelines below will help you keep your account in good health. For more information, see:

• Products and Listings
• Condition Guidelines
• Preventing product condition issues

Please take a moment to learn about what constitutes intellectual property law and review our guidelines below.

Examples of intellectual property rights

Trademarks

A trademark is a word, symbol or design or a combination of same (such as a brand name or logo) that an entity uses to identify its goods or services and to distinguish them from other entities’ goods and services. Put another way, a trademark indicates the source of goods or services as well as goodwill. Generally, trademark laws exist to prevent customer confusion about the source of goods or services.

What types of trademarks are displayed on Amazon?

Trademarks are often displayed on Amazon’s product detail pages in the form of product, logo and brand names listed on a product detail page. For example, the trademark “Adidas” appears in the brand name or “byline” portion of the product detail page shown below. The “Adidas” trademark also appears in the product name portion of the product detail page (“Adidas Men’s Adispree 2.0 M Running Shoes and Handbags”).

Copyright

A copyright protects original works of authorship, such as videos, movies, songs, books, musicals, video games, paintings, etc. Generally, copyright law is meant to incentivize the creation of original works of authorship for the benefit of the public. To receive copyright protection, a work of authorship must be created by an author and must have some amount of creativity. If you are the author of an original work, then you typically own the copyright in that work.

How do I know if I own the copyright for one or more of the images I am using on the detail page?

A person who authors an original work usually owns the copyright for that work. If you take a photo of your product, you generally have copyright protection in the photo you took and you can use that photo on your product detail page to sell that product. However, if you find a photo on someone else’s website, you should not upload that photo to a product detail page without the other person’s permission.

Example: The owner of the Adidas brand took the photos of the shoes and Handbags shown below and owns the copyright in the images of the shoes and Handbags. If a seller were to copy these images to sell their product on another product detail page, that seller could be violating the rights owner’s copyright in the images of the shoes and Handbags.

Types of violations

Amazon enforces sellers who violate our selling policies. Violations related to product authenticity are categorised as intellectual property violations. Issues with the overall product quality, including products that do not match their descriptions, can be categorised as product condition violations.

• Intellectual property violation:

  Amazon respects the intellectual property rights of others. As a seller, you are responsible for ensuring that the products you sell on Amazon comply with all applicable laws and regulations, are authorised for sale or re-sale and that they do not violate intellectual property rights such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, and rights of publicity.

  One must also ensure that products being sold in the marketplace have legitimate and verifiable invoices, unless the seller is the brand owner or a manufacturer.

  Examples of intellectual property violations:

  • Selling your own product that looks identical to a trademarked product without the authorisation of the trademark owner (also known as "counterfeiting")
  • Using another party’s copyrighted content on the packaging of your product or in the product detail page without the copyright owner’s authorisation
  • Listing another brand’s product under your own brand name without authorisation documents to prove it

  To learn more about intellectual property violations, see Amazon's Intellectual Property Policy.

• Product condition violations:

  The product you list and ship must exactly match the description, pictures and all other information on the product detail page. Items must be delivered to the buyer in the condition described on the product detail page without any damage or defects.

  Examples of product condition violations include:

  • Shipping a product that is listed in “New” condition but arrives used, opened or with minor damage or imperfections. Products listed in “New” condition are expected to arrive in brand new, unopened condition with no signs of damage or wear. Customers may perceive an item as used if the product has been opened, contains previous user data or shows other signs of use such as physical imperfections (e.g., scratches or scuffs). For more information on how to assign the correct condition to your product, see Amazon’s Condition guidelines.

    

  • Shipping a product that does not match the description on the product detail page. This includes differences in colour, pattern, texture, size and quantity or shipping the wrong item entirely. The product’s language, country version, model or edition must match the description on the page.

    AD: purple Calla Lily Bouquet V. Reality: pink Calla Lily Bouquet

    

  • Shipping a product that is damaged, defective, misclassified, misrepresented or missing any of its parts. This includes products that do not function as stated on the Product Detail page or do not meet reasonable expectations of how the product should function.

    

  • Shipping a product that is past its expiration date or will be past its expiration date by the time it is received by the customer. This includes shipping products without adequate time for the customer to use the product before it expires.

  Review and update your listings to confirm your products are accurately described.

  Learn more about Prohibited seller activities and actions.

Enforcement

Based on the severity of a policy violation, Amazon may take the following actions:

• Remove your listings
• Limit, suspend or block your ability to list and sell
• Remove or dispose of your FBA inventory
• Withhold your payments as per applicable laws

Additionally, we have implemented listing restrictions for certain brands, ASINs, and categories. Approval is required to list under brands, ASINs or categories with listing restrictions.

Best Practices in Product Authenticity and Quality

All Amazon sellers are responsible for complying with the law along with Amazon’s policies. Customers trust that they can buy with confidence on Amazon and receive authentic products that arrive in the condition advertised. In order to ensure that both sellers and customers have the best experience, below are some tips that sellers might find helpful when listing products on Amazon.

Sourcing Products

Are you purchasing your products from a reliable source?

Know your supplier. Reduce the risk of complaints by researching the manufacturers, resellers and suppliers from whom you purchase goods.

Are you confident in the authenticity and quality of your goods?

Verify the authenticity of the products you source. Take time to check the products you source before you sell them to ensure that the product and all associated parts work as expected and are free of any damage. If you sell branded products on Amazon, ensure that you source the product(s) from a reliable supplier.

Are you storing documentation for all of your purchases?

Keep all documents and records of transactions, such as POs and invoices establishing that you sourced products from reliable suppliers.

Have you considered possible safety concerns with your products?

Verify that the products you sell are safe. Take time to research whether there are any safety testing or compliance requirements for the products you sell.

Learn more about Amazon’s Anti-counterfeiting Policy.

Listing Products

Are you listing your products correctly?

When you are offering a branded product that is already listed, make sure you list it under the corresponding ASIN. If your product is generic, do not list the product under a branded ASIN. Offering a product on an ASIN communicates to customers that you are offering that specific item with those specific characteristics. If you are selling a product that has additional listing qualifications, you will be required to apply to sell those products through Seller Central.

When listing a product with a specific version or language, make sure you list it under the correct ASIN.

Are you describing your products accurately?

When selling generic products that are compatible with a branded product, make sure it is clear that your generic item is not a product of that brand.

Clearly state whether your products are new, used or refurbished and list your products under the most appropriate Amazon category.

Provide detailed and accurate information about the product you are selling, including information such as product language, country version, or edition, where applicable.

For more information about listing your products, review our Products and Listings page, Listing Quality page, and Condition Guidelines page.

Storing and Shipping

Have you considered the unique features of your products?

Store your products according to their unique features. Thoughtfully storing your products will help you preserve the integrity of your products and their packaging. Some goods will need to be preserved in a particular manner to maintain their freshness. Remember to check the expiration date on your products. Amazon considers a best-by or sell-by date the equivalent of an expiration date If you use the Fulfilled by Amazon services, we will mark any expired items as unsellable.

Pack products carefully and include all parts of the product. Buyers expect to receive products in their original packaging and in the condition listed. If you purchased your inventory in bulk and the items are unpackaged, be sure to inform customers of this.

If you are sourcing from other parts of the world and/or shipping globally, make sure that your products will properly function and comply with all applicable laws in the country where you are selling them.

See more on Fulfilled by Amazon.

For additional information, see Amazon’s policies and agreements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I check to see if I have a product authenticity complaint?

You can check your Account Health in Amazon Seller Central under the tab “Product Authenticity Customer Complaints”.We may also send you an email if Amazon has concerns about your listings.

What should I do if my listing(s) has been removed or my account has been suspended due to product authenticity or product condition complaints?

If your listings are removed, your account has been suspended or your ability to list new products has been removed, we will notify you via email. We may ask you to submit invoices from your supplier or provide your supplier’s contact information. We may also ask for a plan of action that describes steps you took to resolve the issue and prevent similar future complaints or an authorisation letter from the manufacturer. You can submit the documents through the Account Health dashboard or via email.

For additional information, see:

Appeal the restriction or removal of selling privileges

Create a plan of action to reinstate selling privileges

Amazon Anti-Counterfeiting Policy

Policies and Agreements