Registration Guides
Reviewed by MoxMark IP Operations
Guidance is checked against official filing sources and the practical trademark workflows MoxMark handles for e-commerce brands.
Official references
Amazon listing hijackers are unauthorized third-party sellers who add themselves to an existing product listing and offer counterfeit, inferior, or unauthorized products under the original brand's name. As of 2026, hijacking remains one of the most disruptive brand protection issues for Amazon sellers, capable of undermining sales velocity, damaging brand reputation, and generating negative reviews that affect the entire listing's performance. This guide covers how trademark rights create the legal and platform-level basis for removing hijackers, and the step-by-step process for acting on that basis effectively.
Key Takeaways
An Amazon listing hijacker is a third-party seller who attaches their offer to a brand owner's existing product listing without authorization. Because Amazon's catalog architecture allows multiple sellers to list against the same product detail page, any seller can in theory add an offer to any listing in a matching product category. Hijackers exploit this structure by offering what is presented as the same product—often at a lower price—but which is in fact a counterfeit, a materially different product, or a product purchased through gray market channels and resold without authorization.
The harm from hijacking is compounded because the hijacker's offer competes for the Buy Box on the same page that the brand owner has invested in building, photographing, and optimizing. When the hijacker wins the Buy Box, customers who intended to buy the authentic product receive the hijacker's version, generating returns, negative reviews, and support contacts that damage the listing's overall performance metrics.
The Amazon Brand Registry requirements that must be met before enforcement tools become available make trademark registration the earliest and most consequential step a seller can take to prepare for this situation.
Trademark rights create the legal foundation for every effective hijacker removal mechanism on Amazon and off it. Without a registered trademark, a seller's options for removing a hijacker through Amazon's platform tools are limited to generic seller support contacts and product condition complaints—neither of which addresses the brand infringement dimension of the hijacking behavior.
With a registered trademark and Brand Registry enrollment, the brand owner can assert that a hijacker using the brand name is engaging in trademark infringement—not merely an unauthorized reseller. This distinction matters because Amazon treats trademark infringement complaints differently from standard listing policy complaints. Trademark-based reports through the Report a Violation tool trigger a dedicated review process and are eligible for proactive brand protection responses including automated removal.
A registered trademark also provides the legal standing to send a cease and desist communication to the hijacker directly, establishing a documented record that the infringement was identified, the rights holder acted, and the infringer was on notice—records that matter in any subsequent escalation.
Before taking enforcement action, confirm the hijacking and document it thoroughly. Visit the product detail page and navigate to the "Other Sellers on Amazon" section to see all offers attached to the listing. Capture the following information:
The hijacker's seller name and seller profile URL, the price at which they are offering the product, the fulfilled by method (FBA or FBM), the condition listed (New or Used), and screenshots of the full listing with the offer section visible and a timestamp visible in the browser. If possible, purchase one unit from the hijacker to document the product received as evidence of counterfeiting or material difference from the authentic product.
This documentation is used in Report a Violation submissions, cease and desist communications, and any subsequent Amazon or legal escalation. Taking action without documentation means starting later enforcement steps without a usable evidence base.
For sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, the Report a Violation (RAV) tool is the first platform-level enforcement step. RAV submissions are reviewed by Amazon's enforcement team rather than by standard seller support, and trademark-based complaints through RAV are the appropriate mechanism for hijacker removal.
To submit a RAV complaint, navigate to Brand Registry at brandregistry.amazon.com and access the Report a Violation section. Search for the hijacking offer using the ASIN or the specific listing URL. Select "Trademark" as the type of IP right being infringed, enter the trademark registration or application number and the relevant IP office, and describe the specific infringement, identifying the hijacker's offer as an unauthorized use of the registered trademark to sell counterfeit or unauthorized products.
Amazon reviews RAV submissions and removes listings or seller offers that are confirmed as infringing. Response times vary—simple, clearly documented cases involving an obvious counterfeit offer are often resolved within a few business days. Cases that require Amazon to investigate the product authenticity or the seller's authorization status may take longer.
Parallel to the RAV submission, sending a cease and desist communication to the hijacker directly can produce faster removal in many cases. Hijackers who receive a formal legal notice often remove their listing voluntarily before Amazon completes its internal review, avoiding a formal enforcement record that could affect their seller account.
The cease and desist can be sent through Amazon's buyer-seller messaging system by placing an order from the hijacker (a small or low-cost purchase to avoid significant spend) and then sending a legal notice through the order messaging thread. This is one of the few ways to contact a specific Amazon seller directly when their business contact information is not publicly available.
The message should be structured as a formal legal notice: identify the trademark registration (number, office, date), state that the seller's offer is an unauthorized use of the registered trademark, demand removal of the offer within a specific timeframe (typically 48 to 72 hours), and identify the consequences of non-compliance including further Amazon complaints and legal action. The message should be professional, factual, and free of threats beyond legitimate legal consequences.
Keep a copy of the message and note whether and when a response is received. Ignoring a cease and desist is common but not universal—many hijackers remove their offer promptly when presented with a legitimate trademark notice.
If RAV submissions and cease and desist communication do not result in removal, Brand Registry provides escalation pathways. Brand owners can submit a brand infringement escalation through the Brand Registry support system, referencing the earlier RAV submission, the cease and desist sent, and the continuing presence of the infringing offer.
Brand Registry escalations that include evidence of prior enforcement attempts—documented RAV submissions, copies of cease and desist messages, purchase receipts showing the inauthentic product received—are handled by a specialized team and produce faster outcomes than first-contact reports.
For brand owners dealing with persistent or high-volume hijacking, Amazon's Project Zero program offers a more direct removal mechanism. Project Zero allows enrolled brand owners to remove infringing product listings directly without waiting for Amazon to complete its review. Project Zero eligibility requires an active Brand Registry enrollment, a full trademark registration (not just a pending application), and a track record of accurate infringement reporting through RAV.
Amazon's Transparency program is a serialization-based product authentication system that prevents any unauthorized seller from fulfilling a unit of an enrolled product through Amazon's FBA network. Each enrolled product unit is labeled with a unique Transparency code that must be scanned and verified before the unit can be shipped. Sellers who do not have verified Transparency codes cannot fulfill units of enrolled products.
Transparency enrollment effectively closes the FBA channel to hijackers for enrolled products. It requires applying Transparency codes to every unit of enrolled products before they enter Amazon's fulfillment network, which adds a physical labeling step to the manufacturing or packing process.
Transparency is particularly effective for products that experience repeated hijacking because it removes the FBA pathway that many hijackers rely on. However, it does not address FBM hijackers, and the labeling requirement adds cost and process complexity that needs to be factored into the product unit economics.
Preventing hijacking is easier than removing an established hijacker, and several structural steps reduce the initial vulnerability of a brand owner's listings.
Enrolling in Brand Registry as soon as a trademark application is filed reduces the window during which enforcement tools are unavailable. Using Amazon's enhanced brand content features (A+ Content, Amazon Stores) creates listing differentiation that makes hijacker offers more visually obvious to customers comparing options.
Setting up trademark monitoring that covers Amazon's marketplace in addition to official trademark databases detects new seller activity on brand listings before it generates significant sales or reviews. Monitoring the "Other Sellers" section of high-performing listings as a routine operational check provides early warning of new hijacking attempts before they gain traction.
MoxMark handles US trademark registration with transparent pricing and direct USPTO database access, giving you the credential needed for Brand Registry enrollment and full hijacker enforcement capability.
View US Trademark Registration Pricing
Q: How long does it take Amazon to remove a listing hijacker after a Report a Violation submission?
A: Amazon's review timeline for RAV submissions varies. Clearly documented trademark infringement cases involving obvious counterfeit offers are often resolved within 2 to 5 business days. Cases requiring investigation of the seller's authorization status or product authenticity may take longer. Including thorough documentation in the initial RAV submission typically produces faster outcomes than submitting a minimal report and waiting for Amazon to request additional information.
Q: Can I remove a hijacker without a registered trademark?
A: Without a registered trademark, the trademark-based infringement pathway through Report a Violation is not available. Sellers can still report hijackers through product condition complaints or general seller support, but these channels address listing policy violations rather than IP infringement and are generally less effective for removing counterfeit sellers. Trademark registration is the most reliable foundation for hijacker enforcement.
Q: What is the difference between a hijacker and an authorized reseller?
A: An authorized reseller has permission from the brand owner to sell the brand's products on Amazon. A hijacker does not have this authorization and is typically selling counterfeit products or products obtained through unauthorized channels. The brand owner's records of their authorized distribution agreements are relevant evidence when challenging a seller who claims to be an authorized reseller.
Q: Does Amazon Transparency stop all hijackers?
A: Transparency prevents unauthorized sellers from fulfilling units of enrolled products through Amazon's FBA network, because each unit must have a verified Transparency code to be shipped. However, Transparency does not block FBM (fulfilled by merchant) hijackers who ship directly from their own inventory. FBM hijackers are still addressed through RAV reports and cease and desist communications.
Q: Should I purchase from the hijacker to document the counterfeit product?
A: Purchasing a unit from the hijacker can provide direct evidence of counterfeiting—a physical product that differs materially from the authentic product, bearing the brand's trademark without authorization. This evidence strengthens RAV submissions and any subsequent legal action. The purchase should be documented with screenshots of the order, the seller information, the product received, and the discrepancies between the hijacker's product and the authentic product.
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