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Seller Central
What to do if your Amazon listing gets hijacked?
What is Amazon listing hijacking?
Amazon listing hijacking occurs when other sellers post their products under your listing. These sellers, known as hijackers or piggybackers, can usually be found under the section titled “Other sellers on Amazon” on your product page.
A hijacker will likely try to sell a counterfeit version of your product sourced elsewhere. Sometimes, the product may be entirely different from yours, which can harm your product reviews and reputation.
Another issue with hijackers is that they typically sell at a lower price, stealing your buy box and affecting your sales. Worse, if a hijacker controls the buy box for too long, they may be able to alter your listing, including the product images, causing further damage.
Why do hijackers hijack listings?
It's easier for them! As a seller, you know how much effort goes into building a listing:
Product research
Keyword research
Listing creation (fully optimized)
Photos
Sourcing the product
Hijackers bypass all this hard work by sourcing a cheaper product similar to yours and piggybacking on your established listing.
What to do when your listing is hijacked
Step 1: Check if your listing is hijacked
If you notice other offers under “Other sellers on Amazon,” don’t panic. Verify if it's a hijacker or just a reseller.
Resellers: People who bought your product and are reselling it are not hijackers. They are legitimate sellers who own your product.
Amazon Warehouse: Sometimes, returned products in sellable condition are listed by Amazon Warehouse. This is also not hijacking.
If these situations apply, you don’t need to take further action.
Step 2: Send a cease and desist letter
The quickest way to deal with a hijacker is by sending them a cease and desist letter. Though hijackers might ignore it, it's worth trying first.
How to send a cease and desist letter:
Go to the hijacker's page by clicking their username on your listing.
Select Ask a question from the top-right corner.
From the dropdown menu, select An item for sale.
Choose Question about a product from the options.
Enter your cease and desist letter in the text box.
Click Submit.
Step 3: Win the buy box
If a hijacker wins the buy box for too long, they can gain more control over your listing. To prevent this, adjust your price to win back the buy box, even if it means lowering it temporarily. While this may reduce your profit, it's a necessary step.
If your product is out of stock (OOS), restock as quickly as possible, or list your product under FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) to regain the buy box.
Step 4: Check the hijacker’s inventory
If the hijacker only has a small number of units, it might not be worth aggressively pursuing them.
You can check their inventory using the 999 method:
Add the hijacker’s product to your cart.
Click the Cart button.
In the quantity dropdown, select 10+.
Enter 999 as the quantity and click Update.
Amazon will show you how many units the hijacker has left.
Step 5: Test buy and report to Amazon
If you suspect the product is counterfeit, do a test buy to gather evidence for Amazon. This might be best to do before sending a cease and desist letter to avoid alerting the hijacker.
Once you receive the product:
Take photos of your original product, including logos and packaging.
Compare these with the hijacker’s product, taking similar photos.
Document the differences between the two products.
You can then report the hijacker using Amazon’s Report Infringement form. Provide:
The hijacker’s store name
The ASIN of the hijacked listing
The order ID of your test buy
Photos of both products and an explanation of the differences
A description of how the hijacker’s actions could negatively impact the customer experience
Amazon typically acts within 48 hours and removes the hijacker.
Advanced methods to remove a hijacker
1) Purchase all the hijacker’s inventory (nuclear option)
You can force the hijacker out by buying all their stock. This comes with some financial risk, but you can always return the items later.
This action prevents the hijacker from selling on your listing, allows for a test buy, and sends a strong message.
2) Delete and relist your listing (nuclear option)
If your listing has been hijacked and the images have been changed, you can delete and relist your product. Here's how:
Go to Manage Inventory, find your listing, and click Delete product and listing.
Wait 24 hours for the backend data to clear.
Relist the product with the correct images, bullet points, and SKU via bulk listing uploads.
By following these steps, you can effectively tackle Amazon listing hijacking and protect your business from hijackers.
