Getting their listing hijacked is every seller’s worst nightmare. After spending hours on, research, design, sourcing, negotiation, and manufacture of your product, you finally start making good sales.

Suddenly, out of the blue, a sham seller emerges that is selling an identical and possibly inferior version of your product. What’s worse, the seller has even taken over the “buy box”. Thus, plummeting your rating, and leaving you with angry customers who believe they truly bought your product. How do you stop this kind of unfortunate from happening? How do you stop a listing hijacked if it has happened already?

A hijack is the term used when a seller takes over your listing hijacked by presenting an identical product to steal your sales. Sometimes it’s just a cheap knockoff of the original product, while at other times it is your exact product being sold.

If you manufacture your products in Asia – China specifically, then there is a chance that your hijacker is probably connected to your supplier. So how do you manufacture in China without getting your listing hijacked by a supplier?

Make It Difficult For Potential Hijacker To Follow Your Production Line

If you are really interested in keeping your listing off limits to hijackers, then keeping this is a task of utmost importance. You want to be really discreet with your FNSKU labels, and not have them flying all over the place. In fact, never let a factory know you intend selling the product on Amazon (or any e-commerce). If it is possible, make them believe you’ll be selling at a physical store.

The whole reason for the deception, is that it is incredibly easy for anyone to hop online and start selling your products, but people are more likely to leave you alone if they don’t know you are selling your products online.

Try Creating Unique Combinations or Packages of Products

The idea with creating a unique package or product combos, is to have an extra addition to your product that would make it difficult for a potential hijacker to replicate. For example, if your product is a garlic press, you could bundle it with a velvet garlic clove pouch.

Obviously, the two items will be made by different manufacturers, thus reducing the probability of you having your listing hijacked. A potential hijacker would have to go through difficult logistics problems to successfully clone your product combination. If your packaging is done by an external prep company, it becomes even better.

Have a Brand and International Trademark

Having a registered brand and logo that is visible in your product photos, will make it more difficult for hijackers to pass off their cheap knockoffs as yours. A brand helps your products to be immediately recognizable to users.

If your brand is registered with Amazon Brand Registry, you can easily petition Amazon to take down counterfeits. Also having internationally registered trademarks, both in the country you produce your goods and where you sell them can scare away potential hijackers. Hijackers are less likely to bother people who have legal backing, for fear of litigation.

Try Doing Your Packaging and Prep with a Local Prep and Ship Company.

The idea is not to let your factory know what your finished product looks like, you do this by shipping your products out of the factory and inspect, prep and ship from another location. You can employ the services of sourcing companies to label and box your products, away from prying eyes.

Using a local prep and ship agent is usually cheaper too, because of the low overhead costs and the volume they handle in China. It also gives you full quality control over your product, avoids bad reviews, and helps keep both your listing and private label effort firmly in your hands.

Consider Signing NNN (Chinese NDA) Agreement with Your Partners

Signing an NNN agreement before starting work with your intending partners, can help prevent highjacks. The contract prevents them from using your intellectual property for themselves, sharing it with others, or circumventing your partnership to sell extra units on their own. This ensures that they maintain the confidentiality of your brand. It is also best to the NNN through your local agent as your it will ensure that the supplier will follow your agreement to the letter.

Dealing with an Already Listing Hijacked

If your product listing hijacked has already been compromised, here some actions you can take to get back your listing:

Lower your Listing Price

This is the first thing you should do in the event of a hijacking. Dropping your listing may hurt your profits, but it enables you to get back your buy box and prevent bad reviews and ratings.

Send a Warning to the Offending Seller

Send a well worded message to the seller, warning him to take down the listing. Inform them that you will take action and report them if they do not comply.

Have a Friend Buy the Counterfeit Product

If the seller is proving adamant, have a friend buy his product and file an A – Z complaint to Amazon. Report that the product is fake and fraudulent.

Having a friend order the product also gives you a chance to see the product and compare with yours, to determine if your supplier might be responsible for the highjack.

If you suspect that your supplier is likely responsible for the highjack, do not confront them directly. They will likely feign ignorance if you do. Rather, start sourcing for another supplier to manufacture your product. All the while taking it cool, this is because you don’t want to pull out from a supplier until you are sure you have another supplier, that can manufacture your product to your standards and specifications.

Finally, having your listing hijacked cannot be prevented 100%, but having these measures in place can help keep it to the barest minimum.

Guangzhou Agent is a sourcing and quality control company located in the heart of the industrial hub of China. We offer private label manufacturing in China for online sellers as well as providing sourcing, quality control, prep and ship services. listing hijacked

If you want a professional to handle your business, or you would like to know more about manufacturing and shipping from China, feel free to contact us at:

info@guangzhouagent.com