Amazon is increasingly using stricter methods to verify sellers before they can sell on its platform as part of its efforts to thwart counterfeiters. It also has hired a team of former federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and others in its efforts to protect brands, according to a new report it published today
In its Brand Protection Report, Amazon explained its seller-verification efforts:
“We continued to scale in-person verification and by the end of the year, 100% of new sellers were required to pass this verification if they wanted to sell in our stores for the U.S. (Amazon.com), U.K., Canada, EU member countries, Japan, and several other countries.
“We stopped over 2.5 million attempts to create new selling accounts before they were able to publish a single product for sale, a decrease from over 6 million attempts the prior year. Our robust seller vetting and our efforts to hold bad actors accountable are deterring bad actors from attempting to enter our store.”
Amazon revealed that in 2021, its Brand Registry program grew to include over 700,000 active brands, an increase of 40% from the prior year. “At the same time, the average number of valid notices of infringement submitted by a brand in Brand Registry decreased by 25% from the prior year.”
Amazon also described its Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), created in 2020 made up of former law enforcement officials who work with current law enforcement agencies, including customs agencies.
“CCU has disrupted counterfeiters and their networks through civil suits, along with joint enforcement actions and seizures with law enforcement worldwide, including against suppliers, logistics providers, social media influencers, and fake invoice providers,” Amazon wrote in today’s report.
Amazon said its brand protection strategy focused on three pillars: proactive controls, powerful tools for brands, and holding counterfeiters accountable – you can access the report on this page of Amazon’s website.
This is good because it provides a sense of security to the customers that we are buying in a legit store. Also, it actually helps the branding of Amazon and their credibility.