Most Amazon Private Label sellers have heard the term “product hijacking,” but what does it mean and how does it happen? On this episode of The Amazing Seller you’re going to get the full story of this underhanded practice and come to understand why people do it, what they’re trying to gain, how it happens, and most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself. And you’re going to hear it all from a previous Amazon employee who dealt with these kinds of issues in his responsibilities with Amazon.
 
What does it mean for your product to be hijacked?
 
Your product listing can be hijacked when another Amazon seller comes onto the listing and claims that they are selling an identical product as yours, but really are not. They will send in their products to Amazon, begin changing details on your listing, maybe even the pictures, and in time, will completely take over the listing and rob you of your sales. In this episode you’re going to learn how to setup your listings and your brand in a way that will make the likelihood of someone hijacking it much less, and will set you up for greater security in your Amazon business.
 
What steps should you take if your listing is hijacked?
 
Scott’s guest, a previous Amazon employee named James, shares a number of simple, common sense steps to take if your product listing becomes hijacked. Many of the steps work best if you’ve kept accurate records of the process and details you went through as you set up your product. On this episode you’ll learn what those steps are, why they are important, and how you can prepare for the day your listing may be hijacked. This is powerful information, and you’ll only hear it on this episode of The Amazing Seller.
 
Why getting your brand into Amazon’s brand registry is vitally important.
 
Amazon’s brand registry is the company’s way of identifying brands and linking them to their own products within the Amazon catalogue. Private Label sellers who are serious about getting their product listings the fullest amount of protection from hijackers need to make sure that their brand and each of their product listings are submitted to the Brand Registry. In this episode an Amazon specialist is going to tell you how to do that, step by step.
How to prove that an imitation of your product is not the real thing.
 
Most product listing hijackers take over a listing in order to sell their product that is similar to the one originally on the listing. If your listing is hijacked, you’ll need to be able to prove that the product being represented in the hijacked listing is not your product. There are some simple but very effective things you can do to customize your product and packaging that makes it a slam dunk to prove that a product is or is not yours. On this episode Scott’s guest, a former Amazon employee, is going to give you those simple things so you can protect your brand from hijackings.
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OUTLINE OF THIS INTERVIEW EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER
 

[0:05] Scott’s introduction of this episode.
[1:15] The Facebook page keeps growing. Join the community.
[3:30] Get your free private label course.
[5:31] James’ previous roles with Amazon.
[8:06] What does it mean for your product listing to be hijacked?
[11:19] How can someone change a listing you created?
[13:29] What happens to people caught hijacking listings.
[13:54] What is the first thing to do for your brand? Get a Trade Mark.
[15:54] What the brand registry really does for you.
[19:21] Should the trade mark be done just to test out a product?
[20:33] A very simple thing you can do to register your brand.
[24:49] What is required to register a brand?
[27:04] A simple breakdown of steps you can take.
[30:30] What to do if your product is hijacked.
[33:48] Ways to keep records in case you ever need to take back a hijacked page.
[35:00] The best ways to approach seller support: email ticket, then a phone call.
[38:09] The difference between a hijack and a counterfeit product and what to do for a counterfeit.