If you’re selling on Amazon, you already know how competitive the marketplace can be. Sellers work hard to build a trusted brand, invest in marketing, and create an excellent customer experience. However, there’s an ongoing threat that frustrates thousands of sellers—hijackers. These are unauthorized sellers who jump onto your listing and sell counterfeit, low-quality, or unrelated versions of your product. Knowing how to remove hijackers from your Amazon listing is critical to protecting your business, your brand, and your hard-earned profits.
What Exactly Are Amazon Hijackers?
Amazon hijackers are sellers who copy your product listing, piggyback on your ASIN, and attempt to sell under your brand name without permission. In most cases, they list cheaper, fake, or knock-off versions of your product. This creates a ripple effect of problems:
- Loss of the Buy Box to hijackers
- Decline in sales and revenue
- Customer complaints and negative reviews (from receiving fake products)
- Potential long-term damage to your brand reputation
That’s why every seller must learn how to remove hijackers from the listing before the damage becomes irreversible.
Step 1: Confirm the Hijacker
The first step is to verify that someone else is indeed selling under your listing. Go to the “Other Sellers on Amazon” section on your product page and check if there are unfamiliar names. If you find sellers that you haven’t authorized, they’re likely hijackers. Sometimes they may even undercut your price to win the Buy Box.
Step 2: Buy a Sample Product
To gather evidence, purchase the product from the hijacker. This will give you proof if the product differs from your original in terms of packaging, quality, or branding. This step is important if you plan to escalate the case with Amazon.
Step 3: Send a Cease-and-Desist Letter
Often, a strongly worded cease-and-desist message can push hijackers off your listing. Reach out to them through Amazon’s buyer-seller messaging system. Be professional yet firm—state that they’re violating your intellectual property rights and must stop immediately. While this doesn’t always work, it’s a quick step to try before involving Amazon.
Step 4: Report the Infringement to Amazon
If hijackers refuse to back off, the next step is to report them. Use Amazon’s “Report Infringement” tool through Seller Central. Upload any proof you have, such as the counterfeit product purchased, photos showing differences, or trademark documentation if you have brand protection.
This is where knowing how to escalate matters makes a big difference. Amazon doesn’t always act immediately unless you provide clear evidence. That’s why having trademarks registered and brand protection in place is highly recommended.
Step 5: Register with Amazon Brand Registry
If you haven’t already, enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry is one of the strongest safeguards against hijackers. It allows you to protect your brand name and intellectual property more effectively. With Brand Registry, Amazon takes your infringement complaints more seriously and often removes hijackers faster.
Step 6: Strengthen Your Listings
Hijackers often target weak or generic listings. Strengthening your product listing can make it harder for hijackers to succeed. Add:
- High-quality product photos with your branding visible
- Strong, keyword-rich descriptions that clearly define your product
- Branded packaging images
- Unique product identifiers like logos, trademarks, and watermarks
This ensures that your genuine product is easily distinguishable from fake versions.
Step 7: Seek Professional Help
Sometimes, despite your efforts, hijackers remain persistent. In such cases, seeking expert assistance is the smartest move. Professionals who specialize in Amazon brand protection know the ins and outs of how to communicate with Amazon, what evidence to present, and how to get quicker resolutions.
Platforms like Seller Pickle help sellers remove hijackers efficiently. They understand the frustration of losing sales and reputation to unauthorized sellers, and their team works to reinstate your brand’s control over listings.
Why It’s Important to Act Quickly
The longer hijackers remain on your listing, the more damage they can cause. Fake products can lead to negative reviews that stay on your listing even after the hijacker is gone. Customers may lose trust in your brand, thinking you’re selling poor-quality products. Acting quickly minimizes financial loss and protects your reputation.
Final Thoughts
Amazon is an incredible marketplace, but it’s also full of challenges. Hijackers are one of the toughest problems sellers face, but with the right strategy, you can win back control. Whether it’s sending a cease-and-desist letter, filing an infringement complaint, or working with professionals, it’s crucial to know how to remove hijackers from your Amazon listing before the situation gets out of hand.
By learning how to remove hijacker Amazon threats and building proactive defenses like Brand Registry, you safeguard not just your sales but your brand’s future. Remember—every seller deserves to thrive without the interference of counterfeiters. If you’re struggling, expert services like Seller Pickle can give you the support you need to remove hijackers on Amazon and focus on what matters most: growing your business.
