Seller Support

Agents in Amazon Brand Registry should tread carefully

December 18, 2020 Leave a Comment

Don’t file IP complaints if your seller account will benefit

By: Lesley Hensell

Third-party sellers who have close relationships with brands may be putting themselves at risk, if they are using Amazon Brand Registry in a way that Amazon doesn’t like, causing them to file an infringement report.

A recent review of Amazon’s Code of Conduct for sellers reveals this tidbit: Filing Infringement Reports as an Agent or Brand Protection Agency

Amazon understands that many brands may choose to have brand protection agencies or agents report intellectual property infringement on their behalf and accepts submissions from authorized agents.

However, Amazon does not permit individuals with active selling accounts to file infringement notices as an agent of a brand when the filing of those notices could benefit their own selling account (through removing competing listings, for example). Any sellers filing notices as an agent to benefit their own status as a seller may have their selling account terminated.

This is one of those easy-to-overlook bits and pieces of policy that can go completely unnoticed. It also attempts to draw a bright line in situations where sellers may be doing absolutely nothing wrong – but Amazon doesn’t care.

So what’s going on here?

In some cases, brand owners choose a third-party seller as their preferred reseller on Amazon.com. These brand owners may not want to be involved in the day-to-day mechanics of selling on the platform. They simply want a familiar storefront they trust to be the face of their products on Amazon.

Brand owners have ownership of their Amazon Brand Registry, but they can allow others to act as “agents.” These agents can take actions such as editing listings, uploading photos, and reporting counterfeiters and other infringers.

Amazon has decided that it’s fine to use an agent to report intellectual property violations – such as those for counterfeit, trademark, copyright and patent. But the reporting party cannot be a third-party seller who is also selling on the ASIN in question.

Wow, that’s confusing

Frankly, this makes little to no sense. Why?

Well, in many cases, brand owners big and small also sell their own products on Amazon.com. They use brand registry to manage their listings and report infringers.

So Amazon has decided that a brand owner who sells on a specific ASIN can report infringers on that ASIN. But third-party sellers who are trusted agents of the brand cannot. In the end, the effect is the exact same.

I can hazard one guess as to this hazy enforcement decision. If a brand files false infringement reports, the brand can lose its selling privileges (if it’s also a third-party seller) or its brand registry privileges. Perhaps Amazon doesn’t have an adequate enforcement mechanism to specifically punish an agent that goes rogue and files false reports.

Yet, if that agent is a third-party seller, wouldn’t it be easy enough to suspend their account? Inquiring minds want to know.

Where do we go from here?

If you represent a brand on Amazon and manage their ABR as an agent, you have a few options:

When you spot infringers on the brand’s listings, report it to the brand. They can report it from there.
Hire an agency or law firm to file your ABR infringement reports. If they are also an agent on ABR, Amazon will not know the genesis of the reports about infringement.
Most importantly, only file genuine infringement reports. ABR is not a cudgel to be used for mass actions against competing sellers. It should only be used to knock others off of listings in true cases of infringement. Do test buys. Research. Inspect the products you receive. Be responsible. Brand Registry is not there to limit competition or distribution. It’s there to keep bad actors off of your listings.

Have questions? Ask Riverbend Consulting or give us a call! 877-289-1017

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm's client services team. She has personally helped hundreds of third-party sellers get their accounts and ASINs back up and running. Lesley leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. She has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade, thanks to her boys (18 and 13) who do most of the heavy lifting.

When to know you are being hooked by a phisher and how you can get free.

November 16, 2020 Leave a Comment

Not-so-Fresh Phish: How to Avoid Seller Scams

By: Adam Hoagland

In this digital age, account hacking and information phishing are regular concerns and annoyances like robot calls.

But this doesn’t mean they are always obvious to spot.

Here’s some tips on what to look for and what actions to take with Amazon related phishing.

The Phishing For Account Info Scams

Phishing is a term used when a scammer sends fake email ID posing as Amazon and tries to acquire the personal details from you.

First, they send an email containing links to the seller and when clicked the links will redirect to a whole new space which will ask for your account credentials and credit card information.

Recently Amazon has introduced a two-step verification code to circumvent the increase of phishing scams.

Amazon will never send you an unsolicited message that asks you to provide sensitive personal information like your social security number, tax ID, bank account number, credit card information, ID questions like your mother’s maiden name or your password.

Amazon will never ask you to make a payment outside of the website and will never ask you for remote access to your device.

How to Keep Your Account Safe

Keep Your Selling Account Credentials Safe:

It may seem obvious, but NEVER share your bank or seller account information with anyone.

Even if someone allegedly calls you telling that they are an Amazon representative and asks you to log in with the code they provide, NEVER do it.

While Amazon may reach out via phone for some issues, they will never request this kind of information.

Turn On 2-Step Verification:

This is the best way to protect your account and the process is simple too.

A seller can sign into their account only via a two-step verification code which will be a random six-digit number. This code is usually sent from Google Authenticator to your smartphones, Amazon’s registered phone number and Amazon’s registered mail ID.

If you have not enabled it yet, do it now.

Always check the URLs and email IDs:

It is very essential that you understand the difference between a genuine and fake email ID.

Emails you receive from Amazon will always end with @amazon.com. Don’t believe any other email IDs.

Some of the fake email IDs used as follows:

amazon-security@hotmail.com
sellers-performance@payment-amazon.com
amazon-seller-payments@msn.com

Stay Sharp to Save Time and Money:

If you stay proactive and take proper steps to protect your banking information, account details and your products, then you might not even face such situations. But still, if you are targeted, you know what to do (and what not to).

Consider changing the e-mail address associated with your seller account so that phishers can’t use this e-mail address to contact you.

For example, if your seller account uses myinfo@myisp.com, consider using a new or different e-mail, such as changedinfo@myisp.com, for your contact information.

Do not use the same e-mail address as your sign in as you do for your customer contacts.

For example, if you use myname@myisp.com as your sign in account, consider using an e-mail address such as info@myisp.com for your notification or contact e-mail address.

Identifying false (spoofed) e-mails:

You might receive emails from Amazon, such as Sold, Ship Now emails or Technical Notification emails. However, sometimes you might receive emails that are not really from Amazon, even if at first glance they may appear to be. Instead, such emails are falsified and attempt to convince you to reveal sensitive account information.

Review the email for grammatical or typographical errors: Watch for poor grammar or typographical errors. Many phishing emails are translated from other languages or are sent without being proof-read.
Check the return address: Genuine emails from Amazon always will come from an address ending in “@amazon.com.” Check the email’s header information. If the “received from,” “reply to,” or “return path” for the email does not come from “@amazon.com,” it is not from Amazon. Most email programs let you examine the source of the email. The method you use to check the header information varies depending upon the email program you use. The following are some examples of fraudulent return addresses:
- - seller-performance@payments-amazon.com
  - amazon-security@hotmail.com
  - amazon-payments@msn.com
Check the website address: Some phishers set up spoofed websites that contain the word “amazon” somewhere in the URL. Genuine Amazon websites always end with “.amazon.com”, “amazonsellerservices.com” or “sellercentral.amazon.com.” We will never use a combination such as “security-amazon.com” or “amazon.com.biz.”

If you are unsure, go directly to Amazon or the Seller Central website:

Some phishing emails include a link that looks as though it will take you to your Amazon account, but it is really a shortened link to a completely different website. If you hover over the link with your mouse when viewing the message in your email client, you often can see the underlying false website address, either as a pop-up or as information in the browser status bar.

Note: The hover technique can be fooled. If you do click on a link, always look at the URL in your browser when the page opens.

The best way to ensure that you do not respond to a phishing email is to always go directly to your seller account to review or make any changes to the account.

When in doubt, do not click on a link in an email.

Do not unsubscribe:

Never follow instructions contained in a forged email that claim to provide a method for unsubscribing.

Many spammers use these unsubscribe processes to create a list of valid, working email addresses.

Help stop phishers and spoofers:

You can make a difference.

Amazon has filed several lawsuits against phishers and spoofers. These lawsuits began with sellers alerting Amazon to suspicious emails. As part of their ongoing commitment to stop spoofing, you can help them investigate spoofed emails. Send them the original spoofed email, with the complete header information, using their report phishing form.

To locate the header information, configure your email program to show All Headers. (This varies, depending on the email program you use.)

The headers we need are well labeled and will look similar to this example:

X-Sender: someone@domain.com
X-Sender-IP: [10.1.2.3]
X-Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 21:02:08 +0000 (UTC)
X-Recipient: you@domain.com
X-OUID: 1

To report a phishing or spoofed email or webpage:

Open a new email and attach the email you suspect is fake. For suspicious webpages, copy & paste the link into the email body.

If you can’t send the email as an attachment, forward it. Send the email to stop-spoofing@amazon.com

Note: Sending the suspicious email as an attachment is the best way for Amazon to track it.

Note: Amazon can’t respond personally when you report a suspicious correspondence to stop-spoofing@amazon.com, but you may receive an automatic confirmation. If you have security concerns about your account, please contact Amazon.

Suspicious Phone Calls or Text Messages

Report any suspicious phone call or text message to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). To report a phone call or text message visit ftc.gov/complaint and follow the onscreen assistant.

If you have any questions about these suspicious emails or anything else regarding your Amazon account give Riverbend a call! (877) 289-1017

Adam provides analytical support for both our Riverbend clients and team to best asses and assist with plans of action, reports and overall best practices on Amazon. Adam has three years of Seller Support experience as an associate, lead and trainer. He has specialized in day-to-day operations, catalog inquiries, state and federal tax reviews, feeds, escalations, gating, and assisted with brand registry items. His down time is spent with his two cats and spouse enjoying streaming, gaming, pub crawls and house parties with friends.

The big question: Amazon gift cards

October 28, 2020 Leave a Comment

Discounted gift cards – even legitimate ones – are risky business

By: Lesley Hensell

Discounted gift cards. What’s not to like?

Everything. Because if you’re relying on discounted gift cards to buy your Amazon inventory you can find yourself in a risky situation. In this article we will discuss what is making discounted gift cards such a risky way to buy your inventory.

What makes gift cards risky

Discounted gift cards can come with lots of risks:

Gift cards could be used for money laundering. Which makes them unappealing to Amazon.
Sites can offer cards from members of the public. However, there is no way to ensure the validity of these cards, nor their provenance.
Products that are bought with gift cards rather than a bank card or credit card, the seller cannot give proof of purchase.

Operate like a legitimate business

If you’re addicted to this habit, stop for a moment and think about how large businesses operate.

They pay invoices using debit or credit cards, checks and wire transfers. They do not get inventory using discounted gift cards bought from strangers online.

Amazon doesn’t exist to allow wheeler-dealers to flip stuff. They want third-party sellers to operate like legitimate businesses. With excellent record-keeping, reasonable standards for invoices, payments, and bank accounts.

However it is equally dangerous for third-party sellers to purchase them with a buyer account that is potentially linked to their seller account.

Amazon’s risk management operations see this as a risky behavior that can be related to fraud or, worse, money laundering.

A better way to play with margins

So, instead of risking a seller account for a 2% or 3% discount, look for other ways to game the system and enjoy your selling account. Perhaps the best of these options is to purchase inventory with a debit card or credit card that offers rewards. Some business accounts provide 1% or more cash back. Others offer points for travel rewards, merchandise and more.

In conclusion

Purchasing discounted gift card may sound like a great way to save money. But they really can damage your credibility with Amazon!

Keep you account healthy. Need help? Ask Riverbend Consulting. or give us a call! 877-289-1017

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She has personally helped hundreds of third-party sellers get their accounts and ASINs back up and running. Lesley leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. She has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade, thanks to her boys (18 and 12) who do most of the heavy lifting.

Product Bundling 101 for the holidays

October 28, 2020 Leave a Comment

Product Bundling might just save you this holiday season

By: Matt Nasatasi

In my experience, it’s in a Seller’s best interest to have a wide and diverse slate of product offerings on Amazon and other online platforms. Not everyone is so fortunate as to be the exclusive source for the hot new “It” product that sells thousands of units a week.

This task can feel daunting in the crowded sea of online sales. Even if your company offers something highly desirable to the purchasing public. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before your product listing becomes lost among dozens of other listings for the same or similar items.

And that takes a little creativity.

Prepping for your Product Bundle strategy.

One strategy that the savviest Sellers have found successful is Product Bundling.

Bundling is the practice of grouping several different items together and selling them as a single unit in a single package.

Bundling products for sale on Amazon is a fantastic way to generate some activity around your products. By grouping them in creative ways you are able to capture more views and more sales.

It’s always important to know the rules of the road before starting a new adventure. Be sure to check out Amazon’s Product Bundling Policy before attempting this strategy.

Without further ado, here is some “Bundling 101” information we hope you find helpful!

What makes a good Bundle?

Whether you are selling products you made, have under your own brand, or selling unbranded merchandise you got from other sources, the key to making a good bundle is to think about the many ways your products could complement each other:

Functionality

Think about how your customers will be using your product. Try to group them with other products that complement that use.

If your products play together, they can sell together:

Garden tools, knee pads, and a floppy hat
Scarves, hats, and gloves
Face cleanser, moisturizer, and a soft face cloth
You get the idea…

Many Products Need Accessories

Bundling commonly used accessories with your main product can entice Buyers by being a convenient time- and thought-saver. Helping you to sell through otherwise hard-to-move unbranded inventory.

Make your phones more attractive to Buyers by bundling them with a case and charger!
Up the enticement of your mixing bowls by bundling them with a whisk and a frosting spatula!
And never underestimate the convenience of bundling HDMI cables with a TV, laptop, or other A/V electronics.

Bundle Naming: Group Thematically-similar Items to Make a “Kit”

This can be especially helpful to differentiate your common items from the majority of similar listings.

Do you have a pallet of clip-on book lights to move? Bundle yours with a neck pillow and a glow-in-the-dark bookmark, and your “Night-time Reading Kit” is now something special!
Do you sell wireless keyboards? Bundle one with a wireless mouse and a wireless headset -you’ve just made a “Working From Home Essentials Kit!”

Add More Variety: Bundle Kits by Styles and Colors – items that look great together sell well together.

Bundle your items with functional or thematic accessories that have the same color or print or are made of the same material.

Anyone who wears make-up uses a make-up light, make-up cases, and a ton of brushes, sponges, curlers and such. These are all readily available from any number of sources as separate items.

However your “Make-up Enthusiast’s Kit” in Black, Leopard, or Glittery Purple is as fun as it is convenient for the Buyer, allowing them to choose something special that appeals to their individual taste and expression.

Bundling Dos and Don’ts

DO – Protect Your Listing with Unique Identifiers –
- Unbranded products grouped and sold together are a unique item that you have created. Keep them unique and prevent other Sellers from listing them by purchasing UPC, EAN, or other Global Shipment Identification Numbers (GSINs).
  - Pro-tip – EANs can be purchased by the thousand for pennies each (costing significantly less than UPCs), and Amazon accepts them as unique identifiers!
DON’T – Use Bundles to Get Around Amazon’s Product Restrictions –
- Some products cannot be sold unless you are an “Authorized Seller” of the brand. Nike brand products come to mind. Other products are in “gated categories” that require you to apply for permission to sell within them. Apparel is a good example. Still other products are not allowed to be sold at all due to regulations.
- For example, no products containing pseudoephedrine can be sold on Amazon, nor can e-cigarettes.
  - Do not include these kinds of products in your bundles. It’s a fast way to come up against enforcement. And it could include the removal of your permission to sell on the platform. You don’t need that kind of interruption. Avoid using Bundles as a way to get around gating or other restrictions.
DO – Use Brand Registry for Bundles Bearing Your Brand
- Package your bundles with unique packaging that bears your brand name. Assign a UPC or EAN that you have purchased to each type of bundle, and your bundles are now distinct branded products.
- This will allow you to register your bundles with Amazon’s Brand Registry and should enable you to get your own detail page. If other sellers try to sell their products on the page for your product, you can report those sellers for listing their products on the wrong page. Your detail page isn’t just for any items – it’s for a YouBrand Bundle that is in the Brand Registry!
DON’T – Break Up Other Brands’ Bundles for Your Bundles
- Products that are sold in multi-packs are often labeled with some notification that the products should not be sold individually. Whether it’s chewing gum, bars of soap, or spark plugs – if packaging states “Not for Individual Sale” or something similar, don’t include one in your bundles (unless you’re including the whole multi-pack with the original packaging).
- Breaking up a 24-pack of bars of soap to include one in your “Bath-time Bundle” isn’t okay. Each item in a bundle should be intended for individual sale.

Bundling can be a big win on online marketplaces.

Grouping your items together in creative ways can bring a fantastic boost to your products’ visibility and sell-through rate. Buyers are always on the lookout for a deal, and the ease and convenience of getting multiple items for a single price can be very enticing to many customers.

A well-constructed bundle will spur customers to purchase your items rather than taking additional time to search for numerous items individually.

A well-named bundle can separate your products from the pack, so get creative.

A well-packaged bundle with your own branding will add visibility to your business, and may result in additional sales in the future.

Also, please check out a recent interview we did with Kristin Ostrander of MommyIncome! Click HERE.

Good luck in the upcoming Holiday Season – and Happy Selling!

Have questions about bundling? Let us help! Contact Riverbend Consulting today. (877)289-1017

Matt spent 20+ years building processes for Amazon’s Seller Support and Customer Service departments. Founding manager of Executive Seller Relations, Matt drove hundreds of policy and process changes for Sellers through his Seller Experience Deep Dive and Seller Trust programs for Amazon executives, exposing members of Amazon’s senior management to the challenges of life as an Amazon Seller. In his off hours, enjoys being a grandpa to his seven grandchildren. Matt is an avid reader and has provided coaching and first-draft feedback to authors. He also is a dedicated MMO gamer and guild leader with his wife, Veronica.

Amazon buy box wins are game changers: But how do you win?

October 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

Here are the key steps in making sure you are eligible

By: Adam Hoagland

The Amazon Buy Box is one of the most coveted digital treasures on the internet and there are real reasons why. As a seller on Amazon, the goal is getting your products to your customers as easily and quickly as possible and the Buy Box is key for this. Over 80% of Amazon sales are derived from Buy Box usage and even higher for mobile purchases. It takes good prices and solid metrics to win and maintain. And that is a gift that requires constant attention.

What is the buy box?

The Buy Box refers to the box on the right side of the Amazon product detail page, where buyers can add items with One Click or Add to Cart. This usually contains one of the best prices with great shipping and trustworthy sellers.

Not all sellers or specific inventory are eligible to win the Buy Box.

How do I win the buy box?

Now this is where it can get tricky. Amazon has kept the algorithm of the Buy Box so secret, only a very small handful of people inside Amazon know how it works. Most likely, Jeff doesn’t even know how it works!

But there are some key steps in making sure you are eligible for it:

You must have a Professional Seller Account.
You must be on the platform for some time. Best estimations show at least 3 months selling to build up metrics and propagate your information through the system.
You must be selling the item in the ‘New’ condition. Used items are always found in the “See More Buying Options” page.
Keep your price competitive. No one wants to buy an item with a huge mark-up.
Keep your stock available. Sounds like a no brainer, but you can lose the Buy Box, albeit temporarily, if you available for purchase drops too low. You can lose it before hitting 0 quantity.
Keep your Seller metrics as perfect as possible.
- Your Order Defect Rate and Shipping Metrics are some of the most influential to your account as a whole and to your eligibility.
- Feedback rating is also very important. No one wants to quickly purchase from a 3-star seller.
- Cancellation and Refund rate as well. Amazon needs to trust that you will treat the buyer as well as they do.
- Customer response time. You need to make sure buyer-seller messages are addressed quickly and professionally
Sell FBA. Since Amazon can control the shipping timeline and have more quality control, the listing is considered more favorable.
If not FBA, keep your pre-shipping handling times low and provide fast and inexpensive shipping. Seller Fulfilled Prime is very useful here.
If a product or category is saturated, try to find products with less sellers, or, even better, list a new product! If you have your own private brand, Amazon’s Brand Registry program can provide more control and assistance with these items.

How to check buy box eligibility

Click on the Inventory tab in Amazon Seller Central and select Manage Inventory.
Click on the Preferences tab.
In the Column Display section, click the box for Buy Box Eligible.
(Optional) Click the box for Buy Box Price to see the current winning price.
Select Show When Available from the drop-down menu.
Look at the Buy Box Eligible column for a particular SKU. If the seller is eligible, it will say yes.

Note: You may see some listings as eligible to win the Buy Box for some products but not for others. And the yes is no guarantee that you will win.

Conclusion

While the Buy Box is not a requirement to sell on the platform, it can be the make it or break it for some sellers. Amazon has become the main online shopping platform in the US with 4 out of every 10 dollars spent online is on Amazon. (Forbes)

So make sure you have your inventory planning, pricing, and customer service system in place and ready to go as soon as you join Amazon world.

If you need any assistance with your inventory planning, or anything else give Riverbend a call! (877) 289-1017

Don’t file IP complaints if your seller account will benefit

By: Lesley Hensell

So what’s going on here?

Wow, that’s confusing

Where do we go from here?

Not-so-Fresh Phish: How to Avoid Seller Scams

By: Adam Hoagland

The Phishing For Account Info Scams

How to Keep Your Account Safe

Keep Your Selling Account Credentials Safe:

Turn On 2-Step Verification:

Always check the URLs and email IDs:

Stay Sharp to Save Time and Money:

Identifying false (spoofed) e-mails:

Do not unsubscribe:

Help stop phishers and spoofers:

To report a phishing or spoofed email or webpage:

Suspicious Phone Calls or Text Messages

Discounted gift cards – even legitimate ones – are risky business

By: Lesley Hensell

What makes gift cards risky

Operate like a legitimate business

A better way to play with margins

In conclusion

Product Bundling might just save you this holiday season

By: Matt Nasatasi

Prepping for your Product Bundle strategy.

What makes a good Bundle?

Functionality

Many Products Need Accessories

Bundle Naming: Group Thematically-similar Items to Make a “Kit”

Add More Variety: Bundle Kits by Styles and Colors – items that look great together sell well together.

Bundling Dos and Don’ts

Bundling can be a big win on online marketplaces.

Here are the key steps in making sure you are eligible

By: Adam Hoagland

What is the buy box?

How do I win the buy box?

But there are some key steps in making sure you are eligible for it:

How to check buy box eligibility

Conclusion

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