Breaking News – Amazon Suspends Listings Due to Brand Name Mismatch

To prevent the same product from appearing multiple times and diminishing the customer experience, Amazon uses product matching to find and eliminate duplicate listings. Amazon is verifying brand name and UPC authenticity by checking the GS1 database. Information that does not match the GS1 database is being considered invalid, and those listings may be suspended.

July 28, 2021 - By HINGE COMMERCE

Amazon is suspending listings if the UPC doesn’t match the brand name in GS1. If the UPC or brand name does not match what is in GS1, you should log into your GS1 account and request to update your GTIN prefix ownership information.

This change will give more control to brand owners and distributors/third-party sellers with agent access to the brand registry. By forcing all sellers to use the GS1 Brand UPCs, Amazon is giving the brand owners the authority over these listings from the brand standpoint, helping to clean up the marketplace so that someone doesn’t create an orphaned listing to win the buy box. This change will also help clean up storefronts.

Given the stricter enforcement of this policy, thousands of listings are being suspended by Amazon. This is not only affecting Seller Central accounts, but also Vendor Central accounts. To get ahead of the situation, please see the documentation you will need to provide Amazon for the different circumstances, depending on how you sell.

The following information is provided by Amazon:

SELLER CENTRAL:

If you are the owner of the brand you are selling, please provide:

A copy of the certificate issued to you by GS1 showing your legal entity and associated GTIN prefix(s).
Proof that the legal entity on this certificate is related to your brand, such as a trademark registration or website which displays your products or brand and its relationship with the UPC/EAN owner. Amazon only considers official websites owned by the brand, manufacturer, or the UPC/EAN owner – the affiliation should be clearly called out.

If you are not the owner of the brand, please provide:

A copy of a letter or legal agreement from the manufacturer, or brand, stating that the GTIN you are using to list this product is valid and owned by them, or that you are allowed to use your own GTIN to sell unique products with their brand. If you are using your own GTIN, the letter should establish that there is a relationship between the legal entity associated with your prefix and the brand. The email or letter must also include the point of contact at the brand or manufacturer that Amazon can contact to verify, this can be found in the footer of the email or indicated in the text.
If you are using your own GTIN to sell unique products with their brand, please provide a copy of the certificate issued to you by GS1 showing your legal entity and associated GTIN prefix(s).

VENDOR CENTRAL:

If your listing is suspended, Amazon’s system could not find a match between the value entered and the brand you selected. Make sure that you’re using the appropriate value (UPC, EAN, or GTIN). If correct, submit a “Contact Us” to Amazon. You will need to provide proof of affiliation between the company the External ID is registered to and the brand you selected (e.g. license agreement).

Please reach out to the experts at HINGE COMMERCE to help you navigate these and similar listing challenges. We can also help you reinstate your listings, or set up your brand registry if you are the brand owner. If you are not the brand owner, please contact the brand owner to request agent access.