Amazon Seller Counterfeit War

https://awesomers.com/168 for full show notes: PODCAST SHOW NOTES - Counterfeit Crackdown on Amazon, eBay, and More... If you sell on Amazon with any degree of success you have experienced other sellers "hijacking" your listing. There are legitimate times where multiple sellers sell the same product, but if you are the inventor, brand owner, and single source for your own product line the legitimate reasons goes down by a factor of 100. Yes, for the less experienced sellers it is important to understand that people can purchase from you and resell your product. The so called "FIRST SALE DOCTRINE" allows anyone who buys your product to resell it without threat of copyright or other IP infringement. This applies to products you purchase too. So the retail arbitrage business is something that can not be stopped as long as there is an economic incentive AND as long as the goods being sold are authentic. But more importantly brand owners who do tons of giveaways and then are mad that those people who got the product for FREE are reselling it on their listing are experiencing an unintended consequence. Less reputable platforms that help drive brand awareness through discounts or rebates are driving good sellers crazy when they promote their brand only to have the lucky recipients of deeply discounted goods and even FREE products show up on Amazon and sell against then with, at times, ZERO cost of goods.  That's hard to compete with, but it is manageable to avoid those types of platforms or tactics that lead to the problem. A customer who purchased the product can also make a legitimate sale as long as they list the item properly. For example if they have opened it, they should not list it as NEW. Amazon warehouse deals can also list items that were lost and reimbursed to sellers, but later they were found, that is a legitimate type of listing that a seller may not like, but there is no recourse. The more disturbing issue is when you have a listing and sellers jump on your listing and offer to sell your brand and your product, despite the fact that it is NOT the same product. Those sellers are actively selling counterfeit products and engaging in fraud and deception. The problem is that the online platforms, up until now, have had little incentive to crackdown on those behaviors. Unlike Louis Vuitton or Cartier small brands don't have a budget to threaten Amazon or the sellers, instead we try to rely on brand registry which is purported to help resolve hijacking, but in reality it does very little to stop hijackers.   Part of the problem is that platforms like Amazon make it too easy for bad actors to spin up new seller accounts. They knowingly engage in black hat tactics using these disposable accounts without regard for the law or for consequences because they are largely based in China. Amazon also actively solicits China based sellers in spite of the facts about the risks. https://awesomers.com/168 for full show notes with much more detail.

Om Podcasten

If you are an Amazon seller, ecommerce entrepreneur, ebay seller or you want to learn how to sell online this Podcast is for YOU! What is an Awesomer? An Awesomer is someone who through a series of long-term actions and behaviors has demonstrated that they are not satisfied with normal. They are achievers to a penultimate degree in their own industry specialty or area of interest. There are no monetary criteria to be an Awesomer, in fact, many mega-wealthy people are not Awesomers. Some of them are Normies. Others are even Basics! Awesomers want to thrive; not just survive. Awesomers are trying to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. They are trying to make an impact, in whatever way they can, on the world. Many Amazon Sellers are awesomers. They took the Amazon FBA opportunity and they siezed the moment by taking action. If you are an Amazon Seller or interested in selling in eCommerce you should take a moment now and listen to all the Awesomer origin stories. Entrepreneurs solve problems in the world. They don’t create them. Awesomers are never done learning or improving. To become an Awesomer one must realize the journey to improve is perpetual. In other words, you don't arrive to the land of the Awesomer as a destination. Being an Awesomer means you are on the path of achievement for the sake of improving your life and those around you. Awesomers are 75% more likely to listen to educational or improvement podcasts.** What is a Normie? A Normie is someone who is stable and well established in life and ultimately is satisfied with the status quo. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to take risks. Normies are satisfied to survive. Normies are fine, just ask them. Awesomers have no problems with Normies. In fact, most Awesomers are surrounded by Normies who are their close friends and even family. More often than not Normies do not understand the plight of the Awesomer so they will warn the Awesomer to “be careful” or “don’t do it” or provide other guidance they mean to be helpful, but it is really just negativity that the Awesomer must overcome. We all know and love Normies and we are not criticizing Normies. We're only delineating some of the differences that exist between Awesomers and Normies. Normies are 84% more likely to listen to news about the Kardashians than Awesomers.** What is a Basic? A basic is someone who doesn't care about anyone which is often including themselves. They self-sabotage, they create problems, and they are not people that anyone should hang out with. They suck the life out of everyone around them by manufacturing drama, problems, or other nonsense. These people have chosen a path for themselves often by years and years of behaviors and actions which lead them to the life they have today; which is ok with us. We’re not judging. We just choose not to have our journey detoured by crossing the path of a Basic. (We also refer to this as the no A-HOLE rule.) 63% of basics have a cell phone only to play games, consume news or "vent" on social media.** **The preceding statistics for each archetype above is 100% made up. We like to make jokes. But we'll always tell the truth and set the record straight. The Awesomers.com podcast, hosted by Steve Simonson, will showcase some of the amazing origin stories of Awesomers from around the world. There are so many truly inspiring stories from people from all walks of life, but most often the Awesomers that will be focused on will be those who are also entrepreneurs. We'll be launching in the last half of 2018 as we build the systems and a team to support this important effort. We hope you will join us for this exhilarating journey! Many of these awesomers are Amazon sellers who have built an Amazon FBA ecommerce business and have started to see positive financial and lifestyle results.