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Another seller stole my UPC codes and there is no tool to report this violation
Hello sellers and support team,
I have an account with GS1 US and a registered company prefix for issuing UPC codes (GTINs). While trying to create new products, I discovered that another seller has been using my UPC codes to create their products.
My GS1 dashboard shows that these UPC codes are not yet active, but Amazon shows that they are being used to identify existing products on Amazon. This leads me to believe that my UPC codes were generated/sold by a 3rd party.
I've tried creating several seller support cases, and tried at least 5 different report categories in the "Report a Violation" tool https://brandregistry.amazon.com/brand/report-a-violation
About half of the ASINs that were using my UPC codes were removed by the violation report team, but half are still live on Amazon. There is no reporting tool for this specific issue, and it's been like throwing darts in the dark trying to get seller support to take action. Most violation reports come back with the reply "no action was taken because there is no violation," even though Amazon's policy regarding this issue is stated here.
Any help or insight into this issue is appreciated. And, if the support team is reading, please consider creating a reporting tool for this issue. Thank you in advance!
0 replies
Seller_XJk5RkDQR39p0
If the codes are not active you can delete them and get new ones. after they are published you have to buy different ones.
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
the bad thing is that YOU can not use these codes any more even if you paid for them. If you search in the GS1 database, do you see YOU as owner for these UPCs, now used by another seller?
didn't you buy from GS1?
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_vqwzN8LF3vNM1
I encourage you to continue to report these through Report a Violation. That is going to be the easiest route and if you're getting stuck, Report Abuse submissions are a good backup!
-Jim
Seller_8ESHZD3bXlVUv
Dealing with this myself. I was able to successfully have the UPC severed from the ASIN so I could use it. Required a week of back and forth though, and was only fixed in a live chat. Use the term "remove the ASIN-UPC association" when you chat with support as this is what they'll need to do. If you aren't talking to the escalations team, you'll need to escalate until you do. Be prepared to provide proof of UPC ownership in the form of your GS1 certificate.
It's not easy to correct, and I suppose I'm glad for that - otherwise it would be too easy to hijack UPCs.
Seller_HCKmA2tMhZ4jE
This happens to us constantly and Amazon ALWAYS side with the offender! It is disgusting!
Seller_1aFu5QXZcX15m
This also happens with vintage/discontinued items that may not have an active offer at a given time. Some seller comes along and hijacks the listing. Then if I acquire the original item to sell, I get all kinds of conflict messages when I try to add it via UPC. Because the HIJACKED items are often inactive as well, it's impossible to know WHO to report.
Seller_8sP6ffckcRn6v
We have the same problem. We have several batches directly from GS1.
There is a specific batch of 100 that at least 15 of them shows error 5481 conflicting identifier with an exiting listing.
When I bumped into the first problematic one, Amazon told me that we cannot change the listing. We had to repeatedly explain that we do not want to change any existing listing. Merely using the codes we paid, for new listings not yet on the Amazon catalog. They then asked several times for the same information. (Prefix certificate, Cooperate binder, and proof USPTO that we own our brand from .)
Finally we got an "exemption" to use the said code.
I am now trying to open up the other 14 codes we cannot use. First we were dismissed. Then the case was transferred to "The right team." Then the case was close by brushing us aside again. The process is actually quite comical. I would laugh if I was not the subject of the joke...
Seller_TFtK05AWCtKWm
This has happened to us in the past, and Amazon are not in any way interested in helping despite us proving ownership. I tried for months to get Amazon to help, and they did nothing. As a result, we have stopped selling the impacted ASIN's and moved all stock to eBay & Walmart.
Seller_9MdSmMvZ83jn0
This is a huge issue where Amazon pretends it isnt. I have been dealing with this for 10 years and it is always hit or miss and always takes a lot of back and forth. like others have stated. be sure your brand is regsitered. have the USPTO and GS1 certificates on hand. Have a website showing your a legit company. have images with barcodes printed on packaging. be sure the barcode is showing in one of your images in the listing.
Amazon should be proactively scrubbing their database for upc's linking to invalid brands and offering to fix. This also allows duplicate listings by sellers using incorrect barcodes. It's a huge mess for national brands.
Seller_K1DjmxuZs82oH
Good luck with your issue. We purchased 1,000 UPCs directly from GS1 and began listing our products on Amazon. As newcomers to the platform, we discovered that 65 of the UPCs had already been used by another seller. We opened over 10 support cases and explained the situation in detail to representatives. Each time, they requested documentation, which we promptly provided. However, we were repeatedly told that the case was being referred to the "responsible team." After 2–3 days, we would receive the same generic, copied response. Ultimately, we abandoned the cases as they led nowhere and resolved nothing.
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