Amazon launched a new anti-counterfeiting program to help brands from scammers and counterfeiters by letting them designate listings for removal. Part of the problem is that Amazon has made the process for listing products simple. Sellers can register with only a business name, e-mail, address, phone number, credit card, ID and bank account—but that has also allowed imposters to easily peddle versions of hot-selling items. For example, a seller could list a “used” version of a product that might be a fake. More than half of the sales on Amazon come from third-party merchants.
Amazon has enlisted the brands to help fight the fakes as part of Project Zero by including a tool that generates a unique code that the brand can print onto existing packaging or attach onto items using a sticker. The codes can be scanned to ensure a product’s authenticity when it enters an Amazon warehouse. This product serialization allows the brand owner to have automated protection and self-service counterfeit removal.
Project Zero was launched in March, 2019.