What is a black hat seller on Amazon?

A black hat seller, or someone engaging in black hat tactics, is an entity on Amazon that purposefully acts against third-party sellers in an attempt to hurt the business of those they target.

Establishing and enforcing your intellectual property rights can protect you against black hat tactics.

Third-party sellers on Amazon can face account suspension or worse because of black hat tactics.

Trademarking your product and signing up for Amazon’s brand registry can help protect you against false intellectual property right violation claims, which is a black hat tactic used to get third-party seller accounts suspended.

Black hat tactics used to hurt third-party sellers include:

Fake reviews – these can be an influx of fake positive reviews or negative reviews.
Fake claims stating you are violating another entity’s intellectual property rights – these claims can be dismissed if you can prove you are a trademark holder and/or that you are not violating the rights of another entity.
Fake versions of your products are sold by another seller – counterfeit versions of your product can result in your account being suspended, even though you did not create the counterfeits. Protect your store from counterfeited products by signing up for Amazon Transparency

Why are black hat tactics used?

For profit. Black hat tactics are used so those backing up these tactics can profit when the targeted stores are suspended.

Need to speak with an Amazon Lawyer?

If you find yourself in the sight of a black hat seller, we can help you. The experienced team of Amazon Lawyers at Ford Banister LLC can provide the legal guidance needed to fight back.