Mapping a product on Amazon

What is Mapping a product ?

Amazon allows you to sell your product under an already listed product (some other brand that is not registered under trademark) at your price, by simply using the unique ASIN number, only if you have a product category approval from Amazon.

For e.g.: if you want to sell a baking tray, you can search for an existing baking tray listing on Amazon that is exact similar to your product, get ASIN of that listing then go to “Add a product” section in your seller panel and search for the same ASIN, it will allow you to sell your product.

This is an amazon supported policy. You can map your product on some other seller’s listing or some other seller can map their product on your listing.

How to know if the seller’s brand is a registered trademark brand ? You can search if a brand name is registered on the website https://ipindiaonline.gov.in/tmrpublicsearch/frmmain.aspx

Enter the Brand Name, Class and hit search

Advantages of Mapping

• Listing product becomes easy – Creating a quick listing of the product with the help of ASIN number makes listing very easy as it will save your time and efforts that is required for uploading pictures, updating specifications and descriptions
• Increase in sales – Mapping a listing of a well-established brand with good reviews will result in good number of orders for you.

Disadvantages

• Original seller can claim your product as counterfeit – Since you have copied the listing that has resulted in less or no orders for an original brand seller, he/she may claim to amazon as a counterfeit product that can lead to suspension of your listing.
• Infringement filing – If an original seller is a registered trademark brand, he/she can file an infringement case against you, which can have negative impact on your selling rating and can lead to your account suspension.

Disadvantages (if your listing is mapped by another seller)

• Reduces your sales – Your listing can also be mapped easily by any seller which can result in lesser or no orders for you.
• Constant fear of bad reviews – You do not know what quality of product the other seller is selling under your brand, so any bad experience to customer can result in bad review on the product that can have long term effect on the listing and can automatically reduce your orders.

Ways to overcome mapping problems

If your listings have been mapped by some other seller, here are some useful steps that you can follow to remove the mapping:

• Get a trademark for your brand name.
• Register yourself on Amazon brand registry
• If you fulfill above both the requirements, write a proper email requesting the seller to remove the listing stating that you are the brand owner.
• Do a test order and once you find the product quality of the test order you received is not up to the mark or is different from yours, file an infringement case on Amazon brand registry.
• Try to differentiate your product by printing your logo on the product & packaging and upload pictures of the same on Amazon so that the possibility of your listings getting mapped becomes very low.