Kind of long, but alot if valuabe info here, so please check it out:

First, I am sorry your listing was hacked. It has occurred to us as well, and it is so frustrating since WE know that such a thing is SUPPOSED to be IMPOSSIBLE on Amazon, given their protections, AND how strict and regimented the "Add Products" tool is.

Amazon's system seems to be perfect in protecting the listings whenever I need to enter a new product or need to make an edit. I have ZERO control to change ANYTHING, even in the cases of OBVIOUS ERROR.

This is because virtually 100% of the Amazon Listings I am able to join are created by the "Amazon Retail Team" for product that Amazon itself has invested in to compete directly with 3rd Party Sellers.

As such, any "Amazon Retail Team" Listing CANNOT be edited by ANYONE EXCEPT the "Amazon Retail Team". Not even Seller Support can make changes, EVEN in the case of OBVIOUS error.

This means that WE had NO PART in the creation of ALL aspects of the listing the ASIN, including the "BRAND" of the ASIN.

When I receive NEW inventory, I go to "Add Products" and enter the UPS code. There SHOULD only be ONE (1) available listing to join, as Amazon does NOT allow for "Duplicate Listings" of the same UPC code (although that too has been found to be defeated by Hackers as well).

My point is this, Amazon WANTS me to invest in new inventory because Amazon WANTS to collect a bounty on my Sales, as well as Monthly charges.

AND Amazon's computer will NOT allow me to create a NEW Listing if the UPC code already exists in the Amazon system.

SO I am FORCED to join the existing "Amazon Retail Team" Listing and compete directly against Amazon itself.

But my complaint is NOT about having to compete with an entity that I can NEVER really match pricing with...

No, MY complaint is the following:

Sometime AFTER the "Amazon Retail Team" creates the listing, the listing becomes DEACTIVATED by the Amazon "Suspected Intellectual Property" Tool for misuse of the "BRAND" on the listing.

And I receive a Negative Mark on my Seller Metrics!

There is NO recognizable pattern to the timing of these Deactivations/Violations. Some take years, and some only months.

Once this occurs, Amazon WILL NOT ACCEPT the valid Wholesale Invoice from an Authorized Distributor (who is recognized as such by Amazon itself), the VERY SAME DOCUMENT that WOULD be all that is required to pass "Brand Approval" for the particular ASIN in question, IF the ASIN had actually REQUIRED "Brand Approval" to sell in the FIRST PLACE (which it did not).

Unfortunately, the "BRAND" of our type of products is VERY MUCH open to interpretation by the person creating the Amazon Listing. Choosing just one example; there is a particular assortment of 7 Marvel Legends Black Panther 6-inch action figures that were released together as a boxes assortment for Distributors, each figure meant to be sold separately. These ALL arrived in the SAME box as part of the SAME series of "Black Panther" Movie figures... AND YET, Some of the Figures were assigned the "BRAND" "Marvel", some assigned "BLACK PANTHER", and some even assigned "AVENGERS".

ALL of these choices would be a correct choice, but the point I am making is that the ASSIGNMENT of the "BRAND" on an "Amazon Retail Team Listing" is ENTIRELY SUBJECTIVE and does NOT follow any Rules or consistency.

Now, the products we offer are not manufactured by us, we are a Retailer, so it would NOT be legal (nor ethical) to try and slap "Our Brand" on a product that we did not create. We MUST use the existing Listing, no matter WHAT the "BRAND" is, as we have NO control to edit the "BRAND" (or any part of the listing, actually). ONLY the "Amazon Retail Team" can do that, and NO ONE can reach them directly. ONLY Seller Support can reach them, and then, ONLY by creating a "Case": and sending it to them as email. NO HUMAN CONTACT AT ALL.

And once the ASIN has been targeted as a "Suspected Intellectual Property Violation", the ONLY way to clear the Violation is to provide a "Letter of Authorization" from the BRAND itself, but they will NOT supply any path to do that.

And in fact, since the "BRAND" of any particular "Amazon Retail Team" Listing is a CREATION of the "Amazon Retail Team", as opposed to an ACTUAL COMPANY who is exerting their Legal Rights to protect their "BRAND", there is NO COMPANY / ENTITY that ACTUALLY EXISTS to be able to obtain such a "Letter of Authorization".

Currently I am being punished for 2 ASINs that were "BRANDED" as "MARVEL". Neither of these ASINS were gated or required ANY "Approval" to sell, and I have the Wholesale Invoices that WOULD allow me to PASS "Brand Approval" IF ONLY Amazon had required I do so. The actual "BRAND" "MARVEL" is NOT OWNED BY AMAZON! It IS owned by Disney. Never mind that EACH of these "BRANDS" could be considered accurate. The point is the lack of consistency.

But Amazon will NOT accept a "Letter of Authorization" from "DISNEY" for this matter, nor ANYONE OTHER than "MARVEL".

Which for these purposes DOES NOT ACTUALLY EXIST!

Similarly, there is NO "SPIDER-MAN", or "IRON MAN", or "FUTURAMA" that I can contact to obtain the REQUIRED "Letter of Authorization", as ALL of these properties are owned by large Corporations named "Disney", "Warner Brothers", etc.

All of these "BRANDS" are an Amazon creation and an Amazon construct, and is used as a way of REMOVING the ability to Sell these products from SOME Amazon 3rd Party Sellers.

Amazon keeps insisting that I provide them a "Letter of Authorization" from the "BRAND" "MARVEL", and I keep replying that the "BRAND" "MARVEL" on Amazon has NEVER REQUIRED "BRAND APPROVAL" to join ANY "MARVEL" branded listings, so just HOW am I able to request such a "Letter of Authorization"? I JUST joined yet another "MARVEL" branded prodcut (ASIN B0CCF5VKHZ - Marvel Legends Guardians of The Galaxy 6 Inch Action Figure Box Set - Guardians Multipack", and as always, it required NO documentation nor pre-approval.

So, IF the Amaozn "BRAND" "MARVEL" NEVER REQUIRES BRAND APPROVAL from me, than HOW can I EVER receive "BRAND APPROVAL" to Sell "BRAND" "MARVEL" After the "BRAND" for that ASIn has now been (mis)identified as a "Suspected Intellectual Property Violation"?

So I have to wonder, WHEN or IF this ASIN will suddenly be deactivated for using the "BRAND" "MARVEL" and I will receive ANOTHER "Suspected Intellectual Property" Violation!

When I speak with a HUMAN BEING (Amazon Account Health Specialist), they ALWAYS agree with MY position and apologize for the problems the Amazon computer systems keep causing me, and VOW to take this matter up with their superiors to resolve it...

And nothing ever changes...

The current ystem is DESIGNED as a form of ENTRAPMENT, punishing 3rd Party Sellers for violations that have NO WAY of anticipating and NO HAND IN CREATING themselves.

Amazon can see for themselves when the ASIN was created, and WHO created it, so WHY PUNISH those who were forced to join the listing but had no hand in it's creation?

I maintain that these "Suspected Intellectual Property" violations are simply that, a "Suspicion", NOT an actual "Received Intellectual Property Violation", and these "Suspicions" are ALWAYS Amazon Errors, at least in my case.

It is almost as if Amazon has placed a "Hidden" expiration date for the ASIN, after which it will be deactivated by the computer, perhaps forcing Sellers to RUSH to sell-off their inventory for whatever they can get at the time and BEAT the "Deactivation" alarm... If this is so, than Amazon should at LEAST inform us of how much time we have before the ASIN is deactivated...

I have NO DESIRE to "Break" ANY Amazon Policies, and I work VERY HARD to make sure I do EVERYTHING correctly...

So just HOW the heck am I to know just WHICH of the "Amazon Retail Team" listings I join will (eventually) be triggered by the "Suspected Intellectual Property" Tool when I join them?

IF the "Suspected Intellectual Property" Tool suddenly has a problem with the "BRAND" of a particular ASIN, then WHY is a valid Wholesale Invoice for the product NOT accepted as PROOF of the validity of the product, when it would be ALL that would be required to Pass "Brand Approval" IF such approval was required?

WHY will the Amazon system NOT allow the 3rd Party Seller to EDIT the offending "BRAND" to something else, say, the Manufacturer?

If there is NO OTHER option that that one Amazon Listing, and I am forbidden by Amazon to create my "Own" listing, what other choice do I really have?

Amazon, don't you WANT to continue to make money off of my sales? Don;t you WANT me as a 3rd Party Seller? Remember Amazon, YOU came to ME and practically begged me to start Selling here, and it has been profitable for BOTH of us.

Stop messing with our mutual SUCCESS with your poorly-written software 'bots that constantly deactivate perfectly legal and viable ASIN's with FALSE POSITIVES.

How to solve this problem?