This Issue's TLDR...

• How to get rid of counterfeiters
• Should you be using more arrows --> in your listings?
• Events and happenings at Amazon Accelerate

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Even in 2025, Amazon is still, unfortunately, a cesspool of copycats and counterfeits.

As a consumer, this means that you need to be careful what you buy and put into your (or your pet's) body.

Dan Go @FitFounder If you buy supplements off of Amazon, you need to read this: 10:31 AM • May 27, 2025 1765 Retweets 9818 Likes Read 532 replies

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As a brand or seller, this means that you need to build a "toolkit" of ways to rid yourself, and your customers, of these Bad Actors.

Now, my main tools in dealing with counterfeiters -- either for my own brands or my agency clients -- have been the standard mix of "sanctioned" methods:

• Amazon Transparency
• Brand Registry -> Report a Violation
• Cease & Desist Letters
• Gating (ASIN or Brand)
• Project Zero
• Test Buys

I'd say that, for most brands, there's a 90%+ success rate using one or more of the above tools.

But, even if successful, these tools can be slow.

Or, like I said, ~10% of the time, these tools don't work, so you need to go deeper into the toolkit.

Here's a "tool" that is maybe not in the "sanctioned" toolkit, but is otherwise highly effective:

• STEP 1: Start placing large orders directly from the suspected counterfeiter.
• STEP 2: Contact them through Buyer-Seller Messaging letting them know that you know they are selling counterfeits and you ordered their product.
• STEP 3A: If they don't ship the product and/or cancel your order, keep ordering.
• STEP 3B: If they *do* ship your order, report to Amazon (as a customer) that the product is counterfeit. This will trigger both a counterfeit investigation and refund your money.

Next time you have a sticky counterfeit issue that you can't solve through the "sanctioned" methods, give this a shot.

FRIENDS OF B@A Ecom Triage Are you attending Amazon Accelerate in a couple weeks? Are you maybe looking for some things to do after the event ends each day? Well, my good buddy Danan from Ecom Triage has you covered. He's put together a comprehensive list of all of the Amazon Accelerate parties and evening events. (Plus some discount codes) Have a look and register for anything that's up your alley!

BEST from the B@A Archives

There's *real* value to be had in building a close working relationship with your supplier. (Here are 5 ways that I've written about in the past)

And, not just in financial terms -- i.e., lower costs or payment terms.

I was reminded of this as I communicated with one of my newer suppliers this past week. They shared with me some of the order trends that they're seeing with their biggest customer, REI, and it instantly gave me an idea for an enhancement on a product that is in production.

Don't sleep on this form of market intel.

Most Amazon-focused entrepreneurs will follow the standard playbook of using different market research tools to suss out demand patterns on Amazon.

I'm not saying not to do this.

I *am* saying that there are rich insights that might not appear in aggregate data that can come from simple conversations with people in your supply chain.

BEST from X

Sometimes, marketing research studies don't really "travel well" to Amazon.

This one...might?

I'll be testing it via (a lot) of PickFu mini-polls, and sharing my results on LinkedIn, so keep an eye out and/or troll me in the comments for publishing results that aren't statistically significant.

Sarah 🦕 @SarahLevinger Been in marketing for (almost) 17 years...how am I just now hearing about this?? 🤯 According to science, adding arrows → to your ad will increase the time people spend on your ad...even if they don't point to anything at all! WHY THIS HAPPENS 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 10:0 AM • May 7, 2025 38 Retweets 626 Likes Read 32 replies

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FAIR WARNING: If you come to me with a plan to buy a self-storage business, I'm going to hang up on you and/or block your number.

So, before you do this, read Eric's thread and identify a business that has:

• Recurring or contractual revenue
• Customers who must buy, even in downturns
• High switching costs
• Regulatory or compliance tailwinds
• Fragmented markets = roll-up opportunities

SMB Attorney @SMB_Attorney Entrepreneurship is hard. There’s no such thing as an “easy” business. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling courses. But some businesses are better than others. This is a realist’s guide to what actually makes a good business in 2025 And a list of the very best…🧵 9:56 AM • Sep 2, 2025 25 Retweets 444 Likes Read 37 replies

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