Ever wondered who's selling your products on Amazon? If you're a brand owner or manufacturer, you've probably had that moment - staring at your screen, coffee getting cold, wondering how someone you've never heard of is selling your products. Maybe they're undercutting your prices, using photos that make your product look like it was shot with a flip phone, or bundling your premium skincare line with... rubber ducks? Don't worry, you're not alone in this wild west of e-commerce, and I'm here to help you track down these mystery sellers.

When and Why You Should Contact an Amazon Seller

Let's talk about something that keeps brand owners up at night - those mysterious Amazon sellers listing your products. Trust me, I've been there, staring at my screen at 2 AM, wondering who these people are.

Here's the thing about Amazon: it's like a giant digital marketplace where anyone can set up shop and start selling your products. Cool, right? Well... not always. Sometimes, you need to roll up your sleeves and reach out to these sellers. But when?

Picture this: You're scrolling through your listings and spot someone selling your premium face cream for half the price. Yikes! That's definitely a "time to make contact" moment. The same goes for when you see photos of your product that look like they were taken with a potato, or product descriptions that read like they were written by a confused robot.

But it's not all about putting out fires! Sometimes, you want to connect with sellers because they're absolutely crushing it. These rockstars could become your best allies in the Amazon jungle. Maybe they're moving serious volume, have stellar customer reviews, or just really get your brand. Those are the kinds of sellers you want in your corner.

Here's my unofficial "grab your phone and email them now" list:

• When someone's selling "your" product but something looks... off (counterfeit alert!)
• If they're playing fast and loose with your MAP pricing (we all need to make a living, folks)
• When their product photos make your beautiful creation look like it was found in a dumpster
• If they're selling that limited-edition shampoo you discontinued three years ago
• When they've created some weird bundle combining your product with... wait, is that a rubber chicken?

The good news? Most sellers are actually decent people trying to run legitimate businesses. A friendly, professional message goes a long way. Think of it as starting a conversation, not launching a siege.

How to Find an Amazon Seller

Let's be real - nothing makes your eye twitch quite like spotting your products being sold at prices that make your MAP policy laugh. Or worse, seeing listings that scream "where did they even get this inventory?"

I've been down this rabbit hole before, and while finding these sellers can feel like trying to catch smoke, there's actually a pretty straightforward way to start your investigation. Grab your detective hat, and let's do some seller hunting!

The easiest place to start? Right there on the product listing page. 

Here's your step-by-step treasure map:

• Find your product listing (you probably already have it open in 17 tabs)
• Look right under that product title for a blue hyperlink
• Bingo - there's your seller's store name, hiding in plain sight

But wait, there's a plot twist! Sometimes, sellers are sneaky and hide behind their storefront name. Don't worry, though. Click on that store name, and you're now in their Amazon storefront. This is where things get interesting - you can see what else they're selling (maybe more of your products?), how long they've been around, and sometimes even catch hints about their real-world identity. You can also see their ratings & reviews. No one wants a shady gray market seller ruining their brand reputation. 

Pro tip: Take screenshots. Lots of them. These digital breadcrumbs might come in handy later when you're building your case or tracking pattern behavior. Trust me, nothing's worse than going back to check something and finding the listing has changed.

On the seller page scroll down until you see the Detailed Seller Information. This section will contain the bare minimum information that Amazon requires a seller to publish. If you are lucky there will be an email or a phone number, but most of the time we aren’t so lucky. 

This isn’t great information, but it’s a starting point. A surprising number of Unauthorized Sellers and MAP violators run Amazon storefronts out of their apartments… well maybe not all that surprising. In this case the seller page does not give us a lot to work with. 

So let’s head over to Google Search to continue our investigation. Alternatively you can use the Amazon chat feature but you run a risk of running afoul with Amazon’s TOS so go that route carefully. 

I completed a handful of Google searches and found the phone number of the above seller. 

I was also able to identify possible email addresses for them.

 

You’ve Found Them, Now What? 

So now, if I were Liquid I.V. I’d have a couple of options. First thing to note not every seller is messing up your channel. In this case, this seller is selling for 34.99, around a 49% increase over the Buy Box holder at $23.46. 

• Start enforcement - but really the likelihood of them complying is low. 
• Contact Amazon and work on getting them banned from selling your product. There are various methods of handling this, which I will cover separately. 
• Buy out their stock and destroy it. This won’t apply if the seller is an Unauthorized Seller with deep stock. Those should be treated differently. This only applies to sellers who are clearly Mom and Pop sellers with shallow stock. How can you tell if they have shallow stock or not? Back to Amazon…

Let’s first try to add this Seller's listing to our cart.  

In this case, you can see that Amazon has already alerted me that this seller only has 11 of these in stock. 

If Amazon does not automatically report the stock quantity available from that seller (usually only happens when there is shallow stock), click to update the quantity you’d like to order. When you've reached the maximum quantity available, Amazon will give you an error message. 

Complete the order, and fingers crossed be done with this seller. One of the reasons we recommend buying out shallow stock is that, usually, the cost of purchasing these products will be negligible, especially when trying to remove a seller or get them to comply with your MAP policies. Most sellers that are doing arbitrage only have limited quantity for a limited time. 

Summary:

Look, tracking down Amazon sellers might feel like herding digital cats, but it doesn't have to be a headache. Whether you're dealing with MAP violations, unauthorized resellers, or just trying to clean up your distribution channels, you've got options. Start with the basics - find them through their storefront, document everything (screenshots are your best friend), and decide if you're dealing with a small-time seller you can buy out or a bigger operation that needs serious enforcement. Remember, not every unknown seller is a problem - some might become valuable partners. The key is knowing when to extend an olive branch and when to bring out the cease and desist letters. Happy hunting!

Liquid I.V. Authorized Reseller Policy