Transparency, Project Zero or Brand Gating: Which Amazon Brand Protection Tools Are Worth It?

Amazon offers brand owners a handful of protection tools on top of Brand Registry. Each gets pitched as the fix for “people selling my stuff.” Each solves a narrower problem than the pitch suggests.

Here’s what each one actually does, what it doesn’t, and the order we’d use them in.

First, know which problem you have

Brand owners usually lump three different problems together:

1. Counterfeits. Fake product sold as yours.
2. Unauthorized sellers of genuine product. Real product sold by people you didn’t approve, often below your price.
3. Listing abuse. Someone changing your title, images or details, or creating duplicate listings.

The tools below mostly address the first and third. None of them, on its own, removes a seller of genuine product. That’s a supply chain and contract problem. If that’s your main issue, start with how to remove unauthorized sellers instead. Our post on counterfeit vs. unauthorized sellers explains how to tell which one you’re looking at.

Brand Registry: the foundation

Everything else depends on it. Brand Registry gives you control over your listing content, access to reporting tools, A+ content, Brand Stores, brand analytics and the selling roles that matter more than ever after the 2026 changes. See what Brand Registry actually does and Brand Registry roles explained.

Verdict: Not optional. If you’re not enrolled, nothing else on this list is available to you.

Transparency: unit-level authentication

Transparency puts a unique code on every unit you make. Amazon scans the code before the unit ships to a customer. If a unit doesn’t have a valid code, it doesn’t ship. Customers can also scan the code to confirm authenticity.

What it stops: Counterfeits, very effectively, once every unit in the market carries a code.

What it doesn’t stop: Unauthorized sellers of genuine, coded product. If a distributor diverts real units, those units have real codes and will ship.

What it costs: A per-code fee plus the operational work of applying codes at your factory or warehouse. For low-price products the per-unit cost matters. Check Amazon’s current pricing, and price in the packaging change.

Worth it when: You have a real counterfeit problem and can control code application at the point of manufacture or packing.

Project Zero: self-service removal

Project Zero lets eligible brands remove counterfeit listings themselves, without waiting for Amazon to review each report. It also includes automated protections that use your brand data to catch suspected counterfeits proactively.

What it stops: Counterfeit listings, faster.

What it doesn’t stop: Genuine resellers. Using Project Zero against genuine product is misuse, and Amazon can take the privilege away. Brands that file reports carelessly lose access.

Worth it when: You’re dealing with repeated counterfeits and have someone disciplined enough to file only accurate reports. Eligibility depends on Brand Registry and a track record of accurate reporting.

Brand gating: restricting who can list

Gating means Amazon requires sellers to get approval before listing your brand, often by showing invoices from you or an authorized distributor.

What it stops: Casual resellers and some arbitrage sellers who can’t show legitimate sourcing.

What it doesn’t stop: Resellers who buy legitimately from your distributors and can show invoices. Gating also isn’t a self-serve program. Amazon decides, and approvals are typically tied to evidence of counterfeiting or abuse.

Worth it when: You have documented counterfeit or abuse history and want an extra barrier. Treat it as a bonus, not a strategy.

Side by side

The order we’d use them in

1. Brand Registry, configured properly. Roles cleaned up, listings locked down, an admin email you control.
2. Find out what you’re actually dealing with. Test buys tell you whether it’s counterfeit or genuine diverted product. See tracing diverted inventory.
3. If it’s counterfeit, add Transparency or Project Zero.
4. If it’s genuine resellers, fix the supply chain: agreements, a MAP policy and follow-through on distributor diversion.

Most established brands we talk to assume counterfeit and find diversion. Getting that answer right first saves months and money.

Our free channel scan shows you every seller on your products, which is usually enough to tell which problem you have.

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Written by

Troy Marchand, CEO

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