Counterfeits of your products on marketplaces: how to get them taken down
You search for your own product and find counterfeits of it sold by someone else, cheaper, with your photos, your name and sometimes your logo. Brands of every kind face this, from a single handmade line to a household name. It is not a sign that you did something wrong.
Counterfeit listings can be taken down. Marketplaces have rules against them and processes built for brand owners, and the sellers behind them can be reported at more than one level. Here is what is happening, what you can do today and how we hit it at the source.
Why counterfeits of your products appear
A product that sells well gets copied. Counterfeit sellers take your product photos, your descriptions and your reviews, then list a cheaper copy on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, AliExpress, Temu, Facebook Marketplace or Vinted. Your customers think they are buying from you.
The damage goes beyond lost sales. A buyer who receives a poor copy blames your brand, leaves a bad review and may never come back. Some counterfeits are also unsafe, which puts your name next to a product you never made.
Counterfeit, copy or lookalike: what you are dealing with
Not every listing that bothers you is the same case, and each one is reported under a different rule. Getting the type right is what makes a request land.
- A counterfeit uses your brand name or logo on a product you did not make. It is reported as trademark infringement.
- A stolen listing uses your own product photos or text to sell something else. That is a copyright case, even without a trademark.
- A lookalike shop copies your whole brand on its own website, often with a domain that resembles yours. It is reported to the hosting provider, the domain registrar and search engines.
- A grey-market resale of your genuine product is usually a commercial question, not a counterfeit, and is handled differently.
What the marketplace does with a report
Major marketplaces have brand and trademark complaint channels that work differently from the general report button. A complaint that cites the right legal ground, shows the original and points to the exact listing gives the marketplace what it needs to act.
The seller is often warned, the listing removed and repeat sellers suspended. Under the Digital Services Act, platforms operating in the EU must give rights holders a clear way to report illegal listings and must act on valid notices diligently.
Counterfeit sellers rarely stop at one listing. When a listing goes down, the same products often reappear under another seller name or on another marketplace. That is why one report is a start, not an end.
When the counterfeits are sold from a standalone shop, the marketplace is only one door. The hosting provider that keeps the shop online, the registrar of its domain and the search engines that send buyers to it can all be asked to act, and each one cuts off part of the seller's reach.
Do you need a registered trademark?
A registered trademark makes counterfeit takedowns faster and stronger, and it opens the brand programs that marketplaces reserve for rights holders. In the EU you can register a mark nationally or for the whole Union.
Without one, you can still act. Your own photos and texts are protected by copyright, and original designs often are too. Listings that deceive buyers break marketplace rules on their own. A request built on the strongest right you hold is the one that moves.
What you can do right now
- 01
Save the evidence
Keep the link to every listing and a screenshot with the date, including the seller name, the price and the photos.
- 02
Don't contact or pay the seller
Don't negotiate, threaten or buy them out. It warns them and they move to another account.
- 03
Keep proof that it is yours
Gather your original product photos, design files, your trademark certificate if you have one, and the address of your official shop.
- 04
Use the marketplace's report button
Report the listing as counterfeit or as using your brand. It records the problem on the marketplace's side.
- 05
Tell your customers where to buy
Publish your official shop and sellers on your website and accounts, and say clearly where your genuine products are sold.
- 06
Search your brand regularly
Search your brand and product names on the marketplaces your customers use, and note every listing you don't recognize.
How Praivon helps
- We search for counterfeit listings of your products across the major platforms plus thousands of websites across the open web.
- We send removal requests on every channel: the platform, the hosting provider, the domain registrar and search engines.
- We file each listing under the right rule: trademark, copyright or fraud.
- We keep watching and go after the same products when they reappear under another seller.
- Every finding, request and removal is tracked, with the evidence you need for your legal team.
- Every request is sent on your behalf, under the authorization you give us.
Straight answers.
How do I report a counterfeit listing of my product?
Report it through the marketplace's brand or trademark complaint channel, with the exact listing, proof of your right and your original. Praivon files these for you and stays on each listing until it's resolved.
Can I get counterfeits removed without a registered trademark?
Yes. Your own photos and texts are protected by copyright, and original designs often are too. Listings that deceive buyers break marketplace rules. A registered trademark makes it faster and stronger.
What if the same seller comes back under a different name?
It happens often. We keep watching your brand and go after the same products wherever they reappear, on the same marketplace or another one.
How long does it take to remove a counterfeit listing?
On major platforms, removal requests are typically resolved within 48–72 hours. Complex cases and less responsive websites can take longer, and we stay on every request until it is resolved.
Does this cover fake shops outside the marketplaces?
Yes. Lookalike websites that sell copies of your products are reported to the hosting provider, the domain registrar and search engines as well.