Common Questions
Useful Information to Clear Up Your Inquiries
Answers to the questions brands ask most before working with Brand Alignment. If you don’t see yours here, contact our team.
What does Brand Alignment do?
Brand Alignment is a U.S.-based brand protection company that helps ecommerce brands control how their products are sold online. Our three core solutions are MAP monitoring and enforcement, unauthorized seller removal, and trademark and copyright enforcement for counterfeit and infringing listings.
What is the difference between MAP enforcement and unauthorized seller removal?
MAP enforcement addresses authorized sellers who violate your pricing policy. Unauthorized seller removal addresses sellers who were never approved to sell your products in the first place. Many brands have both problems at the same time, so we monitor the full marketplace to identify which sellers require which approach.
Which marketplaces do you cover?
We monitor more than 200 marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Target Plus, Best Buy, and Google Shopping, plus independent retailer websites. We also cover Amazon marketplaces outside the U.S., such as Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, and France.
Do you work with agencies and law firms, or only with brands?
Both. We work directly with brands and with agencies or law firms that manage brand protection for their clients, including through our partner program for agencies. When an agency or law firm leads the project, the brand still signs the contract with us, so every action we take is authorized by the brand owner.
What industries do you work with?
Our services are designed to work across product categories, because they are built on marketplace policies and brand rights. We have the most experience with consumer electronics, apparel, health and beauty, pet, and industrial supply brands.
Can you help brands outside the U.S.?
Yes. We monitor and enforce on Amazon marketplaces worldwide and offer dedicated services for brands selling in Europe, including the UK, Germany, and France. If your products are diverted across borders, we can also investigate how parallel imports reach other markets.
How long does it take to get started?
Your monitoring dashboard is typically ready within 24 hours of signing. Enforcement starts once your policy, documentation, and strategy are in place, which we prepare with you during onboarding. You can see how the platform works in our platform tour.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. You can try our MAP monitoring software free for 7 days, with no credit card required.
How much does Brand Alignment cost, and what are the contract terms?
Pricing depends on the number of products you track, the marketplaces you sell on, and the services you need. Our contracts are annual, because brand protection works best as an ongoing program. Request a demo and we will build a proposal for your brand.
How soon will I see results?
You see your monitoring data as soon as your dashboard is ready. Enforcement results depend on your industry, your distribution, and how many sellers are involved, but brands typically see measurable progress within the first one to two months.
What results have other brands seen?
Our case studies show the results brands have achieved with our programs, including revenue recovered, sellers removed, and return on investment. Every brand’s situation is different, so we recommend reviewing the case closest to your category.
How will I work with your team?
Every client gets access to our platform to track monitoring data and enforcement progress, along with support from our brand protection team.
What is MAP monitoring software?
MAP monitoring software checks the advertised prices of your products across marketplaces and retailer websites, compares them to your Minimum Advertised Price, and flags every listing below it. Each violation comes with a timestamped screenshot and the seller’s details, so you have evidence ready to act on. Learn more in our guide: what is MAP monitoring.
How often do you scan for violations?
Scan frequency depends on your plan, with monitoring available as often as every two hours. Frequent scans help catch short price drops that may otherwise disappear between scans.
How does MAP enforcement work?
MAP enforcement is how you get authorized sellers to comply with your MAP policy. Brand Alignment sends violation notices with screenshot evidence, follows up with multi-step escalation, and lets your team approve each action before it goes out. You can run enforcement yourself in our platform, or our team can manage the whole program for you.
Will Amazon enforce my MAP policy?
No. Amazon does not enforce a brand’s MAP policy or resolve MAP disputes between brands and resellers. Monitoring compliance and enforcing the policy on Amazon remains the brand’s responsibility.
Can Amazon itself cause pricing issues?
Yes. Amazon Retail may match lower prices it finds on other websites. External price discrepancies can contribute to below-MAP pricing, price cascading, or Buy Box suppression, which is why monitoring Amazon alone may not show you where the problem started.
Is MAP pricing legal?
In the U.S., brands can generally set a MAP policy, because it limits the advertised price, not the final selling price. Most brands use a unilateral policy that they announce to resellers. The rules vary by state and country, and how you write and apply your policy matters, so review it with your legal counsel. Read more about whether MAP pricing is legal.
What are unauthorized sellers?
Unauthorized sellers are resellers who sell your products without your approval. They usually sell genuine items acquired through distributors, liquidation, retail arbitrage, or diverted inventory, which is known as the grey market.
Why does Amazon allow unauthorized sellers on my listing?
Amazon generally does not remove a seller simply because the brand has not authorized them. Selling genuine products without brand authorization is different from selling counterfeits or infringing on intellectual property, so unauthorized seller removal often requires a different strategy.
How do you remove unauthorized sellers?
We combine cease and desist messaging, seller investigations, test buys, and supply chain tracing to remove unauthorized sellers and reduce the sources that allow them to reappear. Our unauthorized seller programs have historically achieved removal rates of 95% or higher.
Can you find out where unauthorized sellers get my products?
Yes. Through seller investigations, test buys, and supply chain tracing, we identify who is behind each seller and which part of your distribution is leaking inventory, so you can close the source instead of removing sellers one at a time.
Can you remove counterfeit and infringing listings?
Yes. We identify and pursue listings that infringe your trademark rights, including counterfeits, and listings that copy your copyrighted images or content without permission. We file takedowns only when a listing meets the marketplace’s enforcement requirements, helping reduce the risk of unsupported or inaccurate complaints.
Can you help me recover the Buy Box?
Yes. Our Buy Box Recovery Program identifies why your listings are losing Buy Box share or experiencing Buy Box suppression, including unauthorized sellers, MAP violations, and external price discrepancies. We then prioritize the issues affecting revenue and help your team address them.
Still Have Questions?
If you didn’t find the answer you were looking for, feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to provide any additional information or assistance you need!
