Cease and Desist Alternative that works 3X Better

If you’ve ever tried removing unauthorized sellers from your Amazon listings with a cease and desist letter… you already know how that usually goes.

It gets ignored.

The truth is, most third-party resellers have no incentive to take a cease and desist seriously. It’s a hollow threat unless you’re prepared to go nuclear—and they know it.

That’s why we stopped sending them altogether.

Instead, we developed a message that works. It’s simple, credible, and 3x more effective than a traditional cease and desist.

What Actually Works: Threat of a Formal IP Complaint

Here’s the message we now send to unauthorized resellers on Amazon:

Subject: Suspicion of counterfeit sales on Amazon for [Brand Name]

Hello,

I am a representative of [Brand Name]. We have noticed that you are selling products under our brand, and we suspect they may not be genuine.

Please provide an invoice from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor for these products within 48 hours. If we do not receive a response, we will submit a formal IP complaint to Amazon and the Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) will take further action.

Thank you for your prompt attention.
Sincerely,
[Your Name or Brand Representative]

We call it the 3rd Party Resellers Letter.

It doesn’t rely on vague threats or legal posturing. It puts resellers on the clock and leverages one of the few things they actually take seriously: a formal IP complaint and Amazon’s internal enforcement team.

When to Use This

• You’ve identified unauthorized 3rd party sellers listing your product on Amazon

• You’ve confirmed they are not part of your approved distribution network

• You want fast action, without immediately involving lawyers or filing brand registry tickets

This letter is especially effective when paired with a clear internal process for identifying resellers and escalating enforcement when necessary.

Final Note

This reseller enforcement letter is just one tool in a much bigger system.

To see how it fits into a complete Amazon brand protection strategy, check out our companion post:

👉 The 5 Steps We Used to Remove 84 Resellers for a Brand in 6 Months

Inside, we walk you through:

• How to identify every seller listing your product

• How to legally tighten your distribution network

• How to uncover which distributors are leaking product

• When to escalate to Amazon’s Transparency Program

• And how to do all of this without losing relationships—or your mind

If you're ready to control pricing, protect margins, and stop the reseller chaos, that’s the next post to read.

Would you like me to turn this into a downloadable letter template or include an embedded CTA for your playbook?