Overview

Amazon’s Transparency program places a unique serial code on every individual unit a brand sells on the marketplace, preventing counterfeit or mismatched items from ever reaching shoppers. With more than 88 000 brands enrolled and over 2.5 billion units verified across ten Amazon marketplaces, the system has become a core defensive layer that private‑label sellers can no longer ignore.

Key Points

• Serial‑level authentication — Each product receives a one‑of‑a‑kind code; listings lacking a valid code are automatically blocked from being displayed or shipped.
• Variation enforcement — The system cross‑checks the code against the exact size, color, or model listed, stopping materially different versions from slipping through.
• Cross‑border diversion control — Units printed for a specific regional market are rejected if an attempt is made to sell them in another country’s store.
• Customer‑visible verification — Shoppers can scan the code with the Amazon Shopping app to confirm authenticity before or after purchase.
• Batch‑level traceability — Codes are grouped by production batch, enabling brands to pinpoint defective or recalled items back to a single factory or line.
• Transparency badge eligibility — Enrolled items may display a trust badge on the detail page, signaling verified authenticity to potential buyers.

How Transparency Works

1. Code generation and placement — Amazon issues a distinct alphanumeric string for every unit; sellers affix the code via label, integrated packaging, or by mapping it to an existing serial on the product. For example, a private‑label supplement company prints the Amazon‑provided QR label on each bottle during bottling.
2. Listing validation — When a seller creates a new offer, Amazon scans the attached code and confirms it matches the SKU, variation, and marketplace. If a seller tries to list a unit without the code, the system returns an error and prevents the offer from going live.
3. Fulfillment check – During inbound processing at an Amazon fulfillment center or at the point of seller‑fulfilled shipment, the code is scanned again. A missing or mismatched code triggers an automatic hold, and the unit is diverted to a quarantine area rather than being shipped to the customer.