How Amazon's Transparency Badge Combats Counterfeit Products

This blog was updated on September 12, 2025. Amazon’s Transparency program is a powerful way for brands to fight counterfeiting and unauthorized reselling while also building customer trust and improving their supply chains.

Since its launch, Transparency has helped brands tackle the growing issue of counterfeit products by giving them a way to assign unique codes to each product. The Transparency badge, which was introduced in 2023, signals to customers that a product is authentic when they see it on a product detail page.

Key Benefits of Amazon Transparency

1. Verify Product Authenticity 

   Only authentic units are shipped to customers. Whether fulfilled by Amazon or shipped directly by selling partners, no product can be listed or shipped without a valid Transparency code. This proactive system makes sure counterfeit or incorrect products don’t slip through, even across different regions.
   

2. Engage with Customers 

   Once your customers have purchased your product, they can use the Amazon Shopping or Transparency apps to scan a Transparency code and confirm authenticity. It’s a great way to share additional brand content like promotions, videos, or more product details. This feature works only with Amazon-issued codes.
   

3. Optimize Your Supply Chain 

   Transparency lets you dive deeper into your supply chain by giving you visibility at the batch or lot level. This helps you spot issues like defects, returns, and even international product diversion. With these insights, you can quickly pinpoint and address root causes, all while minimizing disruptions to your business.
   

Over 88,000 brands have already enrolled in Transparency, and together they’ve verified over 2.5 billion units across 10 countries: the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Australia, India, and Japan.

How Amazon Transparency Works

Amazon Transparency helps you protect your brand by assigning a unique code—usually a 2D barcode or QR code—to each unit of your product. These codes can be printed on labels, embedded in packaging, or tied to your existing serial codes.

When a customer scans the code using the Amazon Shopping or Transparency apps, they can quickly verify the authenticity of the product and learn more about it, like its origin or manufacturing date. If the code is invalid or has been scanned before, they’ll be notified that the product may be counterfeit.

For you as a brand, Transparency gives you the tools to monitor your distribution and quickly spot any unauthorized sellers or suspicious activities that could harm your brand reputation and customer trust.

How to Enroll in Amazon Transparency

Getting started with Amazon Transparency is straightforward. Here’s how to enroll:

1. Register for Amazon Brand Registry 

   To manage your product listings and protect your intellectual property, you first need to register your trademark and sign up for Amazon Brand Registry.
   

2. Submit a Contact Request Form 

   Once you’re in Brand Registry, fill out Amazon’s contact request form to get the enrollment process started. They’ll confirm your eligibility, including verifying your government-registered trademark, GTIN (like UPC, ISBN, or EAN), and your ability to apply unique Transparency codes to every product unit.
   

3. Provide Required Information 

   After Amazon verifies your details, you’ll need to submit a few more pieces of info: your contact details (name, email, phone), your registered brand name, and the ASINs you want to protect.
   

4. Choose Implementation Method 

   Decide how you want to apply the Transparency codes. You can either print and affix labels yourself or have a service provider do it for you. Alternatively, you can design the codes directly into your packaging or link them to your serial codes. Codes are available through the Transparency portal, and you can even automate the process with Amazon’s API.
   

5. Affix Transparency Codes 

   Make sure to apply the Transparency codes to your products before sending them to Amazon fulfillment centers or directly to your customers.
   

6. Pass the Operational Performance Review 

   Once you start labeling your products, Amazon will do a performance review. If you’re using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon will scan the codes when your products arrive. For self-fulfilled orders, you’ll need to confirm the codes in Seller Central. You’ll need a 98% accuracy rate to fully activate Transparency protections.
   

7. Monitor Transparency Codes 

   Use the Transparency portal to track the distribution of your products, check code usage, and review performance reports. These reports give you valuable insights into blocked counterfeit listings, invalid code scans, and any suspicious activities.
   

Note: Amazon charges for Transparency codes (both Amazon-issued and existing serial codes), with volume-based discounts. There are no enrollment or subscription fees.

Price per Code	Number of Codes Generated
$0.05	1 to 1,000,000
$0.03	1,000,001 to 10,000,000
$0.01	10,000,001+

For example, protecting an ASIN with 100 manufactured units would cost $5 for 100 codes.

Why Counterfeiting is Bad for Brands and Customers

Counterfeiting is still a huge issue in ecommerce, and it hurts both brands and customers. Here’s how:

• Brand Reputation: Counterfeit products hurt your brand’s image by delivering low-quality or unsafe products that customers wrongly think are authentic. This can lead to lost trust and a drop in sales.
  

• Consumer Safety: Fake products often bypass quality and safety tests, putting customers at risk of health issues or injury.
  

• Revenue Loss: Counterfeit goods are often sold at lower prices, which means legitimate brands lose out on sales and market share.
  

• Intellectual Property Infringement: Counterfeiters often violate trademarks, copyrights, and patents, which can lead to costly legal battles.
  

Channel Key Takeaway

Counterfeit products and unauthorized sellers continue to be a big challenge for brands in ecommerce. Amazon’s Transparency program, with its unique codes and optional badge, gives you a powerful tool to protect your intellectual property and ensure your customers always get the real deal. Trusted by over 88,000 brands in 10 countries, Transparency is an essential way to safeguard your reputation, build customer trust, and streamline your supply chain. For your customers, it guarantees the authenticity of the products they’re purchasing, making their shopping experience on Amazon safer and more reliable.

For more information or to get started, visit the Amazon Transparency portal or contact the Transparency team directly through the Amazon Shopping or Transparency apps.