Competitor sabotage by "black hat" sellers is a major, ongoing problem on Amazon and other e-commerce platforms. These unscrupulous sellers use various methods to undermine their competition due to greed, the widespread availability of services to help them do it, and due to the failure of Amazon to police it well.  This problem is unlikely to go away anytime soon, so study up on it! Tactics that we see range from buyers who are posting fake negative reviews to lawyers or “brand protection” agencies making false IP infringement claims. If you suspect you've been targeted by a black hat seller, here's what you can do: Document Everything: Before taking any action, make sure to gather evidence. This could include suspicious orders, fake reviews, messages, or any other relevant information that could prove sabotage. Contact Amazon: Report the issue to Abuse Prevention teams. While they might not always act immediately, having a record of your concerns can be helpful if the problem worsens. Make your case clearly, and concisely, and provide as much evidence as possible. Be ready to escalate it, showing all of the occasions you reported it to abuse prevention teams without seeing appropriate action taken.    Use Amazon's Brand Registry: As a brand owner, enroll in Amazon's Brand Registry. This gives brands increased control over their listings and provides additional tools to combat counterfeiters and sellers breaking policies.  Legal Action: If the sabotage is severe and you can identify the perpetrator, you might consider contacting Amazon Legal directly. Consult with an attorney who specializes in e-commerce or intellectual property and who also has past experience dealing directly with specific attorneys on Amazon Legal teams to discuss your options, Monitor Your Listings: Use expert-level, professionally-vetted software and tools, like Helium 10’s Amazon Fraud Detector & Alerts to monitor your listings for any sudden changes to content, reviews, buy box loss, or other indicators of sabotage. Quick detection will help you address issues faster. Strengthen Your Business: This might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best defense is a good offense. By delivering excellent customer service, gathering genuine (!) positive reviews, and engaging with your customer base, you can build a buffer against obvious negative tactics or brand attacks.  Stay Updated: Remember, black hat tactics evolve, otherwise they wouldn’t work that well nor be employed by fraudster sellers. By staying informed and following content by abuse reporting authorities who cover the latest strategies, you can better prepare and defend yourself against them. Engage a Seasoned Professional: If sabotage continues over a long period, repeats itself or escalates, consider hiring a consultant or a service that specializes in Amazon abuse troubleshooting and problem resolution. Skipping this step may prolong the damage to your brand and encourage the black hats to keep attacking.   Remember that while dealing with sabotage can be incredibly frustrating, it's essential to remain professional and avoid retaliation. Don’t violate Amazon's Terms of Service or further jeopardize your account simply to fend off an attacker, which could be one objective of theirs to begin with.  Always focus on building and maintaining the integrity of your own business.