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Worth mentioning that Amazon does not allow brands to restrict keywords. I.e. Birkenstock knockoffs can buy keywords on the term "Birkenstocks" even though Birk

Worth mentioning that Amazon does not allow brands to restrict keywords. I.e. Birkenstock knockoffs can buy keywords on the term "Birkenstocks" even though Birkenstocks are not on Amazon officially. This strategy is used to essentially force companies to bid against their competitors on their own branding. By Amazon restricting "Alexa" and similar, it is protecting itself against such abuse but it implicitly forces its sellers into this race disclosure: I am a former amazon employee who did not work on marketplace at all

dubcanada 6y ago
Not to take away from your point, as it's a very good one. But "Birkenstocks" from Germany are on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Birkenstock-Unisex-Arizona-Sandal-Birkibuc/dp/B005G1E0D6/ https://www.amazon.com/Birkenstock-Unisex-Arizona-Sandal-Bir... For example
- Ensorceled 6y ago
  Well, to add to his point, the reviews say these are cheap knockoffs and, if you search for just birkenstock, the first item is a competitor, LAVAU ...
  - dubcanada 6y ago
    Oh... I double checked and through it said they were legit and came from Germany. I stand corrected lol How is that even allowed? 18,000 reviews? They honestly look completely legit.
    - Ensorceled 6y ago
      Yeah, it's all down the rabbit hole. If your handle is an indicator, checkout amazon.ca, it is worse.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
      > How is that even allowed? That's a question best directed at Jeff Bezos and consumer protection regulators.
  - srtjstjsj 6y ago
    The few bad reviews might be due to commingled counterfeit inventory
    - dralley 6y ago
      Which is yet another thing that they need to be taken to task for. No other mass retailer has such loosely managed supply chains.
    - samatman 6y ago
      Try and use the word "counterfeit" in an Amazon review: it will be automatically rejected. That indicates a totally unacceptable level of complicity on Amazon's part, and I hope they face criminal sanctions for it. But I'm not holding my breath.
- julianozen 6y ago
  Interesting. I remember Birkenstock’s very publicaly left amazon a few years ago over this problem. Perhaps that was only in the US or perhaps they reached an agreement of some kind with amazon
- ce4 6y ago
  It's not sold by official Birkenstock, so it's either grey market or knockoffs from what I know. Birkenstock had withdrawn their official seller presence from Amazon a few years ago due to commingled counterfeit products and Amazon's unwillingness to fix it.
1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
This is the same strategy used for many years in "domain name business". Trademark holders need to purchase domain registrations as defensive measure. To get the best possible protection under trademark law, there's an implicit obligation to actively pursue enforcement of your trademark. Trademark holders generally cannot "ignore" domain names. They are forced into the race.

dubcanada 6y ago

Not to take away from your point, as it's a very good one. But "Birkenstocks" from Germany are on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Birkenstock-Unisex-Arizona-Sandal-Birkibuc/dp/B005G1E0D6/ https://www.amazon.com/Birkenstock-Unisex-Arizona-Sandal-Bir... For example

Ensorceled 6y ago
Well, to add to his point, the reviews say these are cheap knockoffs and, if you search for just birkenstock, the first item is a competitor, LAVAU ...
- dubcanada 6y ago
  Oh... I double checked and through it said they were legit and came from Germany. I stand corrected lol How is that even allowed? 18,000 reviews? They honestly look completely legit.
  - Ensorceled 6y ago
    Yeah, it's all down the rabbit hole. If your handle is an indicator, checkout amazon.ca, it is worse.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
    > How is that even allowed? That's a question best directed at Jeff Bezos and consumer protection regulators.
- srtjstjsj 6y ago
  The few bad reviews might be due to commingled counterfeit inventory
  - dralley 6y ago
    Which is yet another thing that they need to be taken to task for. No other mass retailer has such loosely managed supply chains.
  - samatman 6y ago
    Try and use the word "counterfeit" in an Amazon review: it will be automatically rejected. That indicates a totally unacceptable level of complicity on Amazon's part, and I hope they face criminal sanctions for it. But I'm not holding my breath.
julianozen 6y ago
Interesting. I remember Birkenstock’s very publicaly left amazon a few years ago over this problem. Perhaps that was only in the US or perhaps they reached an agreement of some kind with amazon
ce4 6y ago
It's not sold by official Birkenstock, so it's either grey market or knockoffs from what I know. Birkenstock had withdrawn their official seller presence from Amazon a few years ago due to commingled counterfeit products and Amazon's unwillingness to fix it.

1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago

This is the same strategy used for many years in "domain name business". Trademark holders need to purchase domain registrations as defensive measure. To get the best possible protection under trademark law, there's an implicit obligation to actively pursue enforcement of your trademark. Trademark holders generally cannot "ignore" domain names. They are forced into the race.