Transparency by Amazon
- Christian Bedard
- Nov 14, 2019
- 2 min read
Transparency by Amazon was launched by Amazon to combat fake products. At first it was for its own line of Amazon products and then be available to third-party sellers end of 2017.
Amazon is now offering Transparency to all countries like: The United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and India.
you can get more detail from Amazon here:
How does Transparency by Amazon work?
When a brand signs a product up for Transparency by Amazon, they are given a series of T-shaped 2D barcodes. These codes are unique to each product the brand manufactures and are applied to the product’s packaging.
According to the official FAQ, Transparency is the only entity that owns and can generate the unique barcodes that the program uses. This centralization prevents codes from being faked by unscrupulous third-parties. Also, Transparency keeps a record of every code generated as well as the product they are generated for, so that investigators will be able to cross-reference codes and verify authenticity.
Amazon Fulfillment Centers then scan each product that passes through their facility. Products enrolled into the Transparency program that are not marked with the right Transparency code or don’t have a code at all are pulled from shipment and investigated according to Amazon’s anti-counterfeit policies.
Amazon customers within the United States can download a Transparency by Amazon app and authenticate the product themselves using their mobile devices. When a customer scans the product’s Transparency code, they will be able to see the product’s manufacturing date, manufacturing location, and additional product information such as ingredients. This additional product information is provided by the brand at their discretion.
How much does it cost?
Although Amazon has not publicly stated any prices for the Transparency by Amazon program, brands can expect to pay anywhere from $0.01 to $0.05 per code based on volume.
Since each code is unique to every individual unit produced, a shipment of 5,000 Transparency-verified products can cost you up to $250. Not a bad deal when you consider how much you could potentially lose to counterfeiters.
How do I sign up?
To enroll in Transparency by Amazon, you will need to:
verify you are the legitimate brand owner of the product.
display a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) such as a UPC code or EAN on your products.
have the ability to apply a unique Transparency code on every unit you manufacture.
Conclusion
Like any program, Transparency by Amazon comes with both pros and cons. The additional layer of authentication is good, but it does lead to higher manufacturing and fulfillment costs.
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