Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies are a brand's first line of defense against price erosion on Amazon. Yet most brands have a MAP policy on paper that no one actually enforces. Here's how to build one that works.
The Amazon buy box algorithm rewards the lowest price. This creates a race to the bottom — sellers cut prices to win the buy box, authorized distributors follow suit to stay competitive, and your MAP policy becomes meaningless within weeks.
A MAP policy must be a unilateral policy — not an agreement signed by resellers. The legal distinction matters. Work with a trademark attorney to draft a policy that protects you while remaining enforceable.
Manual monitoring doesn't scale. Use software that tracks your ASINs 24/7 and alerts you within minutes of a violation. The faster you catch violations, the less damage they cause.
Selective enforcement is almost as bad as no enforcement. If you let one authorized seller slide, others will notice. Your enforcement process should be systematic: warning, final notice, then termination of the reseller relationship.
MAP is much easier to enforce when you have an authorized reseller program with clear terms. Limiting distribution to vetted partners dramatically reduces violations.
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