02

Selling Model Strategy — 1P, 3P & Hybrid

"The most important Amazon decision most brands made by accident."

Selling to Amazon, on Amazon, or through third-party sellers — these are three fundamentally different business relationships with different tradeoffs around pricing control, operational complexity, retail channel impact, and long-term brand equity.

Many brands are in the model they're in because that's how it started — not because they evaluated the options and chose deliberately. A 1P relationship that made sense at $500K may not make sense at $5M when retail partners are noticing the price gap. A reseller-only approach that worked when distribution was tight gets complicated when the catalog grows.

We help you understand what your current model is actually costing you — in margin, channel conflict, and control — and design the structure that fits where your brand is going. No judgment about where you've been. Real clarity about what the options are.

Discuss your selling model →

Current Model Assessment

Honest audit of your 1P, 3P, or hybrid setup — what it's enabling, what it's limiting, and where it's creating friction with your other channels.

1P to 3P Transition Planning

For brands evaluating a move from Vendor Central to Seller Central — transition roadmap, operational requirements, risk assessment, and timeline.

Hybrid Model Design

Many brands benefit from operating both 1P and 3P across different product lines or categories. We design the right split and the governance that keeps it clean.

Retail Channel Impact Analysis

How does your current Amazon selling model affect your retail accounts? We map the conflict points and identify the structural fixes that protect both channels.

1P — Vendor Central

Selling to Amazon

Amazon is your wholesale customer. Simpler operationally. No pricing control — Amazon sets the retail price and can price below MAP.

3P — Seller Central

Selling on Amazon

You sell direct to consumers. More operational complexity. Full pricing authority. The foundation for real channel control.

3P+ — Resellers

Selling through sellers

Your products reach Amazon through distributors and resellers. Default for many brands. Requires active management to maintain standards.

03

Reseller Alignment & Control

"Find out who's selling your products — then decide who should be."

Every unauthorized seller on your ASINs represents a distribution leak somewhere in your supply chain. They're not appearing from nowhere — someone sold to them, and tracing that path is the first step toward closing it. We map every seller on every listing, classify authorized versus unauthorized, trace supply sources through test purchases and distribution records, and build the enforcement infrastructure that reduces unauthorized activity over time.

This isn't about eliminating every reseller overnight. It's about having a system — documented, consistent, and credible — so your distribution partners understand that the rules apply to everyone.

Start with a reseller audit →

Full Reseller Audit

Map every active seller across your catalog. Classify each as authorized, unauthorized-known, unauthorized-unknown, or suspected bad actor.

Supply Chain Investigation

Trace unauthorized sellers back to their supply source through test purchases, lot code analysis, and distribution record review.

Authorized Seller Program

Build a formal program with written authorization agreements, MAP terms, content standards, and a documented escalation process.

Enforcement & Ongoing Monitoring

Systematic escalation process applied consistently. Automated monitoring across your catalog with violation alerts and response support.

04

MAP/UPP Policy & Enforcement

"A MAP/UPP policy that exists on paper doesn't protect your margin. Enforcement does."

Most brands with MAP problems don't have a policy problem — they have an enforcement problem. The policy exists. Warning emails go out. Sellers come back into compliance for a week, then violate again, because they've learned there are no real consequences. One reseller who tests the limits and finds none changes the behavior of everyone who's watching.

We advise on MAP/UPP policies that can be set at viable price points, communicated clearly to your distribution network, monitored automatically, and enforced through a process that is fast, consistent, and followed to completion every time. The policy structure is yours — we analyze it for gaps, flag legal risk, and recommend the architecture that actually holds under pressure.

Talk about MAP/UPP enforcement →

MAP/UPP Policy Advisory

We review and advise on your MAP/UPP policy structure — pricing levels, legal framing, and distribution model fit. We analyze for gaps and loopholes that sellers will find before you do.

Automated Violation Monitoring

Real-time price monitoring across your catalog. Alert thresholds set at MAP — you know the moment a violation occurs, not after it cascades.

Escalation Process Design

Documented, consistent escalation from first notice through authorization review — applied the same way every time, to every seller.

Distribution Network Communication

Violation notice templates, distributor communication guidance, and support for the conversations that happen upstream of the reseller.

05

Channel Strategy

"How you sell matters as much as what you sell."

Channel strategy is the framework that decides who sells your products, where, under what terms, and with what boundaries. Getting it right means your channels support each other. Getting it wrong means they quietly undermine each other — through pricing conflict, reseller proliferation, and distribution agreements that were written before Amazon existed.

This work is strategic and structural. It involves understanding your current distribution model honestly, evaluating where exclusivity or restriction makes business sense, and building the agreements and configurations that create legitimate channel separation — without crossing into price-fixing territory.

Talk about your channel structure →

Channel Conflict Diagnosis

Map where Amazon pricing is creating friction with retail accounts — and quantify what that friction is actually costing you.

Reseller Exclusivity Assessment

Should your distribution be open or restricted? We evaluate whether exclusivity makes strategic sense for your brand — and what the tradeoffs are at each level of your supply chain.

SKU & Bundle Configuration Strategy

Different product configurations across channels create natural price comparison barriers between Amazon and retail. Bundle strategy and SKU architecture as a channel tool.

Distribution Agreement Review

Audit and update distribution agreements to support channel control — the upstream foundation that makes downstream enforcement work.

06

Brand Protection & Listing Ownership

"You built the brand. You should own the listing."

Your product detail page is your Amazon shelf. If a reseller controls the content — or if multiple sellers are submitting competing edits — your brand is being represented by whoever last touched the listing. Wrong images, inaccurate descriptions, missing attributes, outdated packaging. These aren't just cosmetic problems. They affect conversion, search ranking, and customer experience in ways that compound over time.

We ensure your brand controls the authoritative listing for every ASIN, guide Brand Registry enrollment and utilization, and put systems in place to catch and correct unauthorized content changes before they do lasting damage.

Protect your listings →

Brand Registry Enrollment & Setup

Full guidance on Amazon Brand Registry — enrollment, trademark requirements, and activating every protection and tool it provides.

Listing Ownership & Control

Establish your brand as the authoritative content source for every ASIN — and monitor for unauthorized changes that revert your work.

Counterfeit & Inauthentic Product Monitoring

Identify counterfeit or inauthentic listings through Project Zero and Report a Violation. Test purchase protocols and documentation for escalation.

IP Complaint Management

Navigate Amazon's IP complaint and counter-notice system — both filing complaints against infringers and responding to complaints filed against you.

07

Amazon Advertising & Brand Presence Strategy

"You may not control who wins the sale — but you control what the customer sees around it."

Brands approach Amazon advertising differently than sellers do — and they should. As a brand, your advertising goals aren't just about capturing the next conversion. They're about owning your name in search, protecting your product pages from competitors, coordinating with authorized sellers on promotional timing, and ensuring that your brand presence is consistent and compelling regardless of which authorized seller happens to hold the sale.

We advise on advertising strategy built around what brands actually control: Sponsored Brands that own your brand name at the top of search, Sponsored Products that protect your product pages, A+ content and storefront presence that tells your brand story — and coordination with your authorized seller network so ad spend and promotional activity work together rather than against each other.

Build your brand ad strategy →

Sponsored Brands & Brand Name Defense

Own the top of search on your brand name. A competitor advertising on your branded keywords is a solved problem — but only if you're there first.

Product Page Protection

Competitors can advertise on your product detail pages. We advise on placement strategy that displaces competitor ads with your own cross-promotional content — and how to structure that coordination with your authorized sellers.

Authorized Seller Ad Coordination

When multiple authorized sellers are running Sponsored Products on the same ASINs, they can inadvertently compete against each other. We coordinate to prevent wasted spend and price pressure from your own reseller network.

Amazon Storefront & Brand Content

Your Amazon Store and A+ content are brand assets. We advise on structure, messaging, and optimization strategy — and guide your team or creative partners through execution to tell your brand story, support conversion, and give customers a reason to buy from your authorized channel.

Listing Content & Conversion Optimization

Traffic — whether organic or paid — only converts if the listing earns it. Titles, bullets, images, and A+ content reviewed and improved against current best practices.

Promotional Strategy & Timing

Prime Day, Black Friday, seasonal promotions — brand advertising and pricing strategy coordinated around key retail moments to maximize brand benefit rather than just unit velocity.

08

Analytics, Reporting & Ongoing Advisory

"Channel control requires visibility. We build the dashboard that shows you whether it's holding."

Strategy without measurement is just intention. The metrics that tell you whether your channel strategy is working — Buy Box ownership by ASIN, unauthorized seller count trends, MAP compliance rate, average selling price trajectory — exist in Amazon's reporting infrastructure, but surfacing them consistently requires a framework most brands don't have in place.

We build the reporting cadence, set the thresholds that trigger action, and provide the ongoing advisory support to interpret what you're seeing and adjust the strategy when the marketplace shifts. Not a quarterly check-in — an ongoing relationship with someone who understands your account.

Set up your reporting framework →

Buy Box Ownership Reporting

Weekly tracking of Buy Box % across your priority ASINs. Who holds it, at what price, and whether the trend is moving in the right direction.

Reseller Activity Monitoring

Unauthorized seller count, new entrant alerts, pricing violation frequency — the leading indicators of whether your channel controls are holding.

Pricing Floor & MAP Compliance

Average selling price by ASIN, MAP compliance rate across the catalog, and price floor breach frequency tracked over time.

Monthly Strategy Reviews

Regular calls to review performance data, discuss what's changed in the marketplace, and adjust strategy before small problems become large ones.

Not sure which service fits your situation?

Book a 30-minute call. We'll tell you where we think the highest-impact work is.

Book a Brand Call