Amazon Transparency: Authenticate Products and Block Counterfeits

What Amazon Transparency Is

Amazon describes Transparency as a product serialization service and anti-counterfeiting program. Unique codes let Amazon verify that only authentic, accurate items ship to customers and help stop counterfeits from reaching buyers. The same page lists three jobs the program is built to do:

• Verify product authenticity with unique codes on every unit, for FBA and seller-fulfilled orders.
• Engage customers after purchase when you use Amazon-issued codes, through the Amazon Shopping app or the Transparency app.
• Optimize the supply chain with batch- or lot-level visibility so you can spot issues and fix root causes with less disruption.

Amazon also publishes program scale on that page (Amazon internal data, May 2026): more than 90,000 brands enrolled, more than 2.7 billion product units verified as genuine, and protection available in 10 countries when you enroll.

Transparency vs Brand Registry Tools

Transparency sits in the brand toolkit next to Brand Stores, Vine, Brand Analytics, and A+ Content on the Brand Registry hub. It does not replace Brand Registry. You enroll in Transparency with Brand Registry credentials, so Registry comes first. For enrollment basics, see our guide to Amazon Brand Registry.

Eligibility: What You Need Before You Enroll

Amazon's Transparency eligibility page and the sell.amazon.com FAQ list the same core requirements. To enroll, your brand must have:

• An Amazon Brand Registry account associated with your brand's trademark, with the rights owner role
• An active, registered trademark for your brand
• A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) for each product you want to enroll (Amazon names UPC, ISBN, or EAN as examples)

Extra Requirements by Code Type

If you will apply Amazon-issued Transparency codes, Amazon also requires the ability to add codes to every unit you manufacture, regardless of where those units are sold.

If you will connect existing serial codes, Amazon requires unique codes for every unit of a GTIN or SKU; externally scannable codes in 1D, QR, or 2D formats with barcodes on the same side of the packaging as the GTIN; serialized numbers 7 to 20 characters long; and the ability to share all serial numbers for that GTIN or SKU with Amazon.

Where You Can Enroll and Where Protection Applies

Amazon lists Transparency-supported stores as the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Australia, India, and Japan. Eligible enrollment origins are the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, India, Japan, and China. Amazon notes that brands from Australia are not currently eligible to enroll, but brands enrolled from other eligible origins still receive protection in the Australia store. Once products are enrolled, coded, and protections are enabled, Amazon says they are automatically protected across all Transparency-supported stores — you do not enroll separately per store.

How Transparency Codes Work

Amazon says the program uses serialization technology to assign a unique code to every unit of an enrolled product. Those codes can be scanned through the supply chain for counterfeit detection and authenticity checks in Transparency-supported stores.

Amazon-Issued Codes

Each Amazon-issued Transparency code is a unique, alphanumeric, non-sequential code applied as a small square barcode on the product's packaging. Amazon owns and controls the code-generation protocol and keeps a record of every code generated and the product it belongs to. Customers can download the Transparency app or use the Amazon Shopping app to scan those codes and see whether the code is valid. Brands may also share extra product information such as images, videos, or promotions after a scan.

Existing Serial Codes Connected to Transparency

If you already serialize products, Amazon lets you connect those serials so you can enroll faster with no packaging changes. The core authenticity and accuracy checks still apply. Amazon states that brands on existing serials do not currently get customer authenticity verification through app scanning, or the customer engagement benefits available with Amazon-issued codes. Amazon's feature comparison also lists a possible Transparency badge on the product detail page only on the Amazon-issued path.

What Both Paths Share

According to Amazon's feature table, both code types support counterfeit prevention (units cannot be listed, shipped, and sold without valid codes, whether FBA or seller-fulfilled), incorrect variation prevention, international product diversion protection, and supply-chain defect reduction (batch or lot, manufacturing facilities, distribution partners, and customer comments tied to returns).

On cost, Amazon's Transparency FAQ states there are no enrollment costs, no subscription costs, and no minimums. You pay when you order codes. Amazon publishes per-code tiers of $0.05 (1 to 1,000,000), $0.03 (1,000,001 to 10,000,000), and $0.01 (10,000,001+), with annual volume resetting on the account creation date. Confirm current pricing in the Transparency portal before a large order.

Applying Codes: Self-Print, Partners, and Bring-Your-Own

When you enroll, Amazon lists several ways to apply codes. The Transparency Service Provider Network page groups the common paths:

• Self-print labels — download codes from the portal and print in-house; Amazon describes this as a popular starting point for small and medium brands, with no minimum orders or lead times when you print yourself.
• Pre-printed labels from trusted partners — low-cost, fast delivery without buying equipment.
• Service providers and co-packers — hand off labeling, packing, and shipping.
• Print codes directly on packaging — often lowest per-unit cost for larger brands, with upfront artwork/process investment.
• Print workflow software — integrate code ordering into existing systems.
• Bring your own codes — connect an existing serialization provider.
• Regional integration partners (China) — for China-based sellers using ERP-style end-to-end workflows.

Amazon also says that once you enroll, its team can help you choose the option that fits your size, operations, and goals.

Operational Performance Review: When Protections Go Live

Enrolling and labeling is not enough by itself. Amazon states that Transparency protections are not active until the product passes an operational performance review, which you initiate when you begin labeling and shipping coded units.

• Self-fulfilled (merchant-fulfilled) orders: Contact Transparency support to start the review, and provide Transparency codes at order confirmation in Seller Central so Amazon can monitor enrolled units.
• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Use the Transparency portal to initiate the review. Codes are scanned when units arrive at the Amazon fulfillment center.

After that, every unit needs a valid Amazon Transparency code — Amazon-issued or an existing serial connected to Transparency — or it will not pass the Transparency check. If a unit fails, Amazon says it investigates and notifies you. You monitor results in the Transparency portal.

What the Performance Report Shows

Once products are fully protected, Amazon's portal performance report includes units blocked from shipment for missing or invalid codes, scans where codes did not match the enrolled product, listing attempts rejected for missing valid codes, and notices of suspected counterfeit infringement.

How Transparency Protects Listings and Shipments

Amazon's FAQ is direct: once products are fully protected, they cannot be listed in Transparency-supported stores without valid Transparency codes that match the enrolled product. That covers listing attempts as well as physical units in the supply chain.

Transparency can also stop the wrong version of an otherwise authentic product. Amazon says its checks can identify and prevent shipment of materially different products that differ in materials, compatibility, color, or language, or that do not meet regulatory requirements for Transparency-supported stores.

That matters for private-label sellers who share factories or catalogs across markets: international diversion protection is listed as a shared feature for both Amazon-issued and existing serial paths. Pair this with strong listing content — see our guides to product image requirements and A+ Content — so customers who scan a code still land on accurate expectations. Customer experience issues that show up as returns still matter separately; our Voice of the Customer / NCX guide and FBA returns guide cover that side.

Transparency and Project Zero Together

Project Zero is Amazon's brand-protection program that combines automated protections, a self-service counterfeit removal tool, and optional serialization through Transparency. Amazon says brands that combine the removal tool and automated protections with Transparency's serialization see the best results. Serialization is not required to use the self-service removal tool.

After eligibility requirements are met, Amazon states that enrollment and the self-service counterfeit removal tool are free, and automated protections are provided at no cost. Brands that enroll in serialization through Transparency pay for codes (Amazon notes volume discounts may be offered). Project Zero eligibility includes a Brand Registry rights-owner account, recent use of Report a Violation with at least a 90% acceptance rate in the last six months, and a history of using those tools in line with Amazon's policies. Amazon also requires a short training at enrollment and says brands must maintain at least a 99% accuracy rate on removals to keep access.

Account-level policy risk is still tracked separately on Account Health. For that dashboard, see our guide to the Amazon Account Health Rating.

A Practical Rollout Checklist for Brand-Registered Sellers

Use this sequence only after you confirm eligibility on Amazon's pages:

1. Confirm Brand Registry rights-owner access and that each ASIN you plan to protect has a GTIN.
2. Enroll the brand in Transparency with Brand Registry credentials, then add products and users in the Transparency portal.
3. Choose a code path (Amazon-issued vs existing serials) and an application method (self-print, partner labels, co-packer, or on-pack print).
4. Label a pilot SKU end-to-end, including every unit you manufacture for that GTIN if you use Amazon-issued codes.
5. Initiate the operational performance review the Amazon way for your fulfillment type (portal for FBA; support plus order-confirmation codes for merchant-fulfilled).
6. Watch the portal report for blocked units, mismatched scans, rejected listings, and suspected counterfeit notices after protections go live.
7. Decide whether Project Zero belongs in the same week: if you already use Report a Violation cleanly, check Project Zero eligibility and keep Transparency on the SKUs that need physical serialization.

After authenticity is locked down, keep testing listing content with Manage Your Experiments and protect offer competitiveness with our Featured Offer / Buy Box guide.

Your next step: Open Amazon's Transparency eligibility checklist, confirm rights-owner status and GTINs for your top brand-registered ASIN, and decide whether Amazon-issued codes or existing serials fit how you manufacture today.