Counterfeit and inaccurate units can reach your customers even when your own inventory is clean, especially once your brand gets traction. Amazon's answer for brand-registered sellers is Transparency: a product serialization and anti-counterfeiting program that assigns a unique code to every unit.
On Amazon's Transparency page, the program is described as protecting brand integrity from manufacturing to delivery. Once a product is fully protected, a valid Transparency code must accompany every unit listed or shipped in Transparency-supported stores, whether Amazon fulfills the order or you do.
This guide covers eligibility, how codes work for FBA and merchant-fulfilled orders, published code pricing, what customers can scan, and how Transparency fits next to Project Zero, using only what Amazon has published.
Brand protection starts before you enroll in Transparency: a trademark, Brand Registry, clean GTINs, and a product customers can trust. This free checklist helps Bubba Academy students choose products carefully, vet suppliers, and prep a clean first FBA shipment.
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:
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 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.
Amazon's Transparency eligibility page and the sell.amazon.com FAQ list the same core requirements. To enroll, your brand must have:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Transparency only works after Brand Registry. Bubba Academy's step-by-step program shows Amazon sellers how to launch private-label products, enroll in Brand Registry, build listings, and protect what they create as they grow.
When you enroll, Amazon lists several ways to apply codes. The Transparency Service Provider Network page groups the common paths:
Amazon also says that once you enroll, its team can help you choose the option that fits your size, operations, and goals.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Use this sequence only after you confirm eligibility on Amazon's pages:
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.
Bubba Academy trains sellers on product research, supplier quality, Brand Registry, listings, FBA inventory, and ads, so you can grow a brand you are ready to protect with tools like Transparency.
Join Bubba Academy Today →No. Amazon states that once you enroll products, apply Transparency codes, and enable protections, products are automatically protected across all Amazon stores where Transparency is supported.
Amazon says Transparency has no enrollment costs, no subscription costs, and no minimums. You pay when you order codes. Amazon publishes per-code tiers of $0.05, $0.03, and $0.01 by annual volume, and notes fees can vary by geography.
Amazon states that Transparency protections are not active until the product passes the operational performance review you initiate when you begin labeling and shipping coded units.
For Amazon-issued Transparency codes, customers can use the Amazon Shopping app or the Transparency app to scan codes and verify authenticity. Amazon says that customer app scanning is not currently available for products connected with existing serial codes.
No. Amazon says brands do not need to serialize products to use Project Zero's self-service counterfeit removal tool, but brands that combine that tool and automated protections with Transparency see the best results.