Understanding Amazon MAP policy and why it matters for brands

Pricing consistency is critical for brand health. When sellers undercut your prices on Amazon, it damages not only your margins but also your brand perception across every channel. That’s why many brands create a MAP policy to protect their products and pricing.

But what exactly is Amazon’s MAP policy, and how does it work? Let’s break it down.

What is MAP policy in Amazon?

MAP stands for Minimum Advertised Price. A MAP policy is an agreement between a brand and its authorized sellers that sets the lowest price the product can be publicly advertised at.

For example: If your MAP price is $99, a reseller cannot list your product on Amazon at $89 without violating your policy.

Important to note:

• Amazon itself does not enforce MAP policies. Brands are responsible for creating and enforcing them.
• MAP applies to advertised prices, not the final selling price. Sellers can sell below MAP if the discount is revealed later in the checkout process.
• Without enforcement, MAP violations can quickly spiral, causing price erosion across channels.

Why Amazon MAP pricing policy matters

Amazon’s marketplace is competitive, and unauthorized sellers often race to the bottom on pricing. If left unchecked, this can lead to:

• Eroded profit margins for you and your authorized sellers
• Damaged brand reputation as your product looks “cheap”
• Channel conflict with retail partners frustrated by undercut pricing
• Loss of control over your brand’s positioning and value

By having a clear Amazon MAP pricing policy, brands can set expectations and protect their long-term growth.

How to enforce MAP on Amazon

Since Amazon won’t enforce MAP for you, brands need a strategy to monitor and act. Steps include:

1. Monitor your listings regularly to detect price violations.
2. Identify unauthorized sellers who may not be following your policy.
3. Communicate violations to authorized resellers and issue warnings.
4. Take action—including restricting supply or pursuing legal remedies—if sellers continue to break MAP.

How Amify helps brands protect pricing

Managing MAP on Amazon is resource-intensive. At Amify, we help brands safeguard their value by:

• Monitoring marketplace activity to detect MAP violations
• Removing unauthorized sellers through Brand Registry and compliance processes
• Aligning pricing strategy with advertising and catalog optimization
• Protecting margins by ensuring your products aren’t devalued on Amazon

With Amify, brands gain the tools and expertise to defend their MAP policy and maintain consistency across all channels.

Final thoughts

There’s no official Amazon MAP policy—the responsibility is on brands to create and enforce their own. Done right, MAP protects margins, brand reputation, and channel relationships.

If you’re struggling with pricing erosion on Amazon, Amify can help you regain control.