What is MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) and Why It Matters in India
MAP — Minimum Advertised Price — is the lowest price at which authorized sellers are permitted to advertise your product. It's a brand's primary tool for controlling pricing across its distribution network.
On Amazon India, MAP violations are extremely common. A reseller who bought your product at wholesale and undercuts the price by ₹50 can:
- •Steal your Buy Box
- •Erode perceived brand value
- •Trigger a race to the bottom with other authorized sellers
- •Destroy relationships with retail and offline channel partners
Without MAP enforcement, brand equity erodes quickly.
Is MAP Legal in India?
MAP is a contractual arrangement — you include it in your reseller/distributor agreement. It is not price-fixing (which is illegal) because it applies to advertised price, not the price a seller may charge privately.
Amazon itself is not legally bound by MAP agreements (Amazon can price at whatever it chooses). However, Amazon will delist its own inventory below MAP if you are a brand-registered seller and request it through Brand Registry tools.
Step 1: Set Your MAP
MAP should be set at a level that:
- •Protects your direct-to-consumer (D2C) price
- •Allows resellers to make a reasonable margin (typically 15–25%)
- •Is above your online retail price on your own Shopify/website
Example:
- •Manufacturing cost: ₹200
- •Recommended MRP: ₹699
- •MAP: ₹549 (21% below MRP — leaves room for reseller margin)
- •Your own D2C website price: ₹599
Step 2: Include MAP in All Seller Agreements
Every authorized distributor, reseller, or B2B customer who may resell online should sign an agreement that includes:
- •Your MAP price list (updated quarterly)
- •Platform restrictions (e.g., no selling on Meesho without written approval)
- •Consequences for MAP violations (suspension from authorized network)
Without a signed agreement, you have no legal basis to enforce MAP.
Step 3: Monitor Prices on Amazon India
Manual monitoring (checking Amazon daily) is not scalable above 20 ASINs. Tools and methods:
Free monitoring:
- •Amazon's Brand Registry provides a "Report a Violation" tool for IP and listing issues
- •Google Alerts for your brand name + "price" combinations
- •Weekly manual audit of your top 20 ASINs
Paid monitoring tools:
- •BrandPulse (tracks price, Buy Box, and seller changes in real-time for Indian marketplaces)
- •SellerSprite — useful for price history analysis
- •Prisync — global tool with Amazon India support
Set alerts for any price drop > 5% below your MAP threshold.
Step 4: Identify the Violating Seller
When you see a price below MAP, go to the listing → "Other Sellers" → identify who is selling below MAP. Note their Seller ID, seller name, and storefront URL.
If you can't identify them from the public listing:
- •Purchase a unit from the violating seller
- •The invoice/package may reveal their identity (distributor name, address)
- •Cross-reference with your authorized seller list
Step 5: Enforcement Actions
For authorized sellers (signed your agreement):
1. Send a formal MAP violation notice with the screenshot evidence
2. Give a 48-hour correction window
3. If not corrected, suspend their authorized seller status and stop supplying them
For unauthorized sellers (grey market, parallel imports):
1. File an IP Complaint via Amazon Brand Registry → Report a Violation → Right of Publicity or Trademark
2. File a "Counterfeit" or "Inauthentic" report if you have evidence the product is not genuine
3. Send a Cease and Desist letter to the seller's registered address (obtained via Amazon Seller ID lookup tools)
For Amazon itself pricing below MAP:
- •Contact your Amazon Key Account Manager (if you have one)
- •Submit a MAP policy through Brand Registry's pricing support tool
- •Amazon is often cooperative for enrolled Brand Registry brands
Ongoing MAP Management
MAP enforcement is not a one-time activity. Build a weekly process:
- •Monday: Pull price report for top 50 ASINs
- •Review for any prices below MAP threshold
- •Log all violations and resellers
- •Send violation notices within 48 hours
- •Track resolution
Digitrove includes MAP monitoring as part of our account management service — we track price changes across all your ASINs daily and alert you to violations the same day. Contact us to discuss your brand's pricing protection needs.