What Evidence Should Be Collected When Counterfeits Are Suspected on a Marketplace?

A screenshot alone often does not suffice when a counterfeit product or brand infringement is suspected. An effective platform report or legal assessment needs a traceable record showing the seller, product and date concerned.

A standard digital evidence package therefore provides both speed and consistency in brand protection operations.

Record the listing URL

The full listing URL is a fundamental field. Where possible, record the direct product or seller detail URL rather than a search-results page.

Record seller details separately

Store name
Seller username
Company/legal name if available
Seller profile URL
Contact details
Platform seller ID

Identify the product

Keep product title, brand, model, SKU, barcode, variant and category in separate fields wherever possible.

This makes it easier to analyse different listings from the same seller or the same product recurring across sellers.

Record price and promotion information

List price, discounted price, coupons and promotions can change; retain observed values with a timestamp.

Store images at original resolution

Alongside a full-page screenshot, saving product images separately helps visual comparisons and hashing.

Do not forget the date and time

Digital listings can change or disappear quickly. Clearly record the detection time for every record.

Evidence package contents

URL
Seller details
Product and variant details
Price
Product images
Screenshot
Detection date and time
Risk rationale
Previous infringement link if available
Platform report outcome

Operational implementation and measurement

In a brand protection operation, treat listing URL records, seller details and product identification as parts of the same case record, not as independent checks. For each finding, record the source, product, seller, channel, date and time, risk rationale and action taken in structured fields wherever possible. This supports both individual case review and comparison of the same seller’s or product group’s behaviour over time.

Instead of focusing on total alert volume, track the verified risk rate, false-positive rate, review time, repeat-seller rate and action outcome together. In particular, record the operational answer to “Is a screenshot alone sufficient?” and use expert feedback in subsequent detections. Over time, the monitoring system can become decision support that helps the brand team prioritise cases more accurately, rather than merely finding more records.

Decision matrix and escalation approach

Sound decisions require a verification step between detection and action. Keep listing URL records, seller details and product identification traceable within the same case record. Even a strong signal must not be treated as a definitive infringement finding without assessing commercial impact, data reliability and false-positive risk together. Low-confidence cases can be directed to further data collection, medium-confidence cases to expert review, and high-confidence, high-impact cases to the brand’s defined escalation process.

As the operation matures, measure not just how many records are found, but which records turn out to represent genuine risk. Track source freshness, verification rate, false-positive rate, repeat sellers or accounts, average review time and action outcome together. Linking a recurring risk to its previous case allows the team to use earlier evidence and decisions instead of starting its investigation from scratch. This turns brand protection from isolated screenshots into an auditable, comparable risk management system that can improve over time.

B10 Digital Agency’s approach

B10 Digital Agency evaluates counterfeit products, unauthorised sellers, brand impersonation and digital channel risks using seller, product and channel data, beyond individual listings. The aim is not merely to find infringements, but to turn recurring digital risks into a measurable operational system.

Frequently asked questions

Is a screenshot alone sufficient?

Every case differs. Operationally, retaining it alongside URL, seller, product and date information creates a much stronger record.

Is evidence lost when a listing is removed?

The operational record can be preserved if its URL, screenshot and basic metadata were recorded beforehand.

Can an evidence package contain personal data?

Yes. Data minimisation, access permissions and retention periods must therefore be managed separately.

Should the platform report outcome also be retained?

Yes. Submission date, ticket number and platform response matter for analysing recurring infringements.

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