Product Diversion and Gray Market Investigations

Q: What is product diversion?

Product diversion is the movement of genuine product out of its authorized distribution channel and into unauthorized sellers, often in regions or markets it was never approved for. The goods are real, but they are sold by people who have no authorization to sell them.

Q: What is gray market product?

Gray market product is genuine product sold through channels the brand never authorized. It is not counterfeit and it is not stolen in the usual sense. It has simply left the controlled channel and reached the market through an unauthorized path, which undercuts pricing and breaks channel agreements.

Q: Are gray market products illegal?

Gray market goods are often not illegal to sell in themselves, but the diversion usually breaks distribution contracts and authorized-seller terms and can raise trademark, warranty, and regulatory issues depending on the product and the market. We are investigators, not attorneys, so we deliver the evidence and let your counsel make the legal call.

Q: Are gray market products safe?

Not always. Product made for another region may not meet the standards, labeling, formulation, or voltage required where it is being resold, and it often falls outside your warranty and recall controls. That gap is part of what makes diversion a brand and safety problem, not just a pricing one.

Q: How do you find out who is diverting our product?

We detect your product under unauthorized sellers, document the units through controlled purchases under our investigator license, and trace them back through the resale layer to the distributor or insider who moved them out of channel. You get the identified source and a documented chain, not a guess.

Q: Can you stop unauthorized sellers on Amazon?

We deliver what it takes to stop them: the identity behind the storefront, the connected accounts, and the documented source of the diverted product, packaged for marketplace enforcement, account termination, and contract action by your team and counsel. We build the case so enforcement becomes a straightforward step.

The product is real, so authentication will not help. The question is who leaked it, and we trace it back to the source.

Product diversion is genuine product pulled out of its authorized channel and resold through unauthorized sellers, often in markets it was never approved for. The product is real, so authentication does not help you. The question is not whether it is fake. It is who leaked it, and we trace diverted product back to the exact point your channel broke.

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Why diversion is harder to fight than counterfeiting

✅

The product is genuine

It passes every authenticity check because it is your product. Authentication and most monitoring tools cannot close a diversion case.

⚠

The damage is your channel

Unauthorized sellers undercut your authorized partners, erode pricing, and damage the trust your distribution depends on.

🔐

Only people close it

The only thing that ends a diversion case is identifying the person and the distributor who moved the goods out of channel.

We trace diverted product to the source

STEP 01

Acquire

We buy and document the diverted product from the unauthorized seller.

STEP 02

Decode

We read batch, lot, and serial markings to tie the units to a specific shipment.

STEP 03

Trace

We follow that shipment back to the exact distributor or partner who leaked it.

STEP 04

Prove

We deliver evidence that supports contract enforcement and channel termination.

What lands on your desk

The exact leak point in your channel identified

The distributor or partner who diverted, named

Diverted SKUs, batch and lot codes documented

Unauthorized seller network mapped

Evidence for contract action and termination

Marketplace and platform enforcement support

LicensedFlorida PI · A-1400197

GenuineTraced by code, not authentication

FederalAgency collaboration record

NationwideFlorida based, cases anywhere

Licensed investigators, not a dashboard

Authentication ends a counterfeit question. It does nothing for diversion, because the product is real. Closing a diversion case takes investigation: finding the person and the distributor who moved your goods out of channel, delivered by a licensed Florida private investigator with a record of federal-agency collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

What is product diversion?

Genuine product pulled out of its authorized channel and resold through unauthorized sellers, often in markets it was never approved for. The product is real; the problem is who moved it out of channel and how to stop them.

What is gray market product?

Genuine goods sold outside the manufacturer's authorized distribution, often imported from another region or leaked by a distributor. Real product, unauthorized channel.

Are gray market products illegal?

Often not strictly illegal to sell, but they typically breach distribution agreements, warranty terms, and labeling or trademark rules. The leak that created them usually violates a contract you can enforce once the source is identified.

Are gray market products safe?

Not always. They can bypass regional safety, labeling, storage, and recall controls. For regulated, perishable, or sensitive goods that is a real risk to consumers and a liability for your brand.

How do you find out who is diverting our product?

We acquire and document the diverted units, decode batch and lot markings to tie them to a specific shipment, and trace that shipment back to the distributor or partner who moved it out of channel.

Can you stop unauthorized sellers on Amazon?

We identify the sellers and the source feeding them, and build the evidence to support marketplace enforcement, contract action, and channel termination that cuts off supply, not just one listing.

Diversion and gray market investigations across Florida, city by city: Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale. Statewide overview: Florida brand protection investigations.

Your Examiner

Matt Aubin, CDFE, FBCI

Managing Partner, E3 Legacy Intel · FL Licensed Investigator A-1400197

Every matter on this page is worked under a named, licensed examiner. Matt Aubin brings seventeen years in cybercrime and open source intelligence. He is a Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE), a Florida Board Certified Investigator (FBCI), and a Certified AI Agent Developer, and he has investigated cases jointly with the FBI, the SEC, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals.

His work has been featured on ABC News, Spectrum News, and The Daily Beast, and in a television pilot for Netflix and MAC Pictures as a cybercrime expert. He keynotes nationally and serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Licensed Investigators (FALI). About Matt Aubin

Related investigations

Brand Protection Counterfeit vs Gray Market Counterfeit

LET’S TALK

Bring us the problem. We will tell you plainly whether investigation can help.

Fill out this form and set up a discovery call with us. From there we will analyze the issues you are having and determine your intelligence needs. Then we will develop a custom, no-obligation quote for our services, delivered in writing before you commit to anything.

Where the diverted goods turn out to be outright fakes coming through the Shein and Temu supply chain, see Shein and Temu counterfeit investigations.

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A licensed examiner reads every inquiry. You get a written, flat fee quote before any work starts. Or call (877) 732-6648.