6 Risks When Monitor-Pricing Products Are Resold — and 6 Easily Implementable Countermeasures

Are you facing issues such as “products sold at monitor pricing being resold” or wondering “how can we stop monitor-priced products being resold”?

Because monitor-priced products often sell at significantly discounted rates compared to the regular retail price, they are prone to resale. Preventing resale requires combining several countermeasures.

In this article, we discuss how monitor-priced products end up being resold, three responses when resale has happened, and six countermeasures you can implement right away. We also explain the risks companies face when resale occurs. Please use this as a reference.

1. How Monitor-Priced Products End Up Being Resold

Monitor-priced products are frequently offered at deep discounts (e.g., 90% off) and thus often yield a profit even when sold at the regular price. 

As a result, they attract resellers.
Similarly, “first-time-only” items with discounts are also increasingly targeted by resellers.
There are three main reasons why monitor-priced products are resold:

1. Because the product was significantly cheaper than normal, making resale profitable.
2. Because after purchase, the customer realized the product didn’t suit them.
3. Because although the price was attractive, on reflection they didn’t really need the product (impulse purchase).

Types 2 and 3 tend to happen when a consumer overlooks product information or buys spontaneously.
Conversely, Type 1 resale is triggered by intentional resellers targeting the cheap, limited offerings—and in such cases stockpiling and artificial price increases are more likely.

2. Six Risks When Monitor-Priced Products Are Resold

Here are six potential risks a business faces when its monitor-priced products end up being resold:

Risk 1: Customers stop buying from your own shop

When monitor-priced items appear on resale platforms such as second-hand marketplaces or auction sites, consumers may purchase there instead of your official site, resulting in a drop in direct sales.

Risk 2: Advertising costs increase

Resale can cause the product to flow into unexpected customer segments; when the intended number of reviews or feedback is not achieved, additional advertising may be required, increasing costs beyond the original budget.

Risk 3: Brand image deteriorates

Resold items—especially those handled by resellers who may not ensure proper quality or after-sales support—can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Allowing this to continue unaddressed may harm your brand’s reputation.

Risk 4: The monitor campaign objective is not met

The purpose of selling at monitor price is usually to have target users try the product and provide feedback. If resellers buy the products, the intended objective may not be fulfilled (e.g., survey responses don’t arrive).

Risk 5: Pre-release product information leaks

Monitor-pricing often applies to products not yet released. When these are resold, there’s a risk that information about them will leak externally—even if you carefully selected the target participants.

Risk 6: Your company becomes a target for resellers

If your products are seen as easy to resell (e.g., due to weak controls), you may become a repeat target for resellers, making future offerings vulnerable as well.

3. Three Responses When Resale Has Occurred

If you detect that monitor-priced items are being resold, you can take the following actions:

Response 1: Contact the platform operator and request delisting

When you find your product listed on resale platforms, notify the site operator of the violation and ask for the listing to be suspended. If the platform acknowledges it as malicious resale, they may remove the listing and record your report. Although removal is not guaranteed, this is an effective first step.
Example: On platforms such as Bukalapak,Tokopedia, and OLX Indonesia, follow the respective steps to report.

Response 2: Negotiate with the seller to withdraw the listing

If platform intervention is ineffective, directly message the reseller—particularly if the listing violates a resale prohibition noted at purchase (e.g., high-value resale, no-inventory resale)—and request the listing’s withdrawal. The sooner you act (before transaction completes), the better.

Response 3: Consult police or a lawyer if malicious

In cases of unauthorized resale, large-scale reselling, or significant business impact, you may need to seek legal advice. While resale per se is not always illegal, it may violate your terms of use or local laws (e.g., unlicensed sale of regulated items). When in doubt, consult a legal professional.

4. Five Preventive Measures to Avoid Resale of Monitor-Priced Products

The above responses occur after resale has happened. To prevent resale before it occurs, consider layering the following measures:

Measure 1: Avoid giving away products for free or setting the monitor price too low

If a product is offered for free or at an extremely low price, it becomes highly attractive to resellers. Set a pricing level that is attractive but not so low as to make resale instantly profitable.

Measure 2: Clearly indicate a “resale prohibited” clause

Make it explicit in the purchasing process that resale is prohibited (e.g., add a checkbox for consent, display prominent messaging). Without clarity, enforcement may be difficult.

Measure 3: Design the feedback questionnaire carefully

When you ask recipients to submit usage feedback, make the process straightforward yet meaningful. Overly complex or tedious surveys may cause genuine users to skip them and resellers to step in.

Measure 4: Regularly monitor resale platforms for your products

Conduct periodic checks on second-hand and auction sites for listings of your monitor-priced items. If found, respond according to your protocol above. Especially check soon after a product launch or bulk increase in sales.

Measure 5: Implement a fraud-detection system

Using a system that analyses transaction data can help prevent resale-linked misuse. By leveraging accumulated negative data, you can detect and block transactions likely to lead to resale. For example, using a fraud-detection service such as 不正チェッカー or O‑PLUX (provided by the authoring company) may be beneficial.

5. Summary

We have explained why monitor-priced products tend to be resold, what risks this poses, how to respond when it happens, and how to proactively prevent it.
While resale of monitor-priced items is not generally a crime in itself, when resellers exploit your products it can lead to serious consequences such as:

• Decline in direct shop purchases
• Damage to brand image
• Becoming a repetitive target for resellers

Countermeasures you should consider include:

• Clearly stating “resale prohibited”
• Regularly monitoring resale platforms
• Introducing fraud-detection services

Resale does not only occur with monitor-priced products. In e-commerce, fraudulent orders arise more frequently than in brick-and-mortar retail, and they can inflict significant losses. Effective measures against fraudulent orders are essential for online business.

We hope you will use these insights to protect your monitor-priced products from malicious resellers.