Amazon and Temu: How Duplicate Listings, New Regulations, and Penalties Shape Cross-Border E-Commerce This Black Friday

As Black Friday 2025 approaches, the cross-border e-commerce landscape is abuzz with activity—and regulatory shifts. For U.S.-based Amazon sellers and e-commerce brands, understanding the latest developments on platforms like Temu, especially around duplicate listings, new regulations, penalties, and how they intersect with peak shopping events like Black Friday is crucial. Let’s dive into what these changes mean for your business and how to stay compliant and competitive.

Temu’s Crackdown on Duplicate Listings: What Sellers Need to Know

In early November 2025, Temu rolled out a stringent new policy targeting duplicate listings, marking a significant shift in how the platform polices seller behavior. The regulation, effective November 1, 2025, introduces a three-tier penalty structure for non-compliance:

Severe Duplication: Sellers with heavily duplicated active products under the same entity face permanent account restriction with no appeal.
Partial Duplication: Those with some duplicated items will endure temporary product restrictions and long-term limits on active listings.
Defiant Behavior: Tactics like swapping images/designs or using meaningless specifications to bypass rules will also trigger permanent restrictions once a threshold is met.

For U.S. sellers, this means you can no longer rely on creating near-identical product links across your Temu store. The platform now defines duplicate listings as products with identical or highly similar “titles, images, detailed descriptions, and other key attributes”—a standard that mirrors Amazon’s own efforts to combat listing spam. Multiple sellers have already reported link removals due to alleged duplicate listing violations, so proactivity is key.

Why Temu Is Enforcing This Now (and What It Means for Black Friday)

Temu’s crackdown isn’t arbitrary. Two core factors drive it:

Supply-Side Homogeneity: Temu’s early growth relied on massive listing volumes, but this led to severe product homogeneity. Now, the platform aims to reduce internal competition and improve product quality.
Operational Efficiency: As Black Friday season strains Temu’s traffic, storage, and logistics, culling duplicate listings helps optimize traffic distribution—ensuring genuine, unique products get visibility.

For U.S. brands selling on Temu, this means auditing your listings now to remove duplicates. Otherwise, you risk losing product visibility just as Black Friday demand peaks.

Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform Reviews: Amazon vs. Temu This Black Friday

While Temu’s new rules dominate headlines, Amazon continues its own platform reviews—and both platforms’ approaches will shape your Black Friday strategy.

Amazon’s Long-Standing Stance on Duplicate Listings

Amazon has long penalized duplicate listings, with penalties ranging from listing removal to account suspension. For U.S. sellers, this means adhering to Amazon’s strict “one product, one listing” policy. However, Amazon’s enforcement often focuses on brand integrity and customer experience, whereas Temu’s 2025 update is more about cutting operational bloat.

This Black Friday, Amazon sellers should refresh listings to ensure uniqueness—especially if you’re also selling on Temu. Cross-platform duplication (even if not identical) can raise red flags during peak-season reviews.

Navigating Dual-Platform Compliance

If you operate on both Amazon and Temu, your challenge is twofold:

Ensure listings are unique to each platform (different titles, descriptions, or even slight product variations).
Stay ahead of each platform’s new regulations and penalty structures.

For example, a product listed on Amazon as “Premium Organic Cotton T-Shirt” might need to be repositioned on Temu as “Eco-Friendly Cotton Tee for Daily Wear” to avoid duplication flags—while still targeting the same U.S. consumer base.

Black Friday 2025: Seizing Opportunities Amid Regulatory Shifts

Black Friday remains a make-or-break period for cross-border e-commerce. Here’s how to leverage the current landscape:

Optimize Listings for Uniqueness

Audit your Temu and Amazon listings. For Temu, rewrite product titles, update images, and refine descriptions to highlight unique selling points (USPs). On Amazon, double-check that your listings adhere to brand guidelines and aren’t inadvertently duplicated across your catalog.

Leverage Platform-Specific Promotions

Temu’s Black Friday runs from October 9 to November 29, with pre-heat (October 9–November 1) and active (October 31–November 29) phases. Amazon’s events will likely overlap, so tailor promotions to each platform’s timeline. For example, use Temu’s early pre-heat period to drive awareness, then shift to Amazon for post-Temu Black Friday deals.

Monitor Penalties and Appeals

If you receive a duplicate listing penalty, act fast. For Temu, some penalties are non-appealable (like permanent restrictions), so prevention is better than cure. For Amazon, follow appeal processes diligently, providing evidence of unique product attributes.

Call to Action: Stay Ahead of the Curve

Navigating duplicate listing rules, new regulations, and penalties on Temu and Amazon while capitalizing on Black Friday requires expertise. If you’re a U.S.-based Amazon seller or e-commerce brand feeling overwhelmed, reach out to our team. We specialize in cross-border e-commerce compliance, listing optimization, and Black Friday strategy. Let’s ensure your business thrives amid platform changes—contact us today for a free consultation.Schedule Your Free Consultation

FAQs

1. What counts as a “duplicate listing” on Temu vs. Amazon?

On Temu, it’s products with identical/highly similar titles, images, descriptions, and key attributes. On Amazon, it includes identical ASINs or listings that mislead customers about product uniqueness. Both platforms penalize attempts to game the system with minor tweaks.

2. Can I sell the same product on both Amazon and Temu?

Yes, but you must make listings unique. Adjust titles, descriptions, and even packaging details to avoid duplication flags. Think of it as positioning the same product for different audiences or value propositions.

3. How do I recover from a duplicate listing penalty on Temu or Amazon?

For Temu, permanent restrictions can’t be appealed, so focus on preventing violations. For Amazon and non-permanent Temu penalties, follow appeal processes closely, providing clear evidence of product uniqueness. Working with a compliance expert can also speed up resolution.