A minimum advertised price (MAP) policy sets the lowest price at which authorized resellers may advertise a product, while leaving the actual selling price to them. In the US, a manufacturer can usually adopt one unilaterally and stop supplying resellers who ignore it. In the EU, imposed minimum advertised prices are generally treated as resale price maintenance.
A minimum advertised price (MAP) policy sets the lowest price at which resellers may advertise your product. It is meant to protect the value of the brand and the margins of retailers who invest in service, without dictating the final price. How far you can go with one depends heavily on where you sell: US and EU competition rules treat MAP very differently.
This article explains what a MAP policy is, what it looks like on marketplaces, the legal context in plain words, how brands monitor and enforce it, and where it stops working. It is general information, not legal advice: competition law is detailed and fact-specific, so have counsel review any pricing policy before you adopt it.
What a MAP policy is
A MAP policy is a document in which a manufacturer or brand states the minimum price at which its products may be advertised, and what it will do if a reseller advertises below it. It usually covers websites, marketplace listings, ads, emails and printed catalogs.
| Term | What it means | Who decides the final price |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP (suggested retail price) | A recommendation | The reseller, freely |
| MAP (minimum advertised price) | A floor on the advertised price, enforced by the brand's own actions | Usually the reseller, within the policy |
| Minimum resale price | A floor on the actual selling price | Imposed on the reseller; restricted or prohibited in many jurisdictions |
A typical MAP policy names the products and their MAP, the channels it covers, what counts as advertising (for example, whether "add to cart to see price" is allowed), what the brand will do after a violation and who to contact. It rarely asks resellers to sign anything, for reasons explained below.
What MAP violations look like online
On marketplaces, MAP issues are usually visible in the listing itself.
- An authorized reseller below MAP. A retailer you supply lists your product on Amazon, eBay or Walmart below the advertised floor.
- A marketplace promotion. A reseller's price drops below MAP during a sale or with a coupon, which may or may not count as advertising under your policy.
- An unknown seller. A store you have never supplied sells your product cheaply. This is not a MAP problem in the strict sense: it may be grey market stock, diverted goods or a counterfeit.
- Cross-border listings. Your product appears on a regional store, such as amazon.de or walmart.com.mx, in another currency and at a price your policy may not cover.
Low prices can also be a sign of counterfeiting. Before you treat a cheap listing as a MAP issue, check whether the product is genuine and who supplied the seller.
The legal context in plain words
United States
US federal law distinguishes between a unilateral policy and an agreement.
- Unilateral policy (Colgate doctrine). Since a 1919 Supreme Court decision, a manufacturer may announce its pricing policy in advance and refuse to deal with resellers that do not follow it, as long as it acts on its own. The FTC describes this as a "take it or leave it" dealer policy.
- Agreements on minimum prices. Since the Supreme Court's 2007 Leegin decision, federal courts assess manufacturer-imposed minimum price agreements under the rule of reason, weighing their effects on competition, rather than treating them as automatically illegal.
- State law. The FTC notes that some state antitrust laws still treat minimum price rules as illegal per se.
That is why most US MAP policies are written as one-way announcements, not contracts, and why brands avoid negotiating compliance with individual resellers. The FTC also notes that it has challenged MAP programs it considered too broad, for example in the music industry, where the policies reached ads that retailers paid for themselves and imposed long suspensions of support after a violation.
European Union
EU rules are stricter. Regulation (EU) 2022/720, the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation, treats restrictions of a buyer's ability to set its own sale price, including fixed or minimum prices, as a hardcore restriction. The Commission's 2022 Guidelines on vertical restraints add that imposing minimum advertised prices, which stop distributors from telling customers about discounts below a level the supplier sets, is an indirect form of resale price maintenance.
Suppliers in the EU may still recommend prices or set maximum prices, provided they do not pressure resellers through incentives, penalties or retaliation. The Guidelines also accept price monitoring, including with software, as long as it is not combined with measures to fix resale prices.
Get local advice before you enforce
What is permitted in the US may be prohibited in the EU, and national rules vary. The same email to a reseller can be lawful in one country and a competition problem in another.
How brands monitor MAP
Monitoring is the easy part to describe and the hard part to sustain.
- List your authorized resellers. Keep their store names on each marketplace, so you can separate them from unknown sellers.
- Check listings regularly. Search the marketplaces where your products sell, by product name, model number and photos.
- Record each violation. Save the URL, the advertised price and currency, the seller, the date and a capture of the page.
- Check the context. Is the seller authorized? Is the price a promotion? Is the product genuine?
Dedicated MAP monitoring services automate price checks for known listings and resellers. Smaller brands often start with periodic manual checks.
Enforcement options
In the US, enforcement usually follows the steps the policy announces: a notice of the violation, then a temporary or permanent end to supply, marketing funds or authorized status. Consistency matters, because selective or negotiated enforcement can look like an agreement. In the EU, enforcing a minimum advertised price is generally not an option, and brands focus instead on lawful tools such as selective distribution criteria, which also need legal review.
For unknown sellers, a MAP policy offers no leverage. The options are the ones that apply to grey market goods and unauthorized resellers: tracing the supply leak, and using marketplace IP reports only where there is a real infringement, such as a counterfeit or copied photos. Our guide to removing unauthorized sellers on Amazon covers what Amazon will and will not act on.
The limits of MAP policies
- Marketplaces do not enforce them. A price below your MAP is not an intellectual property infringement, so marketplace IP reporting tools do not apply.
- They only bind your channel. Sellers you do not supply are outside the policy.
- The cart price is often free. Many policies only control the advertised price.
- Legal risk varies by country. A policy that works in the US may be unlawful in the EU.
- Enforcement costs time. Cutting off a reseller also cuts off its sales.
How Valigard helps
Valigard is not a dedicated MAP monitoring tool: it does not track the prices of your resellers over time. What it does is search marketplaces worldwide, or up to 10 chosen countries, with your official product photos. Each result shows the listing's price and currency, the seller and the country, so you can see who sells your products and at what price, including sellers that do not use your brand name.
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New searchENYou mark each listing as Likely counterfeit, Authorized seller, Not relevant or Unsure, and keep a saved, timestamped copy of the pages that matter. That helps you separate MAP questions with authorized resellers from counterfeit and grey market issues, which call for different responses. See pricing for what each search costs, and our overview of brand protection for where pricing policies fit.
Frequently asked questions
Is a MAP policy legal?
It depends on where you sell and how the policy works. In the US, a policy the manufacturer announces and applies unilaterally is generally permitted under the Colgate doctrine. In the EU, imposing minimum advertised prices is treated as indirect resale price maintenance. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between MAP and MSRP?
MSRP, the manufacturer's suggested retail price, is a recommendation that resellers are free to ignore. MAP is a floor on the advertised price that the manufacturer enforces by its own actions, such as ending supply to resellers who advertise below it.
Can Amazon or eBay remove a listing for a MAP violation?
Generally not. Marketplace reporting tools deal with intellectual property infringement, such as counterfeits and copied photos. An authorized product advertised below your MAP is usually a matter between you and your reseller, handled under your own policy.
Can I enforce MAP against sellers I never authorized?
Not through the MAP policy itself, because an unauthorized seller has not agreed to anything with you. Genuine products they resell are often grey market goods. If their products are counterfeit or use your photos, marketplace IP reporting tools may apply.
Does a MAP policy control the price in the shopping cart?
A MAP policy usually covers advertised prices only. Many policies leave the final selling price, such as the price shown in the cart or at checkout, to the reseller. The exact scope depends on how your policy is written and on local law.
Sources
- FTC: Manufacturer-imposed Requirements (Guide to Antitrust Laws)
- EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/720 on vertical agreements
- EUR-Lex: Official Journal C 248/2022 (Guidelines on vertical restraints)
- Cuatrecasas: Resale price restrictions under the new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation
Last reviewed 27 Sep 2026. Marketplace procedures change; check the official pages before you file. This guide is general information, not legal advice.