TL;DR
Taobao, JD.com, and DHgate are the three major Chinese marketplaces where counterfeit goods are listed at scale. Each platform has a formal IP protection and takedown system, but enforcement requires platform-specific registration, trademark documentation, and continuous monitoring — manual reporting alone cannot keep pace with infringement volume.
This guide covers the reporting process on each platform, the structural limitations of manual enforcement, and how brands operating at scale approach removal systematically.
The OECD estimates counterfeit goods account for over $467 billion in global trade, with Chinese marketplaces acting as a major distribution hub due to scale and cross-border accessibility.
The question is no longer whether your brand is being copied on these platforms. It’s how quickly you can find and remove those listings before they scale.
Quick overview: how counterfeit reporting works across Chinese marketplaces
| Platform | Registration required | How to find fakes | Reporting method | Avg. removal time | Re-listing risk |
| Taobao (Alibaba IPP) | Yes – Alibaba IP Protection Platform | Manual keyword search (often obfuscated listings) | Submit complaint via IPP with evidence | 1-2 business days | HIGH |
| JD.com | Yes – JD IP protection portal | Manual search within a more controlled ecosystem | Submit takedown with strict documentation | 1-2 weeks | HIGH |
| DHgate | Yes – Rights holder account | Manual search across bulk wholesale listings | Submit infringement claim with proof | 1-2 business days | HIGH |
Why Chinese marketplaces are a high-risk channel for counterfeits
Chinese marketplaces such as Taobao, JD, and DHgate operate at a scale that makes them uniquely challenging:
- Millions of new listings daily across categories
- Fragmented seller ecosystems with repeat offenders
- Language and jurisdiction barriers for foreign brands
- Rapid re-listing after takedowns
The standard best practice is clear: brands must actively monitor and enforce their IP on these platforms.
Why manual reporting fails at scale
On paper, each platform provides a takedown mechanism. In practice, enforcement quickly breaks down:
- Search limitations: Counterfeit listings often avoid exact brand names
- Volume overload: Hundreds or thousands of listings per SKU
- Documentation friction: Each platform requires slightly different proof formats
- Repeat offenders: The same seller reappears under new accounts
A brand protection manager handling this manually can realistically process tens of listings per day, while infringers upload hundreds. This creates a structural gap: counterfeits scale faster than enforcement.
What you need before reporting counterfeits
Before submitting takedowns on one of these platforms, brands need to prepare standardized documentation:
Core requirements across platforms
- Trademark registration certificates (China-registered is compulsory)
- Proof of ownership or authorization
- Screenshots and URLs of infringing listings
- Product comparison evidence (authentic vs counterfeit)
- Company verification documents
Without this, most submissions will be rejected or delayed.
How to report counterfeits on Taobao
Platform overview
Taobao, owned by Alibaba, is one of the largest consumer marketplaces globally and a primary source of counterfeit distribution.
Reporting process
- Create an account on Alibaba’s IP Protection Platform (IPP)
- Submit your IP rights for verification
- Locate infringing listings manually
- File a complaint with evidence
- Track case status and respond to seller appeals
Key challenges
- Listings often use coded language or altered brand names
- Sellers may counter-appeal, requiring additional documentation
- High volume means constant re-monitoring is required
What success looks like
In this case, a successful takedown removes the listing, but does not eliminate the seller, meaning enforcement must be continuous.
In practice, many infringers operate multiple storefronts simultaneously, rotating listings and accounts to avoid detection. Removing a single URL often has minimal long-term impact.
Effective enforcement goes beyond individual listings. It requires identifying and targeting seller networks, which are groups of connected accounts distributing the same counterfeit products at scale.
How to remove counterfeits from JD
Platform overview
JD.com operates a more controlled ecosystem than Taobao but still hosts a significant number of unauthorized sellers and counterfeit listings.
Reporting process
- Register on JD’s IP rights protection portal
- Submit trademark and brand documentation
- Identify infringing listings
- File a takedown request with supporting evidence
- Monitor platform response and outcomes
Key challenges
- Stricter documentation requirements compared to other platforms
- Longer verification timelines for new complainants
- Limited visibility into seller networks behind listings
What success looks like
JD may remove listings more reliably, but coverage is limited by how much you can find manually.
Because the platform is more controlled, the challenge shifts from enforcement to discovery. If you cannot identify the full scope of infringement, even high-quality takedowns only address a fraction of the problem.
At scale, success depends on expanding visibility beyond manual search. Automated detection combined with image recognition allows brands to uncover listings that don’t explicitly mention brand names, significantly increasing coverage.
How to remove counterfeits from DHgate
Platform overview
DHgate is heavily focused on cross-border wholesale, making it a major exporter of counterfeit goods to international buyers.
Reporting process
- Create a rights holder account on DHgate
- Submit IP ownership documentation
- Search for infringing products
- Submit takedown requests with evidence
- Follow up on enforcement actions
Key challenges
- Bulk listings and duplication across sellers
- Sellers targeting international buyers directly
- High likelihood of repeat infringement after removal
What success looks like
Individual listings can be removed, but new ones often appear within days. This is largely due to the structure of DHgate’s marketplace, where bulk sellers replicate listings across multiple storefronts, often targeting international buyers directly. Removing one listing rarely affects the broader supply.
The standard approach is to continue submitting takedowns one by one. The problem is that volume quickly becomes unmanageable, especially for brands facing hundreds or thousands of infringements. Sustainable enforcement requires removing the operational constraint altogether.
Combined with continuous detection and human validation, this approach reduces the cycle of removal and reappearance, helping brands maintain consistent protection regardless of infringement volume.
How to scale enforcement across Chinese marketplaces with Red Points
The standard best practice is clear: You must monitor these platforms continuously and act on infringements quickly.
However, manual workflows cannot:
- Scan millions of listings
- Detect visual similarities or logo misuse
- Track repeat offenders across accounts
- Prioritize high-risk listings
The pivot: combining automation with human verification
This is where platforms like Red Points’ Mainland China Protection come into play.
Instead of relying on manual searches:
- AI-driven detection identifies counterfeit listings across Taobao, JD, and DHgate
- Image recognition finds visually similar products, not just keyword matches
- Automated workflows submit takedowns at scale
- Dedicated specialists validate high-risk cases to avoid false positives
This combination matters. Automation handles volume and speed, while human expertise ensures accuracy and defensibility, especially in cases where sellers dispute claims.
What effective enforcement looks like in practice
High-performing brands typically shift from reactive enforcement to systematic removal strategies:
- Continuous monitoring instead of periodic searches
- Bulk takedown capabilities instead of one-by-one reporting
- Seller-level analysis to identify repeat infringers
- Performance tracking based on removal rates and revenue recovered
This is how brands move from removing dozens of listings to thousands per month.
Real-world use case: scaling counterfeit enforcement across Chinese marketplaces with Red Points
Problem:
Graff, a global luxury brand, faced widespread counterfeit listings across Chinese marketplaces, with sellers using multiple accounts and relisting products faster than manual teams could remove them.
Solution:
Red Points deployed continuous monitoring, image recognition, and seller network analysis to detect and remove counterfeit listings at scale.
Results:
- 14,000+ infringing listings removed
- $6M in counterfeit value removed
- 3,500+ unauthorized sellers blocked
Final takeaways
Most brands approach Chinese marketplaces with a case-by-case mindset. That approach worked when counterfeiting was smaller in scale.
It no longer does.
Today, success depends on treating enforcement as a continuous, data-driven operation. The brands that adapt are the ones that protect both their revenue and reputation at scale.
FAQs about removing counterfeits on Chinese marketplaces
You report counterfeits by registering with each platform’s IP protection system, verifying your trademark, and submitting takedown requests with evidence. Each platform requires proof of ownership and listing-specific documentation, making the process repetitive and difficult to scale manually.
Yes, in most cases a Chinese trademark is required for effective enforcement. While some platforms may accept international trademarks, local registration significantly improves approval rates and reduces delays.
Removal timelines vary by platform: Taobao typically removes listings within 1–2 business days if the seller does not dispute; JD.com can take 1–2 weeks due to stricter documentation review; DHgate also takes around 1–2 business days, but re-listing within days is common. Disputed claims can extend timelines on all platforms by 2–4 weeks. The bigger challenge is not speed, but the constant reappearance of new listings, which is why continuous monitoring is critical.
Counterfeit listings reappear because sellers operate multiple accounts and continuously relist products. Removing a single listing does not stop the underlying seller activity, which is why enforcement must be continuous and pattern-based rather than reactive.
No, manual reporting cannot scale to the volume of infringements on platforms like Taobao, JD, and DHgate. Teams are limited in how many listings they can process, while infringers can upload at much higher speed. Platforms like Red Points address this by automating detection and takedown workflows, allowing brands to act on significantly higher volumes.
Brands scale enforcement by combining automated detection with human review. Red Points continuously monitors marketplaces, analyzes billions of data points, and uses image recognition to detect infringements, while analysts validate complex cases to ensure accuracy.
The most effective approach is to move beyond individual listings and target patterns of seller behavior. Red Points helps identify connected seller networks and prioritize high-impact enforcement actions, reducing repeat infringement over time.
Taobao, due to obfuscated listings and high re-listing rate. DHgate is highest volume. JD is most documentation-intensive.
Yes, Taobao/Alibaba IPP, JD’s portal, and DHgate’s rights holder system are entirely separate. Each requires independent trademark verification.
The platform typically notifies the rights holder and grants a response window (usually 5–10 business days). If evidence is insufficient, the listing may be reinstated.
