noon Counterfeit Policy for Sellers in 2026: What Is Banned, the AED 200,000 Minimum Penalty and the Proof to Keep

noon prohibits the listing and sale of counterfeit products and says it can respond with delisting, temporary or permanent loss of selling rights, reporting to government authorities, legal action, liquidation of your inventory and a minimum monetary penalty of AED/SAR 200,000 or EGP 1,600,000. If noon starts penal action you have 3 calendar days to reply with proof. The figures below are as of October 2026 and come from noon's own help centre.

What does noon count as a counterfeit product?

noon defines counterfeit products as fake or imitation goods made to resemble and pass off as genuine products, often intended to deceive customers into believing they are buying the real item. noon places the responsibility on you: sellers are responsible for ensuring the products they sell are genuine.

Two things follow that sellers often miss. First, the policy sets no exception for sellers who did not know. A reseller who bought stock from a grey supplier and did not know it was fake is still the seller of record. Second, noon's policy separates counterfeit from intellectual property infringement, which is a separate violation covering copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets. A genuine product can still infringe, for example if you use a brand's logo or images without the right to.

noon does not publish a definition of "genuine" beyond this, and does not say whether parallel imports or grey-market goods are treated as genuine. If you resell branded goods bought outside the brand's authorised UAE distribution, ask noon in writing first. Contact routes are in noon seller support.

What are the penalties for selling counterfeits on noon?

Every row is from noon's policy, which adds that any action is notified to you by email. The word "minimum" matters: AED 200,000 is a floor, not a cap, and noon does not publish a ceiling or a table of amounts. For other, smaller penalties on a noon account see noon seller penalties.

Which other seller actions does noon treat as fraud or infringement?

noon's code-of-conduct list goes well beyond fakes. The items most relevant to brand and reseller accounts are:

• Selling prohibited or banned products.
• Selling products that infringe someone else's intellectual property.
• Acting on behalf of a brand to file infringement complaints against other sellers to benefit your own account.
• Sharing false documents with noon.
• Creating duplicate seller accounts without noon's explicit approval.
• Creating duplicate listings of the same product.
• Manipulating reviews or ratings, your own or other sellers'.
• Placing orders on other sellers' listings to block their inventory.

The complaint rule cuts both ways. noon lists filing infringement complaints on a brand's behalf to benefit your own account as fraud, so report a rival only with evidence and, if you act for a brand, only as its authorised agent. For what is prohibited outright, see noon prohibited products.

How do complaints and government directives trigger action?

noon says customers, fellow sellers, government bodies or any other third party can complain about the quality of your products, and valid complaints, after validation, lead to penal action. It also says that where a product fails the regulatory requirements of the country it is sold in, government agencies may act against you and noon will share the details they request.

Quality signals also count. noon expects a minimum seller rating of 3.0, and any offer or brand rated Poor or Very Poor on Seller Controllable Returns invokes penal action under the policy. Returns for "fake, wrong, damaged, used, expired" goods are listed as seller-controllable. A run of "item not genuine" returns is therefore both a customer problem and a compliance trigger.

How do you prove products are genuine to noon?

noon's remedial section says that when it starts penal action, you must reply to its email, or write to seller@noon.com, within 3 calendar days with:

1. Documents proving authenticity, for example supplier invoices and brand registration, wherever applicable.
2. A viable plan of action covering the corrective steps you have taken.
3. Any other information that supports your case.

Failure to respond with the required information makes the action final and binding on you. Three calendar days includes weekends. So build the file before you need it.

For gated brands, noon's listing policy says whitelisting may require a distribution authorisation agreement, a brand authorisation letter, an invoice from an authorised distributor and, for fragrance sold on noon KSA, a Ministry of Commerce product registration document, and that noon's whitelisting decision is final. Keep the same set for any branded SKU. See noon brand approval for the application side.

A practical evidence file per brand holds: the supplier's trade licence and tax registration, invoices that name the brand and quantities, the brand or distributor authorisation letter, photos of packaging and serial numbers from the batch, and your inbound paperwork. Dates matter, so keep invoices that predate the listing.

How can you avoid counterfeit problems before listing?

1. Buy from the brand or its authorised distributor and keep the letter of authority. A marketplace supplier without papers is the usual source of trouble.
2. Use the right brand. noon says you should be authorised to sell the brand's products and that brand creation is accepted only if the brand does not already exist. Do not register a brand name you only resell.
3. Do not use a brand in your store name. noon's registration rules reject brand names as store names.
4. Match the listing to the item. Listing accuracy is also a quality rule: content must exactly match the product being sold.
5. Treat refurbished or open-box stock separately. It needs clear labelling; see selling refurbished or renewed on noon.
6. Quarantine returns that look swapped or tampered with, and keep photos.

UAE law also protects trademarks, and a rights-holder can pursue a seller directly as well as through noon. This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific claim talk to a UAE lawyer, and for trademarks see the UAE Ministry of Economy.

FAQ

What is the penalty for selling fake products on noon? noon sets a minimum monetary penalty of AED/SAR 200,000 or EGP 1,600,000, and/or other amounts depending on the nature and impact, along with delisting, loss of selling rights, reporting to authorities, legal action and inventory liquidation.

How long do I have to answer a noon counterfeit notice? Three calendar days. Reply to noon's email or write to seller@noon.com with authenticity documents and a plan of action. If you do not, noon says the action becomes final and binding.

Is the AED 200,000 penalty fixed? No. It is stated as a minimum, with other amounts possible depending on the nature and impact, and recovery of costs such as legal expenses and customer compensation. noon does not publish a maximum.

Can noon take my stock? The anti-counterfeit policy lists liquidating your inventory to recover dues. Separately, noon's confiscation policy covers unpaid negative balances after 30 days and uncollected returns.

What documents prove my products are genuine? noon names supplier invoices and brand registration as examples. For gated brands it also lists distribution authorisation agreements, brand authorisation letters and authorised distributor invoices.

Can I report a competitor's counterfeit? noon says third parties, including fellow sellers, can file complaints about product quality. Do not act on behalf of a brand without being its authorised agent: noon lists that as fraud.

Does noon appeal a counterfeit penalty? The policy gives the 3-day reply route, and the violations dashboard lets you dispute or accept and fix a sanctioned violation. noon does not publish an independent appeal body or timeline for the final decision.

Build the evidence file before you list

Treat authorisation papers as part of the listing, not a reply to a complaint. If you want help structuring brand registration and catalogue data on noon, see noon account management from Blooprint; we do not sell appeals.