“Official distributor” claims: what Merchant Center expects

Only call yourself an official, authorised or certified seller of a brand if you can show the agreement, and ideally the brand lists you too. Selling genuine branded goods is fine without any of that; claiming a status nobody gave you is the problem. Say what is true, such as where you buy your stock, and let the badge go.

Major4 min read

By Edvinas Ivanauskas How the guides are reviewed

Why this matters

Google's Misrepresentation policy describes this almost word for word. Among unacceptable business practices it says you can't “Make it seem like you’re supported by another brand, organization or government entity when you’re not”, and one of its examples is “Claiming to be a certified reseller of goods when not actually certified”. Under misleading offers it adds “Falsely implying affiliation with, or endorsement by, another individual, organization, product, or service”. A brand's logo beside “Official partner” implies exactly that, whether or not the word “official” appears.

The same page tells you how to do it properly. Its best practices say “Use your own name, logo, images, and colors on your website and in your ads”, and “If you're an official or authorized partner of another brand, ask them to mention you on their website in addition to making your relationship clear on your own website and ads.” And the other way round: “If you reference another brand but you're not an official or authorized partner, consider a disclaimer on your website and in your listings.”

Naming the brand you sell is not the issue. Google's Trademarks policy says “Shopping ads don’t restrict use of trademarks by merchants in the title or description of an ad when it’s for a trademarked product or a product compatible with the trademarked product.” The proof question starts when you claim a relationship. If you have one, the appeal tips on the Misrepresentation page show what evidence looks like: “contracts, written agreements, a link to a credible news article that mentions about the connection and any public statements (like a social media post) from the brand or organization confirming the partnership”.

The free scan does not look for brand affiliation claims, so the check is yours: every “official partner” line and brand badge on your homepage and product pages, held up against the paperwork behind it. Look at trust badges and security seals and superlative claims in the same sweep; the misrepresentation checker lists every trust and identity check the scan does run.

Typical evidence

“Official” is a status claim — keep the proof

StoreVerifier can flag public wording such as “official,” “authorised” and “partner” for review. Confirm the relationship with the brand and retain the evidence; a public scan cannot establish it.

Your store headerclaim made

“Official UK Distributor of BrandName”

BrandName.com / authorised-partners

brandname.com/partners

FlagYour store is not on the list — claim unsupported

A brand logo and an “official” claim need permission you can document. The public scan cannot verify that relationship, so check it with the rights holder.

The public signals this check looks for:

“Official UK distributor of [Brand]” with no distribution agreement to show
“Official UK distributor of [Brand]” with no distribution agreement to show.
“Authorised reseller” when the brand's own stockist or dealer list does not include you
“Authorised reseller” when the brand's own stockist or dealer list does not include you.
The brand's logo beside “Official partner” or “In partnership with”, without written permi…
The brand's logo beside “Official partner” or “In partnership with”, without written permission.
“Direct from the manufacturer” on goods bought through a wholesaler
“Direct from the manufacturer” on goods bought through a wholesaler.
“The only authorised seller in the UK”, an exclusivity nobody granted
“The only authorised seller in the UK”, an exclusivity nobody granted.
“Certified retailer” or “approved dealer” badges your designer drew, not ones the brand is…
“Certified retailer” or “approved dealer” badges your designer drew, not ones the brand issued.

What it looks like once it is right

“Genuine Kettlebrand kettles, bought from the UK importer. We are an independent retailer, not affiliated with Kettlebrand.” No logo badge, and the product titles name the brand and model only.

Common mistakes

Common mistake

“Official UK Distributor of Kettlebrand, genuine products only”, with the Kettlebrand logo in the header. There is no agreement, and Kettlebrand's own stockist page lists another company.

Fix checklist

Search product pages, titles, descriptions, the homepage, header, footer, About page and image text for: official, authorised, authorized, certified, approved, partner, distributor, exclusive, direct from.
For each hit, find the document: a distribution or reseller agreement, a dealer certificate, written permission to use the logo. Keep them in one folder with their expiry dates.
Delete or rewrite every claim with no document behind it. “We stock genuine [Brand] products, bought from the UK importer” is true and still sells.
Where you do have the status, ask the brand to list you on its stockist or partner page, and link to that page from yours, as Google's best practices suggest.
Remove brand logos used as badges unless your agreement allows them; name the brand in plain text instead.
Where you sell a brand with no relationship, add a line such as “Independent retailer, not affiliated with [Brand]”, the kind of disclaimer Google's best practices mention.
Keep the product data in line: the titles and descriptions you submit to Merchant Center should not claim a status the page and the paperwork do not support.

Keep the credibility, drop the false badge

Describe genuine stock honestly and you lose nothing real — only the one claim a brand’s lawyer can act on and the public partner list can disprove.

“Official UK Distributor of BrandName”

“Genuine BrandName products, sourced through the UK importer.”

brandname.com / authorised-partners

brandname.com/partners

PassThe honest line makes no status claim — nothing for the list to contradict

Questions merchants ask

Can I call myself an authorised reseller on Google Shopping?

Only if the brand has authorised you and you can show it. Google's Misrepresentation policy gives “Claiming to be a certified reseller of goods when not actually certified” as an example of an unacceptable business practice. If you have the status, keep the agreement and ask the brand to mention you on its website.

Can I use a brand's name and logo if I sell their genuine products?

You can name the brand: Google's Trademarks policy says Shopping ads don't restrict trademarks in a title or description when the ad is for the trademarked product. A logo shown as a badge beside “official” or “partner” wording implies a relationship, and needs one.

What proof of an official partnership should I keep?

The appeal tips on Google's Misrepresentation page list contracts, written agreements, a credible news article about the connection, and public statements from the brand confirming the partnership. Keep whichever of those you have in one place before you ever need them.

Remediation

Risk signal

A status claim is cheap to type and impossible to talk your way through once someone asks for the contract. Keep the ones you can prove, get the brand to confirm them in public, and turn the rest into plain, true sourcing statements. Search your templates for “official” and “authorised” as well; the header is where these hide.

PriorityAddress and document this finding as part of the store’s remediation work.

EvidenceRecord the current state before each change, apply the fix, then capture the corrected state so every change is evidenced.

Similar cases

Sources

Last reviewed 25 Sep 2026.

That is one issue. The library documents 134.

The free scan lists what it finds on your store. The paid report adds the affected pages, captured evidence and step-by-step fixes. Start free, with no account needed.