Selling Branded Goods: Which Documents a Seller Needs

You can sell other companies' brands on marketplaces, and millions of sellers do exactly that. The question is not "am I allowed to" but "what will you prove it with": the right to sell genuine goods rests on documents showing where they came from, and either the platform or the rights holder can ask for them at any moment. Below are the legal basis and the document packages for each sourcing channel.

The exhaustion of rights principle: once goods have been legally put into circulation, the rights holder cannot prohibit their further resale. If you bought a genuine item legally, you can sell it, and no permission from the brand is required for each resale.

But the rule only works if you can prove that the goods entered circulation legally. Without a document chain you are formally indistinguishable from a counterfeit seller, and a rights holder complaint will not be resolved in your favor.

From the manufacturer or an official distributor: the supply contract plus primary accounting records (UPD universal transfer documents or delivery notes) for the batch; ideally an authorization letter or certificate as well. The strongest position.

From a wholesale intermediary: your contract and primary records, plus proof that the wholesaler themselves sources from a legal channel (their dealership status or proof of origin). The weak link is the "market stall wholesaler with no paperwork": their documents are your defense, so request them before you buy. See how to vet a supplier.

Parallel imports: customs declarations, invoices, the contract, a complete paper trail of a fully declared import; this only works for brands and categories on the current official list. See how parallel imports work.

Always on top of that: certificates and declarations of conformity for the product, plus Chestny Znak (Russia's mandatory product labeling system) codes for labeled categories. That is a separate package from the brand paperwork, but they are usually requested together.

Platforms may demand brand documents when you create a card in a "protected" category, in response to a complaint, or during a spot check. Practice differs by category and keeps changing, but the package is the same: the sourcing chain plus conformity. The retention rule: documents are tied to a batch and are kept for as long as your obligations for the sold goods last, not merely "until it sells out".

1. 1Documents before money: request the full package from the supplier before you pay. Once the goods have shipped, the motivation to "get the paperwork over to you" evaporates.
2. 2One batch, one folder: contract, primary records, certificates, proof of origin, filed separately for every purchase.
3. 3Check the parallel import list before importing, because the lists get revised.
4. 4Do not mix channels in one card: a documented batch and a "from the market" batch sitting in the same stock means the entire stock is at risk.
5. 5Your own brand as the alternative: if a brand's sourcing channel is chronically gray, run the numbers on private label. Sometimes your own label costs less than permanent risk.

"Can I sell branded goods without the brand's permission?" Genuine goods that were legally put into circulation, yes: no resale permission is required (exhaustion of rights). The mandatory condition is documents proving a legal purchase: contract, primary accounting records, proof of origin.

"Which documents do I need to sell brands on a marketplace?" The sourcing chain (contract plus UPD universal transfer documents or delivery notes for the batch, plus proof of channel, meaning distributor status or customs paperwork for imports) plus declarations of conformity and labeling wherever required.

"What happens if I have no documents?" Until the first complaint or inspection, nothing; after that, a hidden card, a dispute you have no way to win, fines and the risk of a block. Plus rights holder claims outside the platform.

"Is a purchase receipt enough?" A retail receipt is weak evidence for a commercial batch. You need purchase records from a legal entity with a traceable channel of origin.

"How do I check that a supplier is giving me genuine documents?" Cross-check the company details and the signatory against EGRUL (the Russian state register of legal entities), check the chain for continuity (who bought from whom), and verify certificates against the public registers. Fake paperwork protects you no better than none at all.