What Is a MAP Policy? Minimum Advertised Price Policy Explained
By MAPComply team · Updated · Last reviewed
A MAP (minimum advertised price) policy is a brand's written rule for the lowest price its resellers may advertise for its products. It limits advertised prices only, not what a reseller charges. Brands publish it unilaterally, say which sellers and channels it covers, and spell out what happens after a violation.
This guide covers the retail pricing meaning of MAP: a minimum advertised price policy, sometimes called a MAP pricing policy or MAPP. If you searched "map policy" for Windows Group Policy, an API gateway's map policy or the PolicyMap data site, this is a different topic. Here, the policy is the document a brand publishes to its resellers, and the MAP list (one minimum advertised price per product) is the schedule that goes with it.
Not legal advice. MAPComply is not a law firm. Antitrust rules differ by state and country, and how a policy is worded and enforced matters as much as what it says. Have an antitrust lawyer review your policy before you publish or enforce it. This guide covers US law only.
What is a MAP policy, and what is it not?
A MAP policy is a brand's written statement of the lowest price at which its resellers may advertise its products, and of what the brand will do when a reseller goes below it. The brand writes it and publishes it. It is not negotiated with resellers. For the pricing term on its own, see What is MAP pricing?
The key word is advertised. Lascar Electronics' policy says it plainly: "MAP applies only to advertised prices" (Lascar MAP policy), and its dealers stay free to sell at any price they choose. Sherwin-Williams' consumer brands policy says each reseller "is free to set its own resale prices" (Sherwin-Williams MAP policy).
Four terms get mixed up:
| Term | What it is | Who it binds |
|---|---|---|
| MAP policy | The document: rules, covered media, consequences | Resellers who want to keep buying from you |
| MAP (the price) | The floor for one product, listed in the MAP schedule | Advertised prices only |
| MSRP | A suggested retail price | Nobody; it is a recommendation |
| Selling price | What the customer finally pays | Usually left to the reseller |
MAP is often at or below MSRP, and some brands set MAP at MSRP. More on that in MAP vs MSRP.
Why brands publish one
The policies give their own reasons: Sherwin-Williams cites its brand image, Airtame wants dealers to earn enough to train staff, and Lascar wants dealers to invest in service. The trade-off is work: a policy only means something if you check advertised prices, document what you find and apply the consequences the same way every time.
What does a MAP policy contain?
The five policies in this guide run one to three pages. These are the clauses you will find in them, and the reason each one is there:
| Clause | What it says | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Unilateral statement | The policy is the brand's own decision; no agreement is sought | Keeps it a policy, not a price agreement |
| Effective date and changes | When it starts and how updates are announced | Resellers need to know which MAP applied on which day |
| Who is covered | Dealers, distributors, wholesalers, marketplace sellers, regions | Defines whose ads you can act on |
| Covered products and MAP list | A schedule of products, their MAPs and the dates | Your monitor and your notices both read from it |
| Covered media | Websites, marketplaces, search and shopping ads, email, social, print; in-store usually excluded | An iMAP policy covers online advertising only |
| What "advertised price" means | Whether coupons, rebates, free gifts, bundles and strike-through prices count | The main source of disputes |
| Cart, login and "call for price" | Whether a price shown only in the cart or behind a login counts | Policies disagree here (see the comparison below) |
| Conditions and discontinued items | Used, open-box, refurbished and discontinued products | Common ways around a policy |
| Exemptions and MAP sales | Approved promotion windows with their own floor; one-off waivers in writing | Stops you flagging what you approved |
| Consequences | What happens on a first, second and third violation | Must be applied consistently |
| Administrator | One named contact; sales staff can't grant exceptions | Avoids side deals that look like agreements |
If you are writing your own, start from the MAP policy template. It walks through each of these clauses and the choices you have. Treat it as a starting point to give your lawyer, not a finished document. Already have a policy? See who is advertising below it today with a free scan of up to five Amazon products.
What do real MAP policies look like?
Here are five policies that brands post publicly, as posted when we checked on October 26, 2026. Policies change, so the dates are the ones each document gives. Quotes are short; follow the links for the full text.
Sherwin-Williams Consumer Brands (Minwax, Purdy, Cabot)
Effective March 25, 2019, replacing a 2018 version. It opens: "This is a unilateral statement of policy issued by Sherwin-Williams." It covers dealers and other resellers in the United States, including wholesalers, who must make sure their own dealers comply. Checkout and shopping cart pages are outside its covered media, and "Add to Cart for Price" is acceptable.
Ads that mention a discount but no price (such as "5% Off") are not violations. The brand states it neither solicits nor accepts assurances of compliance, and only its MAP Policy Administrator may discuss the policy.
Airtame
The Airtame Unilateral Minimum Advertised Price (UMAP) policy is effective June 10, 2021 according to the document, though the file name says 2023. It states: "There is no agreement between AIRTAME and its Dealers regarding price." Advertised price is defined as the stated price minus all discounts, coupons, rebates and giveaways.
Enforcement is time-boxed: a first incident stops sales of that product to the dealer for 30 days, a second within twelve months for 90 days, and a third within twelve months for one year, covering either that product or every product on Airtame's UMAP list. It covers the United States and Canada.
Lascar Electronics
Effective January 1, 2023 (Issue 0.4, dated November 7, 2022). It applies to authorized US and Canadian dealers, distributors and sales representatives, in all media including email and the internet. In-store-only advertising and prices quoted in the store or by phone are excluded. Strike-through prices are banned, and so is advertising below MAP under another trading name. MAP is no lower than the list price in Lascar's retail price book. Intentional or repeated failure ends the dealership, and Lascar says it does not have to warn first.
Covetrus
The Covetrus North America MAP policy gives no effective date. It says Covetrus "has unilaterally implemented" it. It names marketplaces (Amazon.com and Walmart.com among them), auction sites, search ads and social media as covered.
It lists "Special In-Cart Pricing" among the claims it treats as violations, along with loyalty, member and club discounts that advertise below MAP. Its consequences are a menu: notice, loss of accumulated rewards, a price increase of up to 10% for 90 days, a 90-day suspension, or termination.
Chef Works
The Chef Works document is titled "MAP POLICY AGREEMENT" and is effective July 1, 2017. Unlike the other four, resellers sign and return it, and Chef Works says it will make no shipments until the form comes back. MAP is set at no less than the current MSRP. Resellers need written consent to list on third-party sites such as Amazon or eBay.
Its MAP Policy Administrator decides violations and grants waivers, and Chef Works says it may monitor prices itself or through third-party tools.
How the five policies differ
| Policy | Cart or hidden price | Coupons, gifts, deals | In-store | First consequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams (2019) | Allowed: cart may show any price | Price-free "% off" ads allowed; free extras count only if valued below MAP | Excluded | Written notice, marketing funds withheld |
| Airtame (2021) | Not addressed | Counted in the advertised price | Not carved out | 30-day stop on that product |
| Lascar (2023) | Not addressed | Free or discounted add-ons count if they net below MAP | Excluded | Termination for intentional or repeated failure |
| Covetrus (undated) | "Special In-Cart Pricing" is a violation | Loyalty, member and club discounts count | Only a tag next to the product excluded | Brand's choice from a menu |
| Chef Works (2017) | Not addressed | Free or discounted add-ons count if they net below MAP | Excluded | Orders cancelled or restricted, or account suspended |
The lesson: these policies disagree on exactly the points where brands and resellers argue most, the cart price and the deals. Your policy has to decide each one in writing, because nobody, including you, can flag a price that the policy doesn't define.
Who does a MAP policy apply to?
A MAP policy applies to the resellers it names, and its leverage is your supply. In the examples above, that means:
- Authorized dealers and distributors. All five policies are written for resellers who buy from the brand.
- Wholesalers and their customers. Sherwin-Williams holds wholesalers responsible for their dealers. Airtame bars dealers from selling to anyone who advertises below UMAP.
- Marketplace sellers. Covetrus names Amazon and Walmart; Sherwin-Williams covers internet listings and auction sites. If your policy is silent on marketplaces, say so or add them.
- Regions. Three of the five set a territory: the United States only (Sherwin-Williams) or the United States and Canada (Airtame, Lascar).
The brand's own website and direct sales usually sit outside the policy, because the policy is about what resellers advertise.
Two groups are harder to reach. An unauthorized seller doesn't buy from you, so there is no account to suspend; brands trace where the stock came from and act on that relationship instead. See unauthorized sellers on Amazon. And don't count on the marketplace to apply your policy for you: Does Amazon enforce MAP? covers what Amazon does and doesn't do.
MAP policy or MAP agreement? The line that matters legally
A policy is the brand announcing, on its own, the terms on which it will sell and what it will do if a reseller advertises below MAP. An agreement is a reseller promising to follow the price. Federal antitrust law treats the two differently, which is why the policies above work hard to stay on the policy side.
Three Supreme Court decisions set the federal rule, and state law adds its own:
- United States v. Colgate & Co., 250 U.S. 300 (1919). A manufacturer "may announce in advance the circumstances under which he will refuse to sell" (Cornell LII). This is the basis for unilateral policies.
- Monsanto Co. v. Spray-Rite Service Corp., 465 U.S. 752 (1984). Cutting off a discounter after rival dealers complain is not, by itself, proof of an agreement; "something more than evidence of complaints is needed" (Cornell LII).
- Leegin Creative Leather Products v. PSKS, 551 U.S. 877 (2007). The Court overruled Dr. Miles and held that "vertical price restraints are to be judged by the rule of reason" (Cornell LII syllabus). That is about agreements on resale prices. It doesn't make every policy safe.
- States can differ. Maryland's statute says an agreement setting a minimum resale price is "an unreasonable restraint of trade or commerce" (Md. Code, Com. Law § 11-204). A 2013 article for the ABA's Franchise Lawyer listed New York, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland and California as states that had said minimum resale price maintenance stays per se illegal under their laws, as of 2013; check current state law with counsel (Wiggin and Dana).
Law firms that advise manufacturers make the same point. Foley & Lardner (August 2025) calls a unilateral policy "generally safer under antitrust law than a 'contractual' pricing agreement." It points to a 2025 federal district court ruling (Contractor Tool Supply v. JPW Industries, M.D. Fla.). There, a reseller alleged that a ban on "price in cart" discounts made selling below MAP on Amazon impracticable. The court said that could plausibly be resale price maintenance, although it still dismissed the antitrust claim. Foley calls the decision fact-specific (Foley & Lardner). So your cart rule is a legal choice as well as a commercial one.
The real policies above show how brands draft for this. A checklist drawn from them:
- Say the policy is unilateral and that you are not seeking an agreement (Sherwin-Williams, Airtame, Covetrus)
- Don't ask resellers to sign it or promise to comply, and don't accept assurances (Sherwin-Williams, Covetrus)
- Limit it to advertised prices and say resellers may sell at any price (Lascar, Covetrus)
- Name one administrator; sales staff can't grant exceptions or discuss violations (Sherwin-Williams, Chef Works)
- Don't adopt it in response to reseller complaints, and don't discuss one reseller's pricing with another (Wiggin 2013; Sherwin-Williams)
- Enforce on your own evidence and apply the stated consequence every time
Some brands use a signed form instead, as Chef Works does. Whether that suits you is a question for your lawyer. It is the pattern the unilateral policies are written to avoid. For the fuller legal picture, read Is MAP pricing legal?
How do brands monitor a MAP policy?
A policy nobody checks isn't a policy. Advertised prices can change daily, and sellers lean on the gray areas. One monitoring vendor's list of common tactics includes bundles, "call for price", rebates, coupon codes, members-only prices, open-box items and third-party sellers (MAP Policy Partners). Monitoring means looking where shoppers look:
- Amazon. Check every offer on the listing, not just the featured one. Check the exact variant, since a cheaper size or color under the same parent is a different product and may have a different MAP. Note clippable coupons and promotions shown on the page.
- Google Shopping and retailer sites. Confirm each result points to the right product page, then check that page for strike-through prices, bundles, gifts and member pricing.
- Cart and login prices. "Add to cart to see price" and members-only prices hide the number from a quick look. Whether they break your policy depends on your cart rule, which is why it needs to be written down.
Whatever you use, a finding you can act on records the page itself, the price shown, the seller, the exact product variant, the URL and the time it was seen. Until someone on your team has looked at it, treat it as a possible violation, not a confirmed one. Our guide on what counts as a MAP violation covers the gray areas in detail.
MAPComply is self-serve MAP monitoring software built on that standard, with no sales call or demo. The paid plan runs daily checks on Amazon, Google Shopping and brand and retailer sites. Every finding is pinned to your exact variant and carries a screenshot or page source, the price, the seller, the URL, the time and a SHA-256 fingerprint. It drafts the notice with the evidence filled in for you to send, then re-checks show whether the seller fixed the price. See a sample report or read how it works.
Have a MAP policy and want to know who is breaking it? Run a free scan on up to five Amazon ASINs or product URLs. You type your MAP and enter your email for the report link. In about a minute you get a shareable evidence report showing which sellers are below the MAP you entered and which prices are hidden. No card needed. The sample report shows the layout.
When you find a seller below MAP, how to enforce MAP pricing walks through the notice, the follow-up and the record-keeping.
Before you publish yours
- Decide the cart and login rule, in writing
- Decide which deals count: coupons, rebates, member prices, bundles, free gifts
- List the covered media and marketplaces, and the region
- Publish a dated MAP schedule and say how changes are announced
- Name the administrator and set the consequence for each repeat
- Have an antitrust lawyer review it
Your next step: draft your policy from the MAP policy template, then put your top five Amazon products and their MAPs into a free scan to see who is advertising below them right now. For daily checks with notices drafted for you, plans start at $199 a month: self-serve, no sales call, cancel any time.
Sources
- Sherwin-Williams Consumer Brands Group: Unilateral Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) Policy, effective March 25, 2019 (PDF)
- Airtame: Unilateral Minimum Advertised Price Policy, effective June 10, 2021 (PDF)
- Lascar Electronics: Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) Policy, effective January 1, 2023 (PDF)
- Covetrus North America: Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) Policy (PDF)
- Chef Works: MAP Policy Agreement, effective July 1, 2017 (PDF)
- Cornell LII: United States v. Colgate & Co., 250 U.S. 300 (1919)
- Cornell LII: Monsanto Co. v. Spray-Rite Service Corp., 465 U.S. 752 (1984)
- Cornell LII: Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc., No. 06-480 (2007), syllabus
- Maryland General Assembly: Commercial Law § 11-204
- Wiggin and Dana (Erika L. Amarante, ABA The Franchise Lawyer, 2013): A Roadmap to Minimum Advertised Price Policies
- Foley & Lardner: Minimum Advertised Price Policies: What Manufacturers Need to Know (August 13, 2025)
- MAP Policy Partners: How Retailers Avoid MAP (March 18, 2026)