When to Hire an Amazon Agency
Not every brand needs an agency. If your catalog is small (under 10-15 SKUs), your advertising budget is modest, and you have someone internally who understands Amazon at a tactical level, managing in-house may be the right call.
But an agency typically makes sense when:
- Your Amazon revenue is stagnant despite increasing ad spend
- You're spending more than $5,000/month on advertising without clear ROAS visibility
- Your internal team lacks Amazon-specific expertise (general ecommerce experience isn't the same)
- You're launching on Amazon for the first time and want to avoid expensive learning-curve mistakes
- You're a manufacturer moving to direct-to-consumer on Amazon and need operational setup
- Catalog complexity (50+ SKUs, multiple categories, variations) has outgrown internal bandwidth
- You're on Vendor Central and need help with PO management, chargebacks, and AVN negotiations
The core question is whether the cost of the agency is less than the value it creates through improved advertising efficiency, better listing performance, and operational expertise you don't have to build internally.
What to Look For
Amazon Specialization
Amazon is a fundamentally different platform than Google Ads, Meta, or Shopify. An agency that lists Amazon as one of 15 channels it manages is unlikely to have the depth of expertise a dedicated Amazon agency provides. Look for agencies where Amazon is the primary or sole focus.
Full-Service vs. Specialty
Some agencies focus exclusively on advertising (PPC management). Others provide full-service management covering listing optimization, creative, advertising, catalog management, and strategy. Determine what you need before evaluating.
Dedicated Team Assignment
Ask whether you'll have a dedicated account manager or whether your account rotates between team members. Dedicated assignment means the person managing your account builds deep knowledge of your brand, category, and competitive landscape over time.
Category Experience
Amazon categories have meaningfully different dynamics -- advertising costs, listing requirements, competitive intensity, and compliance rules vary across health, beauty, grocery, electronics, home, and other categories. Ask whether the agency has worked in your specific category.
Seller Central and Vendor Central Capability
If you're on Seller Central, Vendor Central, or both, the agency should have deep operational experience with your specific selling model. Vendor Central management (PO compliance, chargeback resolution, AVN strategy) is a specialized skill set that not all agencies have.
Pricing Models
Agency pricing models vary significantly. Understanding the trade-offs helps you evaluate whether the structure aligns with your goals. See our detailed breakdown in How Amazon Agencies Charge.
| Model | Typical Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Monthly Fee | $2,000-$10,000+/mo | Predictable costs, profitability focus |
| % of Revenue | 3-15% | Early-stage brands, growth alignment |
| Hybrid | Base + lower % | Balancing predictability and alignment |
| % of Ad Spend | 10-20% | PPC-only management |
Red Flags
- Guaranteed rankings or sales numbers. No agency can guarantee specific Amazon rankings or revenue outcomes. The algorithm, competition, and market conditions are outside anyone's control.
- No access to your own accounts. You should always retain ownership and admin access to your Seller Central, advertising console, and Brand Registry. If an agency wants to set up accounts under their own credentials, walk away.
- Long contracts with no exit clause. 3-month initial terms are reasonable for onboarding. 12-month contracts with no performance-based exit clause heavily favor the agency.
- Vague reporting. If the agency can't clearly explain what they'll report on, how often, and in what format, expect poor visibility into performance.
- Managing hundreds of clients. An agency managing 200+ brands is operating at a client-to-team ratio that makes dedicated attention difficult. Ask how many accounts each team member manages.
- No Amazon-specific case studies. If the agency can't show concrete Amazon results (even anonymized), their experience may be thinner than presented.
- Outsourced to offshore teams without disclosure. Nothing inherently wrong with global teams, but the agency should be transparent about who is actually managing your account.
Questions to Ask Before Signing
- Who specifically will manage my account, and how many other accounts do they manage?
- What Amazon categories have you worked in, and can you share relevant case studies?
- Do you have experience with my selling model (Seller Central, Vendor Central, or both)?
- What's included in your monthly fee, and what costs extra?
- How do you report on performance, and how frequently?
- What does onboarding look like, and how long before I should expect to see results?
- Who owns the ad accounts, creative assets, and data if we part ways?
- What's your contract term and cancellation policy?
- How do you handle advertising strategy versus just execution? Do you proactively recommend changes?
- Can I speak with 2-3 current clients as references?
For more questions and evaluation criteria, see our blog post: How to Choose an Amazon Marketing Agency: 10 Questions to Ask.
What to Expect After Hiring
Realistic expectations matter. A good agency will improve performance, but results take time:
- Month 1: Onboarding, account audit, strategy development, listing and catalog assessment
- Months 2-3: Initial optimizations -- listing improvements, campaign restructuring, quick wins on low-hanging fruit
- Months 3-6: Measurable improvements in advertising efficiency, organic ranking, and conversion rate
- Months 6+: Compounding returns as optimized listings, strong advertising, and improved catalog structure build on each other
Any agency promising transformative results in 30 days is setting unrealistic expectations. Amazon is a platform where consistent, compounding effort produces the best outcomes.
How 595 Agency Approaches This
We work with 5-10 brands at a time, which means every account gets meaningful attention from a dedicated team: account manager, designer, and advertising specialist. We specialize in Amazon (plus Walmart Marketplace and TikTok Shop), charge a flat monthly fee of $2,000-$6,000 plus 1-2% revenue share, and maintain full transparency on reporting and account access.
We believe in experimentation over perfection, content quality over quantity, and building real profitability rather than chasing vanity revenue metrics. See our about page for more on our philosophy, or explore our services.