Hiring an Amazon agency is a decision you will live with for months. Websites and sales calls tend to sound the same, so the best way to compare is to ask every agency the same questions and listen carefully to the answers.
Before you start: decide what you need
Write down what you want help with. Full account management? Advertising only? A one-off listing project? A new marketplace? Agencies that are great at one may be average at another. Our guide to what Amazon account management includes can help you define the scope.
Access and ownership
1. Whose accounts and data are they?
The only right answer: yours. Your seller account, ad account, Brand Registry, images and reports belong to you, and you can see everything at any time.
2. How will you access our account?
Through user permissions in Seller Central and the advertising console, with a separate login for each person. An agency that asks for your main password is a red flag.
3. What happens to our campaigns and content if we leave?
Everything stays in your accounts. Ask whether creative files, such as images and A+ designs, are handed over in editable form.
Team and way of working
4. Who will work on our account day to day?
Ask for names and roles, not just "a dedicated team". Ask how many accounts each person manages.
5. Which parts do specialists handle?
Listings, advertising, design and logistics need different skills. Find out whether one generalist does everything or whether specialists are involved.
6. What will you do in the first 30 days?
A good answer starts with an audit and a written plan, not with big changes. Agencies that restructure everything in week one often lose data that took months to build.
Strategy and results
7. How do you set advertising targets?
Listen for targets set by purpose and by product margin, and for TACOS as well as ACOS. A single ACOS figure for the whole account is a warning sign. See sorting Amazon campaigns by purpose.
8. Tell us about something that did not work.
Every agency has tested ideas that failed. The ones who can explain what they learned are usually the ones who measure honestly.
9. Can we speak to a client in a similar category?
Case studies are useful, but a short conversation with a current client tells you more. If references are not possible, ask the agency to walk you through real numbers and explain them.
Reporting
10. What does a weekly report look like?
Ask for an example. It should be short and readable, explain what changed and why, and say what happens next. A shared change log, where every edit is recorded, is a strong sign of transparency.
Commercial terms
11. How are you paid, and what is not included?
Fixed fee, percentage of sales or a mix are all common. What matters is clarity: which sales count, what costs extra (images, A+ design, new marketplaces) and whether ad spend is billed to you directly.
12. What is the notice period?
Monthly agreements with a reasonable notice period are common. Long lock-ins without a performance exit put all the risk on you.
Answers that should worry you
- "We guarantee first-page rankings." Nobody controls Amazon's ranking.
- "Just send us your login." Amazon offers user permissions for a reason.
- Any mention of review tactics that break Amazon's policies, such as paying for reviews or offering refunds for them. They put your account at risk.
- Reports full of screenshots but no explanation.
- No clear answer about who actually does the work.
Comparing proposals fairly
Put the proposals side by side and score each agency from 1 to 5 on scope, team, first-30-day plan, reporting, price and contract terms. The cheapest proposal is often the one that leaves the most out. The most expensive is not always the most complete.
If you are unhappy with your current agency, read how to switch without losing ground. And if you would like to put these questions to us, get in touch. We are happy to answer every one of them in writing.