How to Choose an Amazon Agency: 10 Questions to Ask

Most agencies sound alike on a sales call. They all optimise listings, manage PPC and grow accounts. The differences show up later, in who does the work, how they report, and what happens when something goes wrong. Knowing how to choose an Amazon agency comes down to asking the right questions before you sign, and paying attention to how the answers are given.

Here are the ten we think matter most, with what a good answer sounds like, followed by the red flags that should end the conversation.

1. Who will actually do the work on my account?

The person selling to you is often not the person who will log into your Seller Central. Ask who that is, what their experience is, and whether you can speak to them before signing. Ask how many other accounts they manage. There is no perfect number, but if they cannot answer, they do not know either.

2. How will you access my account?

The only acceptable answer is as a secondary user through Seller Central's user permissions, with only the permissions the work needs. An agency that asks for your login details is either inexperienced or careless, and either way you are handing over control of your business. You should be able to remove their access yourself, at any time, in one click.

3. What does the reporting look like and how often will I get it?

Ask to see a sample report. It should show sales, ad spend, ACoS, and ideally profit, in language you understand, with a note on what changed and why. Monthly is the minimum. Weekly is better for advertising. A report that is only screenshots of Amazon's own dashboards adds nothing you could not see yourself.

4. What is the contract length and notice period?

Month to month with a short notice period is normal for a confident agency. Longer commitments are sometimes justified for a large launch or a full catalogue rebuild, but ask why. An agency that insists on twelve months before it has done anything is protecting its income, not your results.

5. Do you have experience in my category?

Categories differ more than they look. Supplements, food, cosmetics, toys and electrical goods all have compliance requirements, restricted keywords and approval processes that a generalist can get wrong. Ask what they have sold in your category, and what the specific challenges were. A good Amazon seller consultant will talk about problems as readily as wins.

6. What exactly is included, and what costs extra?

Get the scope in writing. Listings, advertising, inventory, customer messages, account health, A+ Content, and reporting should each be either in or out. Ask about limits: number of products, number of marketplaces, hours per month. The exclusions matter more than the inclusions, because they are where surprise invoices come from.

7. How do you charge, and what is the fee based on?

Fixed monthly retainer, percentage of sales, percentage of ad spend, or a mix. Each is legitimate, but you need to know which one and what it is calculated on. Be careful with percentage of ad spend for PPC, because it pays the agency more when they spend more of your money.

8. How will we communicate, and how quickly do you respond?

Ask which channel, who replies, and what the expected turnaround is for a normal question and for an emergency such as a suspended listing. If the agency is in a different time zone, ask when your working hours overlap. Some of the best Amazon consultant UK sellers use are overseas; the ones that work well are clear about when you can reach them.

9. What happens to my listings, images and campaigns if I leave?

Everything created for your account should belong to you: copy, images, A+ Content, campaign structures. Ask for this in the contract. Some agencies build campaigns inside their own tools or accounts, which makes leaving painful. That is not an accident.

10. What would you change first, and why?

Any agency worth hiring will have looked at your account before the proposal. Ask what they saw. A specific answer, with reasons, tells you they have done the work and can think. A vague answer about "optimising everything" tells you they have not looked.

Red flags

Some things should end the conversation regardless of how the other answers went.

• Guaranteed results. Nobody can promise a rank, a sales figure or an ACoS before seeing your data. Anyone who does is guessing or lying.
• Asking for your password. Covered above, but it bears repeating.
• Reviews or ranking "services". Paid reviews, incentivised reviews and search manipulation all break Amazon's rules and can get your account suspended. The agency will not be the one that loses the business.
• No audit before the quote. A price given without looking at your account is a price for a generic package, not for your business.
• Pressure to sign quickly. Discounts that expire today exist to stop you asking the questions above.
• Vague answers about who does the work. If they cannot name the person, the work is being passed to whoever is available.

Putting it together

You do not need an agency to score perfectly on all ten. You need honest answers, a written scope, sensible access, reporting you can read, and a contract you can leave. If those five are in place, the rest is about whether you trust the people.

If you want to run these questions past us, our Amazon account management service is for UK and US sellers, on a fixed monthly fee with a written scope and month-to-month terms. Ask us any of the ten. We would rather answer them now than have you find out later.