How to Choose an Amazon Agency (Without Getting Burned)

By GigaCommerce
on October 26, 2025

The 9 Criteria That Actually Matter

1. Amazon-Specific Experience (Not General E-Commerce)

The single most important factor. Amazon has a proprietary advertising system, a unique search algorithm (COSMO), specific listing requirements by category, and a constantly evolving set of seller tools and policies. Experience managing Google Ads, Shopify stores, or Facebook campaigns doesn’t transfer.

What to verify:

How many Amazon accounts do they currently manage?
How long have they been managing Amazon specifically?
Do they have team members with former Amazon corporate or Seller Central experience?
Can they speak intelligently about COSMO, Rufus, SPAG campaign structure, and AMC audiences?

If the agency can’t have a detailed conversation about current Amazon-specific topics, their Amazon expertise is probably surface-level.

2. Case Studies with Real Metrics

Every agency claims to “drive growth on Amazon.” The ones worth hiring can show you exactly how.

What a strong case study looks like:

Named brand or specific category (not “a health & beauty brand”)
Specific before/after metrics: revenue, ACoS, organic ranking, review count
Clear timeline: “90 days” not “over time”
Specific tactics used: “Restructured 3 catch-all campaigns into 12 SPAG campaigns” not “optimized PPC”
Verifiable if possible: Clutch reviews, client references

What to watch for:

Percentage-only claims without absolute numbers (287% growth could be $100 to $387)
Case studies that are all from 2-3 years ago (what have they done lately?)
Unwillingness to connect you with a current client

3. Team Structure and Account Load

Who will do the actual work on your account? This question matters more than who pitches you.

Ask specifically:

Who is my account manager? Can I meet them before signing?
How many accounts does that person manage?
Is the team in-house, freelance, or offshore?
What happens if my account manager leaves?

Healthy benchmarks: An account manager should handle no more than 8-10 accounts. A PPC specialist should manage no more than 15-20 accounts. Above these numbers, your account gets reactive maintenance, not proactive optimization.

Our approach at GigaCommerce: Dedicated team pods — a named account manager, PPC specialist, and content creator assigned to your account. Our pods handle 4-8 clients maximum, ensuring focused attention.

4. Advertising Sophistication

Amazon advertising in 2026 is complex. Your agency should demonstrate fluency across the full ad stack, not just Sponsored Products.

Minimum competency checklist:

Sponsored Products with SPAG or equivalent granular structure
Sponsored Brands (headline search, video, Store spotlight)
Sponsored Display (retargeting, audience targeting)
Search term management process (weekly negative matching, keyword harvesting)
Bid optimization methodology (not just “we adjust bids”)
Understanding of TACoS, not just ACoS

Advanced capabilities (for brands spending $10K+/month):

Amazon DSP management
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) audience building
Dayparting and placement optimization
Cross-channel attribution

If the agency talks only about “running Sponsored Products campaigns,” they’re operating at a 2020 level of sophistication. The platform has evolved dramatically.

5. Listing and Content Capability

PPC drives traffic. Listings convert it. An agency that only manages advertising without optimizing listings is driving traffic to an underperforming storefront.

Verify they can handle:

Title optimization following category-specific guidelines
Bullet point strategy (benefit-led, not feature-led)
Backend keyword research and implementation
A+ Content design and strategy
Product photography direction
A/B testing using Manage Your Experiments

If the agency says “we focus on PPC — you handle the listings,” walk away. Amazon performance is a system. Optimizing one component without the others produces suboptimal results.

6. Reporting Depth and Cadence

How will you know if the agency is performing? The answer should be specific, not vague.

What to expect at minimum:

Weekly or bi-weekly performance reports (not monthly — too much can go wrong in 30 days)
Revenue trending (total revenue, ad revenue, organic revenue)
PPC metrics: spend, ACoS, TACoS, ROAS, impression share
Keyword ranking tracking for top 10-15 terms
Next-period action items (what the agency plans to do next)

What sets great agencies apart:

Real-time dashboards you can access anytime
Competitive intelligence (what competitors are doing)
Margin-aware reporting (profit, not just revenue)
Proactive recommendations (not waiting for you to ask)

7. Pricing Transparency

If you can’t find pricing information before a sales call, that’s usually a sign that pricing is either high, variable, or designed to be negotiated based on how much the salesperson thinks you’ll pay.

Common Amazon agency pricing models:

Model	Range	Pros	Cons
Flat retainer	$2,000-$15,000/mo	Predictable, clear scope	No direct tie to results
% of ad spend	10-20% of monthly ad budget	Scales with investment	Incentivizes overspending
% of revenue	5-15% of Amazon revenue	Aligned incentives	Can become expensive at scale
Hybrid	Base retainer + performance bonus	Balanced incentives	More complex to evaluate

Our recommendation: Flat retainer or hybrid. Percentage-of-ad-spend models create a conflict of interest — the agency earns more by recommending you spend more, regardless of efficiency. For detailed pricing benchmarks, see our guide: Amazon Agency Pricing: What to Expect →

8. Contract Terms

Contract structure reveals how confident an agency is in their ability to retain you through results.

Month-to-month contracts signal confidence: the agency believes you’ll stay because the work is good, not because a legal clause forces you. This is our model at GigaCommerce.

6-12 month contracts are common in the industry and not inherently bad — but they should include: defined performance milestones, a clear escalation process if expectations aren’t met, and reasonable termination provisions if the agency consistently underperforms.

Red flags in contracts:

12-month minimum with no performance clauses
Early termination fees exceeding one month’s retainer
Clauses that prevent you from accessing your own Amazon account data
Non-compete clauses preventing you from hiring another agency after leaving
Automatic renewal without explicit opt-in

9. Category and Vertical Experience

An agency that has managed 50 accounts in health & beauty has pattern-matched solutions for that vertical — they know which keywords convert, which A+ Content layouts work, which price points the market supports, and which compliance requirements apply (FDA, FTC, DSHEA for supplements).

That vertical expertise doesn’t transfer automatically to electronics, toys, or industrial supplies. Each Amazon category has different fee structures, competitive dynamics, advertising costs, and content requirements.

Ask: “Have you managed brands in my specific product category? If not, what’s the closest category you have experience with?”

The 7 Red Flags

“We guarantee page 1 rankings.” No legitimate agency can guarantee specific rankings on Amazon. The algorithm is controlled by Amazon, not the agency.

No named case studies after 2+ years in business. If they can’t show real results, they probably haven’t achieved them.

The person who pitches you won’t manage your account. If the founder sells you but a junior coordinator does the work, the expertise that attracted you isn’t what you’re getting.

“We manage everything — Amazon, Shopify, Google, Facebook, TikTok, SEO, email.” Agencies that claim to do everything rarely do anything excellently. Specialists outperform generalists on platform-specific work.

They ask for your Amazon account password. Agencies should access your account through Amazon’s authorized third-party access system, not by logging in with your credentials. Sharing passwords is a security risk and violates Amazon’s Terms of Service.

Reports contain metrics but no insights. A report that says “ACoS was 28% this month” is data, not insight. “ACoS was 28% because we expanded into 15 new competitive keywords — ACoS on existing keywords remained at 22%, and the new keywords need 2-3 more weeks of optimization” is insight.

They discourage you from understanding your own account. A good agency educates you. A bad agency keeps you dependent. If your agency resists explaining their strategy, resists giving you dashboard access, or resists your involvement in decision-making, they’re hiding behind opacity.

The Evaluation Process: Step by Step

Step 1: Create your shortlist (3-5 agencies)

Sources: Clutch.co (filter by Amazon services), Amazon SPN directory, referrals from other sellers, and direct outreach to agencies with strong content marketing.

Step 2: Initial screening (15-minute call)

Ask: How many Amazon accounts do you manage? What categories do you specialize in? What’s your pricing range? Can you share 2-3 case studies before a longer call?

Step 3: Deep evaluation (45-60 minute call)

Walk through the 9 criteria above. Ask for specific examples, not general claims. Request client references.

Step 4: Reference calls

Speak with 1-2 current clients. Ask: What results have you seen? How is communication? Have there been any issues, and how were they resolved? Would you hire them again?

Step 5: Trial period

If possible, start with a 3-month trial at a defined scope and budget. Set specific KPIs for the trial period and evaluate honestly at Day 90.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should an Amazon agency cost?

Legitimate Amazon agencies charge $2,000-$15,000/month for management services, depending on catalog size, service scope, and agency tier. Agencies charging under $1,000/month are likely either solo operators with limited bandwidth or offshore teams with minimal oversight. Agencies charging over $15,000/month are typically serving brands with $500K+/month in Amazon revenue. For a complete breakdown, see Amazon Agency Pricing →.

Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?

Freelancers are more affordable ($1,000-$3,000/month) and can work well for small catalogs with straightforward needs. However, freelancers have limited bandwidth, no backup if they’re unavailable, and typically lack the tools and processes of an agency. Agencies provide team depth, technology, accountability, and the ability to scale as your brand grows.

How long should I commit to an agency?

Give any agency at least 90 days before evaluating results. The first 30 days are onboarding. Days 30-60 involve initial optimization. Meaningful results appear between Days 60-90. If there’s no measurable progress by Day 90 — not just promises of future improvement, but actual data showing directional improvement — it’s time to reconsider.

Can I switch agencies mid-year?

Yes, but plan the transition carefully. Ensure your contract allows it (check termination provisions), request full data export before leaving (campaign data, keyword lists, content assets), and give the new agency time to audit before making changes. A 2-4 week overlap period where the old agency is still running while the new agency audits and plans is ideal.

What should I do before hiring an agency?

Get Brand Registry if you don’t have it. Ensure your Seller Central access is organized (you should own the account, not the agency). Document your current performance baseline (revenue, ACoS, organic rankings). Define your goals and budget. And get a listing audit — our free audit → gives you a clear starting point before any agency engagement.

Next Steps

Start with a free audit. Before committing to any agency, know where you stand. We’ll analyze your top Amazon listings and provide specific recommendations — whether you hire us or not. Get your free Amazon audit →

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Last Updated: March 2026