How to Choose an Amazon Agency: 12 Questions to Ask

Hiring an Amazon agency can be one of the best decisions you make for your brand, or one of the most expensive mistakes. The difference usually comes down to the questions you ask before you sign.

We are an agency ourselves, so take this with that in mind. But we also hear from many brands who had a bad experience before they came to us. This guide is the list of questions we would want any brand to ask, including when they talk to us.

Do you need an agency at all?

Not every brand does. An agency makes sense when:

• You spend enough on ads that small improvements are worth real money.
• Your team does not have the time or skills to manage ads, listings and catalog work well.
• You are growing fast and things are starting to slip, like stockouts, suppressed listings or rising ACoS.
• You want to expand to new marketplaces and need experience you do not have in house.

If you are just starting, with a few products and a small ad budget, you may be better off learning the basics yourself first. Our guides on ACoS and cutting wasted ad spend are a good place to begin.

12 questions to ask before you hire

1. Who will actually work on my account?

Many agencies sell with senior people and hand the work to juniors. Ask who will manage your account day to day, how much experience they have, and how many other accounts they handle.

2. Can I see real results from brands like mine?

Ask for case studies with specific numbers, ideally in your category or a similar one. Be careful with vague claims like “we grew sales 500%” with no starting point or timeframe.

3. How do you charge?

Common models are a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, a percentage of sales, or a mix. Each has trade-offs. A percentage of ad spend can reward spending more, not spending better. Make sure you understand exactly what you will pay at your current size and as you grow.

4. What is the contract length?

Long lock-in contracts protect the agency, not you. A good agency should be confident enough to work month to month or with a short notice period.

5. What exactly is included?

Ads only? Listings? A+ Content? Brand Store? Catalog fixes and case handling with Amazon support? Get a clear list in writing so there are no surprises.

6. How will you report to me, and how often?

You should get regular reports that show what changed and why, not just a screenshot of the dashboard. Ask to see a sample report.

7. Which metrics do you focus on?

If the answer is only ACoS, dig deeper. Good agencies look at total sales, TACoS, profit, organic rank and new-to-brand customers too.

8. What will you do in the first 30 days?

A clear onboarding plan shows they have done this before. Expect an audit, quick fixes, a strategy and early changes, not just “we will learn your account”.

9. Who owns the accounts and data?

You should always own your Seller Central account, ads account, creative files and data. The agency should get user access, never your main login. If you part ways, everything stays with you.

10. How do you handle problems with Amazon?

Listings get suppressed, variations break and reviews go missing. Ask how they handle Seller Support cases and how quickly they respond.

11. How do you communicate?

Email, Slack, WhatsApp, weekly calls? How fast do they reply? Who do you contact when something is urgent?

12. What would you not do?

This one is revealing. A good agency will tell you what they will not do, such as risky review tactics or promises they cannot keep. If they say yes to everything, be careful.

Red flags to watch for

• Guaranteed results, like “page one in 30 days” or “double your sales”.
• Asking for your main Seller Central password instead of user permissions.
• Long contracts with heavy cancellation fees.
• No real case studies or references.
• Reports full of activity but no clear results.
• Any suggestion of fake reviews, review swaps or other tactics against Amazon’s rules.

Green flags

• A free audit or review that gives you useful findings, even if you do not hire them.
• Specific, honest answers, including “it depends” when it really does.
• Case studies with real numbers and named brands.
• Flexible, month to month terms.
• Direct access to the people doing the work.
• A focus on profit, not just revenue or ad spend.

How Maple answers these questions

Since you are reading this on our site, here are our own answers, briefly.

• Maple is founder led. Vaibhav Chitte has more than eight years of hands-on Amazon experience and stays involved in every account.
• We work month to month, with plans that start at $499 per month.
• We report every week, in plain language.
• Our case studies show real numbers from named brands, such as Blumix (wasted spend cut 41%, revenue up 73% in 10 weeks) and Livyor (daily orders up 61%, Sponsored Products ACoS down 37%).
• You keep full ownership of your accounts and data.

You can see everything we offer on our services page, or learn more about us.

The bottom line

The right agency should feel like an extension of your team, not a black box. Ask direct questions, check real results, avoid lock-in contracts and make sure you always own your accounts. If you want to see how we would approach your store, request a free 20-point audit. You will get clear findings and a 90-day plan, whether or not you work with us.

FAQs

How much does an Amazon agency cost?

Pricing varies widely. Many agencies charge a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend or sales, or a mix. Small to mid-size brands often pay from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month, depending on scope.

Is an Amazon agency worth it?

It is worth it when the agency’s work brings in more profit than it costs, through lower ad waste, higher conversion and better rank. Ask for real results and a clear plan before you decide.

What does an Amazon agency do?

Most manage advertising, optimize listings and A+ Content, build Brand Stores, fix catalog issues, handle cases with Amazon support and report on performance. Some also help with inventory and expansion to new marketplaces.

Should I give an agency my Seller Central password?

No. Add the agency as a user with the permissions they need. You keep your main login and can remove their access at any time.