How to choose an Amazon agency you can trust
Choose an Amazon agency on three things: who will actually work on your account, how they will prove progress on profit rather than ad metrics alone, and whether the terms let you leave if it does not work. Ask for a written diagnosis of your own account before you sign, and judge the agency on its quality.
- Ten questions to ask
- Red flags and good signs
- A fair selection process
By Asad Razzaq, Senior Amazon PPC StrategistUpdated 1 November 2026What should an Amazon agency actually do for you?
Before comparing agencies, be clear about what you need. Some brands need advertising only. Others need someone to run the whole Amazon channel: PPC, listings, A+ content, launches, account health, reimbursements and reporting. An agency that is excellent at one may be average at another, so write down the three outcomes that matter most to you over the next six months.
Good outcomes are commercial, not cosmetic. More total sales at a healthy margin, a lower TACoS as organic sales grow, a successful launch, fewer account health problems. Lower ACoS on its own, more impressions or a nicer dashboard are means, not ends.
Then look for an agency whose process is built around those outcomes, whose people have done the work for years, and whose reporting would let you see clearly whether it is working.
Specialism matters. An agency that works mainly with private-label brands understands product launches, margin pressure and the link between listings and ads in a way that a general digital marketing agency, or one built around vendors and large retail brands, may not. Ask what share of its work looks like your business.
Marketplace experience matters too. Selling on Amazon UK brings its own details, such as VAT-inclusive pricing in reports, UK search language and the link to European marketplaces. If you plan to expand to the US or Europe, ask how the agency handles each marketplace’s search terms, currency and reporting, and whether the same person will oversee them all.
Finally, think about fit. You will speak to this agency every week or month. Clear, plain explanations and honest answers about what is not working are worth more than a polished pitch.
What questions should you ask any Amazon agency?
Ask every agency on your shortlist the same questions, ideally in writing.
- Who will work on my account every week, and how many years have they managed Amazon accounts?
- Can you show me an example of a search-term audit and a monthly report?
- How do you set target ACoS, and how does it relate to my margin?
- Will you report TACoS, total sales and margin, not only ad metrics?
- How is your fee calculated, and does it rise when my ad spend rises?
- What is the minimum term and notice period?
- How will you get access without me sharing a password?
- Do you work with brands that compete directly with mine?
- What will you do in the first 30 days, in order?
- What would make you tell me you are not the right fit?
What are the red flags when choosing an Amazon agency?
| Red flag | Why it matters | Good sign instead |
|---|---|---|
| Asks for your Seller Central password | Breaches Amazon’s account security expectations and gives full control away | Asks you to add them as a user with set permissions |
| Promises a specific ranking or sales result | No one controls Amazon’s algorithm or your competitors | Explains the levers and how progress will be measured |
| Reports only ACoS and ROAS | Ad metrics can look good while total sales or margin fall | Reports TACoS, total sales, margin, paid and organic |
| Senior person on the sales call, unknown person on the account | Experience you paid for may never touch your account | Names the person doing the work and lets you speak to them |
| Long lock-in from day one | You cannot leave if it does not work | Short onboarding, then flexible terms |
| Vague, generic audit | Suggests a template rather than real analysis | A written diagnosis specific to your account with clear priorities |
How do you run a fair agency selection process?
Step 1
Write down your goals and scope
List the outcomes you want, the marketplaces and products involved and the work you need covered, so every agency quotes against the same brief.
Step 2
Shortlist three agencies
Look for relevant experience in private label and in your marketplaces, and for people who show their thinking in public through guides or reports.
Step 3
Ask each for a written diagnosis
Give view access to your account data or share reports, and ask each agency for its top three priorities. The quality of this diagnosis is the clearest preview of the work.
Step 4
Compare like for like
Use the same questions and compare scope, pricing model, terms, reporting and who does the work, not just the fee.
Step 5
Agree how success is measured
Set the measures and the review point before you start, for example total sales, TACoS and margin at the end of the first three months.
Which numbers should you use to judge an agency?
Agree these up front so both sides know what success means. The examples use hypothetical round numbers.
| Measure | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| TACoS | Ad spend / total sales | Example: £2,000 / £40,000 = 5% |
| ACoS against break-even | Ad spend / ad sales, compared with margin before ad costs | Example: 20% ACoS against a 30% break-even leaves 10 points of margin |
| Total sales growth | (This period – same period last year) / same period last year | Example: (£60,000 – £40,000) / £40,000 = 50% |
| Margin after advertising | Profit before ad costs – ad spend – fee | The figure that should rise over time |
How Advorza answers these questions
A senior strategist owns your account and does the work. You add us as a user in Seller Central and Amazon Ads, never with a password. We send a written diagnosis within 48 hours of the free audit with the first three priorities, charge a flat monthly retainer that never rises with ad spend, work month to month after onboarding, report TACoS, total sales, margin and paid plus organic each month, and never manage two directly competing brands in the same sub-niche. Advorza is an Amazon Ads Advanced Partner.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I give an Amazon agency to show results?
Expect early fixes within the first month and clear direction on total sales and TACoS within about three months. Agree the review point before you start, and judge the trend in total sales and margin rather than a single month, because seasonality and attribution delays can distort short periods.
Should an agency have access to my Seller Central account?
Yes, but through a user invitation with set permissions, never your password. You can remove access at any time.
Does Amazon certify agencies?
Amazon Ads runs a Partner Network for agencies and tool providers. Membership shows an agency has met Amazon’s programme requirements, but you should still judge the people and the work.
Is a cheaper agency a false economy?
Not necessarily. Judge value on who does the work, how often, and whether margin and total sales improve, not on the fee alone.
What should a good Amazon audit include?
A specific diagnosis of your account: wasted spend, structure problems, listing conversion issues and the three changes worth most profit, in writing.
Co-Founder and Senior Amazon PPC Strategist at Advorza. Managing Amazon accounts since 2020 across 15+ US and UK brands. About the founders
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Free Amazon audit
Advorza’s free Amazon audit gives you a written diagnosis of your account within 48 hours, with the first three priorities ranked by likely profit.
Find the first profit leaks before you spend more.
A senior strategist reviews your campaigns, listings and account health, then sends a written diagnosis with your first three priorities.
- Written diagnosis within 48 hours
- No Amazon password needed
- No obligation