Choosing an agency
Amazon Agency vs. In-House Hire: Which Is Right for Your Brand?
Should you hire an Amazon manager or an agency? What each really costs, what one person can and can’t cover, and when a hybrid makes sense.
At most established brands, nobody really owns Amazon. It’s whoever has time that week: a customer service lead, a marketing coordinator, sometimes the owner at 10 p.m. Eventually someone says it needs a real owner. Then the question is whether to hire one or bring in an agency.
Both can be right. Here’s how to think about it.
What the job actually includes
Running Amazon well is several jobs, not one:
- Tracking who’s selling your products
- Pricing policy and enforcement
- Listings, images and A+ Content, and defending them
- Advertising
- Inventory and season planning
- Account health and case work with Amazon
- Reporting in real dollars
- Other channels: Walmart, TikTok Shop, Shopify
It’s rare to find one person who is strong at all eight.
The real cost of hiring in-house
The salary is only part of it. Add benefits and payroll taxes, the software stack (research, advertising, repricing and reporting tools), creative work you’ll still outsource, recruiting time, and months of ramp-up. There’s also key-person risk: if they leave, the knowledge often leaves with them.
The real cost of an agency
The agency’s fee, plus the risk of getting a rotating cast of junior account managers who relearn your catalog every few months. You also give up some day-to-day control. Ask any agency who exactly will work on your account and how long they’ve been there. See questions to ask an Amazon agency.
When in-house makes sense
- Amazon is a major share of revenue and justifies a team, not one person
- You want total control and have leadership who understand the channel
- You can hire someone senior enough to own strategy, not just execution
When an agency makes sense
- You need all eight jobs covered and can’t justify a full team
- You need results inside a few months, not after a hiring cycle
- Nobody internally can manage or evaluate an Amazon hire yet
The hybrid most brands end up with
Often the best answer is an internal owner plus an agency. The internal person keeps the part of the job they like and finally has answers in the meeting. The agency does the volume work. On our accounts, we explain what we’re doing and why; we don’t gatekeep. The monthly report is written for your owner, so your internal person stops translating.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to hire an Amazon manager or an agency?
On salary alone, sometimes the hire. Once you add tools, creative, benefits and coverage gaps, often the agency.
Will an agency replace my marketplace person?
It shouldn’t. A good agency makes that person more effective.
Can I start with an agency and bring it in-house later?
Yes, if everything built stays in your name. Ours does. See how to switch Amazon agencies.
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