Choosing an Amazon agency is a high-stakes decision made with low-quality information. Every agency claims a decade of experience and a proprietary process. These ten questions cut through that, because they are difficult to answer well unless the answers are true.
1. Who will actually work on my account day to day?
You are often sold by a senior person and then managed by a junior one. Ask for the name and experience of the person who will be in your account, and how many other accounts they handle.
2. Do you specialize in my selling model?
Private label, wholesale, and arbitrage are different businesses with different playbooks. An agency that does all three usually does none of them deeply. Ask what share of their clients run your model.
3. What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
Get the scope in writing. The common gaps are creative and photography, A+ Content design, case management, trademark filing, and external traffic. Knowing the exclusions up front prevents the awkward invoice later.
4. How is your pricing structured?
Fixed retainer, percentage of sales, project fee, or a combination are all legitimate. What matters is that you understand the incentive it creates. A percentage of revenue rewards growth but not profitability, so ask how profit is protected.
5. Is there a minimum contract term?
Amazon work needs a runway of a few months to show results, so some commitment is reasonable. A long lock-in with no performance obligation is not.
6. How will you report, and on what metrics?
Ask to see a real report. If it only shows ad spend and ACoS, that is a red flag. You want total sales, TACoS, margin, and inventory health, because ACoS alone can be improved while the business shrinks.
7. What access do you need, and who owns the account?
The Seller Central account and the brand must remain yours. Agencies should work through user permissions, never by taking ownership. Confirm this explicitly.
8. What is your experience with account health and suspensions?
At some point you will face a listing suppression, a policy flag, or a suspension. An agency that has handled reinstatements is worth considerably more than one that has only run ads in calm conditions.
9. What would you do in my account in the first 30 days?
A competent agency can answer this specifically after looking at your account, and will name the actual problems they see. A vague answer means they have not looked.
10. What happens if performance does not improve?
Ask directly. The answer reveals whether the agency thinks in terms of accountability or in terms of retainers. There is no single right answer, but there is a clear difference between a considered one and a deflection.
How to use these
Ask all ten to every agency you shortlist, and compare the answers side by side. The pattern that matters is not who sounds most confident; it is who answers specifically, admits limits, and talks about profit rather than activity.
If you want to put these questions to us, book a free 30-minute call. We will answer all ten, in writing if you prefer.