By 
Handing your Amazon advertising to an agency is a big decision. Ad spend is often one of the largest costs in an Amazon business, and the wrong partner can burn budget for months before the numbers make it obvious. The good news is that most of what you need to know comes out in the first conversation, if you ask the right questions.
Here are the ten questions we would ask if we were hiring an Amazon PPC agency ourselves, what a good answer sounds like, and the red flags to watch for. At the end, you will find our own answers.
1. Who will actually manage my campaigns?
The person on the sales call is often not the person who will manage your account. Ask who will, how many accounts they handle, and how long they have been working with Amazon Ads.
Good answer: a named specialist, with a manageable number of accounts and direct contact when you need it.
Red flag: vague answers, or a promise that “the team” will handle it with no one accountable.
2. Are you a verified Amazon Ads partner?
Amazon runs the Amazon Ads Partner Network, and verified partners appear in Amazon’s partner directory. Verification is not a guarantee of quality, but it shows the agency meets Amazon’s requirements and works with Amazon Ads at scale. You can check the directory yourself instead of relying on a badge on a website.
3. What will you optimize for: ACOS, TACOS or profit?
An agency that talks only about lowering ACOS may be optimizing for a number that looks good in a report rather than for your business. Ask how they set targets for each product and how they weigh campaign efficiency against total sales and organic rank. Our guide to ACOS vs TACOS explains why both matter.
Good answer: targets set per product, based on margin and goal (launch, growth or profit), and reviewed against TACOS and total sales.
Red flag: one target ACOS for the whole account.
4. How often will you optimize, and how will you report?
Campaigns need continuous monitoring, but not every product needs bid changes every day. Ask how often they make changes, how often they report, and what the report contains.
Good answer: continuous monitoring, a clear optimization schedule that fits each product, and regular reviews with you that cover spend, sales, ACOS, TACOS and next steps.
Red flag: a monthly PDF of screenshots with no recommendations.
5. Who owns the account, the campaigns and the data?
You should. A reputable agency works inside your own Seller Central and Amazon Ads accounts, with access you grant through user permissions, and never asks for your password. If you part ways, the campaigns and their history stay with you.
Red flag: campaigns run from an account the agency owns, or a request for your login details.
6. How is your pricing structured?
Common models are a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, a percentage of sales, or a combination. Each creates different incentives. A fee based purely on ad spend, for example, rewards spending more, whether or not it is profitable. Ask what is included, what is not, and whether your ad budget is billed separately (it usually is, and is paid directly to Amazon).
7. Do you look beyond the ads?
Advertising cannot fix a product that is out of stock, a suppressed listing or a price that does not convert. Ask whether the agency watches inventory, listing quality and account health, or at least flags problems it sees there.
Good answer: they check stock and listing issues before raising spend, and tell you when the problem is not the ads.
8. What happens in the first 30 and 90 days?
A clear onboarding plan is a good sign. Typically: an audit of existing campaigns and search terms, agreed targets per product, a restructured campaign setup, and then a period of measurement and improvement. Be wary of promises of dramatic results in the first weeks; real gains in organic rank and total sales take longer.
9. Can you show results from accounts like mine?
Ask for case studies, ideally in a similar category or at a similar stage. Look for specifics: what the problem was, what they changed and what happened, not just a percentage with no context.
10. What is the contract term and notice period?
Long lock-in periods make it hard to leave if things are not working. Ask about the minimum term, the notice period and what happens to your account at the end.
Red flags at a glance
- Guaranteed results or a guaranteed ACOS before they have seen your account.
- Requests for your password instead of user permissions.
- One target for every product, regardless of margin.
- No clear answer about who manages your account.
- Reports full of numbers but no recommendations.
- Pricing that rewards spending more, with no link to profit.
How Patara Consulting answers these questions
- Partner status: Patara Consulting is a verified partner in the Amazon Ads Partner Network, and Patara Bilişim Ltd. Şti. is a registered Solution Provider in the Amazon Service Provider Network (SPN).
- Targets: set per product based on margin and goal, reviewed against TACOS, total sales and organic rank.
- Optimization and reporting: campaigns are monitored continuously and adjusted on a schedule that fits each product, from twice a week to every two weeks. We review results with you every week.
- Access and ownership: you invite us through user permissions in Seller Central and the Amazon Ads console. No passwords are shared, the campaigns stay in your account, and you can remove access at any time.
- Beyond ads: PPC management is part of every package, together with inventory, catalog and account health, because ads cannot work in isolation.
- Reporting tool: clients see the same data we do in PataraWeb 2.0, our analytics app, at no extra cost.
- Pricing: the Standard Package is $1,000 per month plus a percentage of sales; the Full Package starts at $3,500 per month and the Premium Package at $5,000 per month. Your ad budget is paid directly to Amazon.
For the full process, see our Amazon PPC management page, or contact us for a review of your account.
FAQ
How much does an Amazon PPC agency cost?
Pricing varies widely. Agencies charge a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, a percentage of sales or a mix. Your ad budget is usually separate and paid directly to Amazon. Compare what is included, not just the headline fee.
Should I hire an agency or manage Amazon PPC myself?
If you have the time and experience to monitor campaigns continuously, manage search terms and adjust bids by product, managing it yourself can work. An agency makes sense when ad spend is significant, the catalog is large, or the time spent on campaigns is better used elsewhere in the business.
How do I check whether an agency is an Amazon Ads partner?
Look the agency up in Amazon’s Amazon Ads partner directory rather than relying on a badge on its website.
Will I have to share my Amazon password?
No. A trustworthy agency asks you to add its team as users through Seller Central user permissions and Amazon Ads user management.
