Should we stop giving money to Amazon agencies?
Using an agency specializing in Amazon to launch on the marketplace: a bad idea disguised as a good one?
YES !
For a brand starting out on Amazon, using a specialized agency isn't always the best approach. In this initial phase, volumes are still modest, the number of listings limited, and the basic rules are still being learned. Trying to structure things too early can have the opposite effect: unnecessarily complicating a learning process that often benefits from remaining direct and pragmatic.
In this context, the criticisms leveled at Amazon agencies are not unfounded. Costs can seem disproportionate, methods sometimes far removed from operational realities, and the time spent on coordination can slow down the onboarding process. For many companies, training, working with an experienced freelancer, or managing their initial product listings themselves is therefore a more effective approach. These choices allow them to quickly grasp the platform's mechanisms and maintain close control over initial decisions.
This reasoning remains valid as long as Amazon plays a secondary role in the business. However, it becomes incomplete (or even downright detrimental) as soon as the marketplace begins to have a more significant impact on sales, internal organization, and day-to-day decisions. It is precisely at this point that the issue changes in nature.
When being accompanied by an Amazon agency doesn't sound so bad after all
Amazon's role in its e-commerce mix isn't changing abruptly. The shift is happening in successive stages. Sales are increasing, the catalog is expanding, and new countries are being opened. Advertising is gradually becoming essential to maintain visibility. Price adjustments are becoming more frequent. Logistics are increasingly unforgiving of approximations. Compliance rules are being enforced with greater rigor. The amount of data to analyze exceeds what manual monitoring can reasonably handle.
At this stage, Amazon is no longer simply a distribution channel. It becomes a set of parameters that need to be constantly coordinated.
This is generally where the first limitations appear. Not due to a lack of individual skill, but to a lack of structure. A highly qualified freelancer can excel in a specific area, whether it's content, advertising, or pricing. But when these levers need to be managed simultaneously, across multiple countries, with intertwined logistical and financial constraints, the challenge is no longer just technical. It becomes organizational.
And on the Amazon Ads side, the switchover is even faster!
Advertising is often the first lever to scale up Amazon's complexity. As long as investments remain low, campaign management can remain relatively simple. But as soon as advertising becomes a growth driver, decisions can no longer be made in isolation.
Adjusting a campaign without taking stock levels into account, supporting a product without sufficient margin, pushing an ASIN in several countries without an overall reading of performance: these are all trade-offs that may seem coherent taken separately, but which, put together, degrade performance.
Amazon Ads doesn't operate as a standalone channel. It impacts visibility, pricing, logistics, and ultimately, overall profitability. As budgets increase, the need for coordination grows. The challenge lies not in launching campaigns, but in integrating them into a sustainable strategy aligned with the brand's operational constraints.
The real risk is not always what we think it is
In these situations, the main risk is not necessarily the cost of external support. Rather, it lies in decisions made too late or based on incomplete information. The consequences are not always immediate. They often manifest as reduced profitability, a loss of visibility, or difficulty scaling up.
This cost is rarely visible in a budget. It appears over time, through accumulated trade-offs and late adjustments.
Simplicity remains a virtue as long as it reflects the reality of the activity. When it no longer does, clinging to it can become a hindrance. Structuring does not mean complicating. It involves organizing priorities, clarifying information flows, and ensuring sound decision-making.
Beyond a certain scale, the question is no longer who executes. It becomes: who coordinates, and with what overall vision.
The true role of an agency, when it is well chosen
In this context, the role of a relevant agency is not to replace internal teams or to apply standardized methods. Rather, it is to harmonize the various levers, provide a cross-cutting perspective, and ensure that decisions are made within a framework of continuity.
The issue is then no longer so much the cost as the level of risk accepted.
One point is often underestimated in this debate. Structured support doesn't exempt the brand from understanding Amazon's mechanisms. It accelerates that understanding. A team that masters the platform's rules asks more precise questions, makes decisions more quickly, and becomes more efficient.
Our article, how to choose the “right” marketplace agency
It's a matter of timing, not dogma
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of whether to use an agency, a freelancer, or manage the project internally. It all depends on the timing. As long as Amazon remains a testing ground, simple approaches are often sufficient. When it becomes a structuring force, the lack of structure can prove more costly than the support itself.
The question, therefore, is not whether to stop giving money to Amazon agencies. Rather, it is to determine at what point continuing to keep things simple ceases to be appropriate for the reality of the business.
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