Should you hire an in-house Amazon ads manager or an agency? Hire in-house only when someone can judge their work

Hire in-house only when someone in your business can tell whether that person is doing a good job. Until then, an agency is the safer spend, because a junior Amazon ads hire costs about what a small agency charges and nobody is checking their numbers. The cost comes out close either way, so the decision comes down to who checks the work.

The money is closer than founders expect

Indeed's salary data puts a PPC manager in India at roughly ₹22,000 to ₹72,000 a month, with an average of about ₹40,000. Add a laptop, tool subscriptions and the months it takes a new hire to learn your catalogue.

Agencies in India publish fees from around ₹25,000 a month for small accounts, and many charge a percentage of ad spend on top. Our own revenue share model starts at a fixed fee of ₹25,000 a month, half our usual rate, plus 10% of marketplace revenue. Additional services cost extra. We've laid out what other agencies charge in what Amazon marketing agencies in India actually charge.

So a junior hire and a small agency land in the same bracket. The fee rarely decides this.

A junior hire with no one above them is the most expensive option

Most brands that hire in-house hire one person, give them the Seller Central login and check the dashboard once a week. That person has nobody to learn from and nobody who can tell a good ACoS from a flattering one. They'll report attributed sales, because that is the number Amazon shows first, and a campaign can look efficient on it while your total sales stand still.

An agency has the same risk, but it has other accounts to compare against and a reason to keep you. A lone junior has neither.

When an in-house hire makes sense

First, someone senior has to be able to read the numbers: a founder or manager who knows your break-even ACoS with returns included and will ask why TACoS moved this month.

Second, Amazon should be a big share of revenue. A full-time person needs a full-time job, and if Amazon is one channel among four, your hire ends up doing everything else too.

It also helps if the work is daily. A large catalogue, frequent launches or stock that runs out every week is easier to handle from inside the business than from an agency's weekly call.

If the first one isn't true, stop there. Use an agency or an experienced freelancer, and spend that time learning what good looks like.

An agency is worth it when you can't judge the work yet

The best reason to hire an agency is to borrow judgement you don't have yet. That only works if you make them show it. Ask for break-even ACoS worked out with your returns and RTO, TACoS every month next to ACoS, and one reported number traced back to real orders. An agency that can't show you those is no better than the cheapest hire you could make. There are more of these in our eight questions to ask an Amazon agency.

The worst reason is to avoid looking at the numbers yourself. Whoever runs your ads, the founder still owns the margin.

What we'd do in your place

Start with an agency on a short commitment while you learn the numbers. Once Amazon is a large share of your sales and you can read the reports yourself, hire in-house and keep the agency on audit, or let it go. If an agency tells you never to hire in-house, ask them why. If you want us to be that agency for a while, talk to us.

FAQ

How much does an Amazon PPC manager cost in India?

Indeed puts PPC managers in India at roughly ₹22,000 to ₹72,000 a month, averaging about ₹40,000, depending on experience and city. Add tools and ramp-up time.

Is an Amazon agency cheaper than hiring someone?

Usually about the same for a small brand. Small agencies in India start around ₹25,000 a month. The difference is who checks the work, and in-house works only when someone senior can.

Can I use a freelancer instead?

Yes, for a small catalogue. The same test applies: hire them only if you can check their numbers, or have them report break-even ACoS with returns and TACoS every month.