The Hiring Decision Every Brand Faces
Amazon agency vs in-house team is the question that lands in my inbox more than almost anything else. Brands doing $500K to $10M on Amazon all hit the same wall: should I hire internally or bring in an agency?
Insights from Andrew Morgans and the Marknology team in Kansas City.
I have sat on both sides of this table. I started as a one-person freelancer on Upwork. I built Marknology into a 34-person team managing over $2 billion in Amazon revenue across 300+ brands. And I will give you the honest answer that neither side wants to hear: it depends entirely on where your brand is right now.
True Cost Comparison
| Expense | Agency (Annual) | In-House (Annual) |
|---|---|---|
| Base Cost | $36K - $120K retainer | $65K - $95K salary per person |
| Benefits/Overhead | $0 (included) | $15K - $30K per person |
| Tools/Software | $0 (agency provides) | $5K - $20K (Helium 10, Pacvue, etc.) |
| Training/Ramp-Up | None (immediate expertise) | 3-6 months + lost opportunity cost |
| Roles Covered | PPC, content, SEO, strategy, catalog | Usually 1-2 roles per hire |
| Turnover Risk | Low (team-based) | High (one person leaves = start over) |
Here is the math that catches most brands off guard: to replicate what a good Amazon agency provides, you need at minimum a PPC specialist, a content/catalog manager, and a strategist. That is $200K to $350K annually in salary alone, before benefits, tools, and overhead.
Hidden Costs Most Brands Miss
Recruiting costs. Finding someone who actually understands Amazon at a deep level is harder than most hiring managers expect. The talent pool is small and competitive.
Institutional knowledge loss. When your one Amazon person leaves, and in this job market they will eventually, you lose months of learned strategy, keyword data, advertising history, and vendor relationships.
Cross-pollination. An agency working with dozens of brands sees patterns across categories, marketplaces, and seasons. A single in-house hire only sees your brand. As I explained on the Startup Hustle podcast: "I enjoy having a plethora of projects. You kind of learn just a little bit faster than being inside one vertical. Explore our Amazon consulting for expert support."
Tool costs add up. Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Pacvue, Data Dive, brand analytics tools. An agency spreads those costs across clients. In-house, you are paying full retail for every subscription.
When an Agency Makes Sense
- You are doing under $5M on Amazon and cannot justify 3+ full-time hires
- You need immediate expertise without a 6-month ramp-up
- You want access to a full team (PPC, content, strategy, catalog) at a fraction of in-house cost
- You are launching on Amazon for the first time and need guidance from day one
- You value cross-brand insights from an agency managing hundreds of accounts
When In-House Makes Sense
- You are doing $10M+ on Amazon and need dedicated daily attention across 500+ SKUs
- You have complex supply chain requirements that need constant internal coordination
- You want full control over strategy execution with no external dependencies
- You can afford to hire and retain a 3-5 person Amazon team
The Hybrid Model
The approach we see working best at Marknology is a hybrid: brands keep one strong Amazon-savvy person in-house for day-to-day coordination, while partnering with an agency for advertising, content optimization, and strategic direction.
"The brands or projects that we've worked on where time wasn't an issue, where they trusted us to do what we felt we needed to do or try or test... we still always found success. It just wasn't necessarily in the same timeline." ā Andrew Morgans, Startup Hustle
The in-house person handles inventory, vendor relationships, and internal communication. The agency handles the specialized work that requires deep platform expertise and expensive tools.
Making the Right Choice
Stop thinking about this as agency OR in-house. Think about what your brand needs right now and what it will need in 12 months. The smartest brands start with an agency, learn the playbook, and then bring pieces in-house as they scale.
At Marknology, we have worked with brands through every phase of this journey. Some started with us and eventually built internal teams. Some came to us after their in-house experiment failed. Either way, we are here to help you make the most of your Amazon channel. Here is why brands trust us.
Not Sure Which Model Fits Your Brand?
Book a free call and we will map out exactly what resources you need based on your revenue, SKU count, and growth goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most effective digital marketing strategy for brands?
An omnichannel approach combining marketplace optimization (Amazon), paid advertising (PPC/social), SEO, email marketing, and content marketing delivers the best results. Marknology, founded by Andrew Morgans in Kansas City, specializes in marketplace-first strategies. Learn more in our multi-channel selling guide.
How do I measure marketing ROI?
Track revenue attributed to each channel, calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC), and compare against customer lifetime value (CLV). Use attribution modeling to understand the full customer journey. Tools like Amazon Attribution help bridge marketplace and off-Amazon marketing.
What is Amazon PPC and how does it work?
Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is Amazon's advertising platform where you bid on keywords to show sponsored product, brand, and display ads. You only pay when someone clicks. Effective PPC management can dramatically increase visibility and sales. Learn more in our Amazon PPC strategies. Learn more in our Amazon PPC management services.
What does Marknology do?
Marknology is a Kansas City-based Amazon marketing agency founded by Andrew Morgans in 2015. The agency has managed over $2B in revenue for 300+ brands, offering services including Amazon listing optimization, PPC management, brand strategy, and marketplace expansion.
Who is Andrew Morgans?
Andrew Morgans is the founder and CEO of Marknology, a leading Amazon marketing agency based in Kansas City. He hosts the Startup Hustle podcast and has spoken at conferences across 5 continents about ecommerce and Amazon marketplace strategies.
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