I audited a 7-figure account last month—$86k in monthly ad spend, $44k completely wasted.

The seller had hired a consultant on Upwork for $800/month thinking they'd found a bargain.

Six months later? They'd burned through $264k in wasted spend trying to save $9,600 on management fees.

That's not cost savings. That's financial self-sabotage.

Here's what no one tells you: the agency-vs-consultant decision isn't about which one is "better." It's about which execution model stops the bleeding fastest at your specific scale.

I'm Bernard Nader, founder of PPC Maestro. We're a profit-first Amazon PPC agency, so yes—I have a dog in this fight. But I've also worked with dozens of sellers who came to us after hiring consultants, agencies, and hybrid setups that didn't work. I've seen what breaks, what scales, and what's just expensive theater.

This article will show you exactly when each option makes sense, how to calculate the real cost (not just the invoice), and how to avoid the expensive mismatch that's bleeding your margin right now.

Disclosure: This article is written from the perspective of an agency owner, but I'll show you when consultants are the smarter move—and when you shouldn't hire either of us.

Let's cut through the noise.

What Is an Amazon PPC Agency?

An Amazon PPC agency is a team-based service that owns your campaign execution end-to-end.

They don't just advise. They do.

That means:

Pricing models:

Best for: Sellers spending $50k+/month on ads who need systems, not heroics. Brands planning exits in 12–24 months who need transferable infrastructure. Founders who don't have time to babysit freelancers.

Here's what most people miss: agencies aren't just "expensive consultants." They're process infrastructure. You're paying for redundancy, documentation, and the ability to scale without founder bottleneck.

What Is an Amazon PPC Consultant?

A PPC consultant is an individual expert who advises, audits, or executes on a contract basis.

They're hired for:

Pricing models:

Best for: Sellers spending under $20k/month who can't justify agency fees. Brands with internal teams who need strategic elevation. Accounts that need a one-time fix, not ongoing management.

The hidden constraint: consultants don't scale. One person can realistically manage 5–10 accounts depending on complexity. After that, quality crashes or they start hiring—and they're not structured to manage a team the way agencies are.

Amazon PPC Agency vs Consultant: The Real Differences

Here's the breakdown no one gives you upfront.

The Hidden Cost Everyone Ignores

Let's say you hire a consultant for $2,000/month to save money.

You're spending $60k/month on ads.

The consultant gives great advice. But they can't execute daily optimizations because they're advising six other accounts.

Meanwhile, 15% of your spend ($9k/month) is bleeding into non-converting placements, high-ACoS broad match terms, and search terms you'll never rank for.

Over six months, that's $54,000 in waste.

You saved $18,000 on agency fees.

You lost $54,000 in profit.

The real question isn't "who costs less?" It's "who stops the bleeding fastest?"

Want to know exactly how much you're wasting right now? Run the numbers with our Wasted Ad Spend Calculator—it takes 90 seconds and might save you $30k this quarter.

When to Hire an Amazon PPC Agency (And Why)

Hire an agency when the cost of not having systems exceeds the cost of the retainer.

Here's when that threshold hits:

1. You're Spending $50k+/Month on Ads

At this scale, manual optimization can't keep up.

You need:

One person—even a great consultant—can't execute this at velocity without mistakes.

Agencies have teams. Strategist sets direction. Analyst pulls data. Manager executes. QA catches errors before they cost $10k [3].

2. You Don't Have an Internal Team (And Don't Want One)

If you're a founder doing product, ops, and finance, you don't have 10 hours/week to review a consultant's recommendations and tell your VA what to execute.

Agencies are plug-and-play.

They own the outcome, not just the advice.

3. You're Planning an Exit in 12–24 Months

M&A buyers discount businesses with single-person dependencies.

If your PPC is run by "Dave the consultant" and Dave's knowledge lives in his head, that's a valuation risk.

Agencies provide:

This isn't theoretical. We've worked with sellers preparing for acquisition who needed to convert consultant setups into agency infrastructure specifically to de-risk their PPC for buyers [4].

4. Your TACoS Is Climbing and Profit Is Shrinking

If Total Advertising Cost of Sales (TACoS) is creeping from 12% to 18% and you don't know why, you need a full-funnel diagnostic.

Most consultants optimize campaigns. Agencies (the good ones) optimize profit systems—tying PPC to listing CVR, inventory velocity, and SKU-level contribution margin.

Example from a recent audit:

A consultant could spot this. An agency can execute the reallocation without waiting for your approval on every bid change.

See how we approach profit-first optimization in our Profit Feedback Loop framework.

When to Hire an Amazon PPC Consultant (And Save Money Doing It)

Hire a consultant when you need leverage, not labor.

Here's when that's the smarter play:

1. You're Spending Under $20k/Month

Agency economics don't work at this scale.

If you're spending $15k/month on ads, a $3k/month agency retainer is 20% overhead before you've made a dollar.

A consultant charging $1,500/month can audit your account, build a 90-day optimization roadmap, and train your VA to execute—leaving you with a system you own.

Caveat: This only works if you have someone to execute. If you don't, the consultant's recommendations sit in a Google Doc while your account bleeds [5].

2. You Already Have a Team—You Just Need Strategy

If your VA or junior PPC manager is executing but doesn't know how to set TACoS targets by margin, isolate search terms, or prune "bleeders," bring in a consultant to level them up.

Consultants excel at teaching. Agencies rarely transfer knowledge (it's not in their economic interest).

3. You Need a One-Time Fix, Not Ongoing Management

Examples:

Consultants are perfect for scoped projects. You're not paying for overhead or unused capacity.

4. You Want to Build Internal Capabilities (And Eventually Fire Everyone)

If your long-term goal is bringing PPC fully in-house, a consultant can:

Agencies don't do this. They're incentivized to retain you, not replace themselves.

How Agencies and Consultants Differ in Profit Optimization (This Is What Actually Matters)

Most sellers think the difference is execution speed.

That's wrong.

The real difference is how they model profit.

Consultant Approach: SKU-Level Diagnosis

A good consultant will:

Deliverable: a spreadsheet and a strategy memo.

What you still need to do: execute the bid changes, budget shifts, and negative mining yourself (or hire someone to do it).

Agency Approach: System-Level Execution

A profit-first agency will:

Deliverable: a managed system that executes these optimizations without your input.

What you still need to do: approve strategic pivots (new product launches, major budget increases).

Example: TACoS Targeting by Margin

Let's say you sell three products:

Consultant approach: "Set TACoS targets at 20%, 12%, and 8% respectively. Here's how to adjust bids to hit those targets."

Agency approach: We set those targets in our bid rules engine and adjust daily based on conversion rate, average order value, and inventory. You see the results in weekly profit dashboards.

The consultant is right. The agency just does it faster.

Want to see this in action? Check out our case study results to see exactly how we've applied this across 7- and 8-figure accounts.

The Costliest Mistake: Choosing Based on Price Instead of Profit

I've seen this pattern a dozen times:

Seller hires a $1,000/month consultant to "save money" vs. a $4,000/month agency.

Six months later:

Net outcome: $72k worse off than if they'd hired the agency.

Here's the calculation you should run before deciding:

Wasted Spend ROI Calculator

Example:

If the consultant reduces waste to 15% (saves $6k/month = $72k/year), net profit improvement = $48k.

If the agency reduces waste to 8% (saves $10.2k/month = $122k/year), net profit improvement = $62k.

The agency costs $36k more but delivers $14k more profit.

Stop optimizing for the invoice. Optimize for the bank account.

Hybrid Option: Consultant + Internal Team (The Smart Middle)

Here's the setup I recommend for sellers spending $30k–$75k/month who want agency results without agency cost:

Structure:

Total cost: $3k–$5k/month (vs. $6k–$8k for full agency at this scale)

You get:

What this requires from you:

This works beautifully for operationally sophisticated sellers. It breaks for founders who are already underwater.

How to Vet an Amazon PPC Agency vs Consultant (Ask These Questions)

Don't hire based on case studies alone. Anyone can cherry-pick wins.

Ask these questions instead:

For Agencies:

"Walk me through your process for cutting wasted spend in the first 60 days."

"Do you optimize for profit per click or just ACoS?"

"How do you handle inventory-driven budget pacing?"

"Can I see your SOPs for negative keyword mining and search term isolation?"

For Consultants:

"How many active accounts are you managing or advising right now?"

"What's your process for training my internal team?"

"Can you provide references from 7-figure sellers in my category?"

"Do you offer ongoing support or just one-time projects?"

Red Flags for Both:

What Most Comparison Articles Won't Tell You: When to Hire Neither

Here's the truth no agency or consultant will say:

Sometimes the best move is to do nothing—for now.

If you're spending under $10k/month on ads and your TACoS is stable, you might not need either.

Spend that $2k–$5k/month on:

PPC optimization has diminishing returns. If your listing converts at 8% and your competitor converts at 15%, better ads won't save you. Fix the listing first.

When does PPC help matter more than listing help?

When:

If none of those apply, save your money.

Final Recommendation: Match the Solution to Your Scale and Capability

Here's the decision tree:

Spending under $20k/month?

→ Start with a consultant. Get an audit. Build a roadmap. Train internal execution.

Spending $20k–$50k/month and operationally strong?

→ Hire consultant + VA/junior specialist. Get agency results at consultant cost.

Spending $50k+/month?

→ Hire a full-service agency with profit-first systems. Optimize for speed and redundancy.

Planning an exit in 12–24 months?

→ Always choose an agency. Buyers pay premiums for transferable infrastructure.

Operationally underwater or lacking internal bandwidth?

→ Hire an agency regardless of spend level. You need someone who owns the outcome, not just gives advice.

The worst move? Staying in the middle—burning $30k/month on ads while you "figure it out."

Ready to stop guessing? Book a free profit audit and we'll show you exactly where your ad spend is leaking—and whether an agency, consultant, or hybrid model makes sense for your business. No pitch, just numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the average cost of hiring an Amazon PPC agency?

Most Amazon PPC agencies charge $2,000–$10,000/month on flat retainer or 10–15% of your monthly ad spend, depending on account complexity and spend volume. Sellers spending $50k–$100k/month typically pay $5k–$8k/month. Accounts over $200k/month may negotiate performance-based fees tied to profit lift, not just ROAS. Always ask how the agency ties pricing to profit outcomes rather than campaign activity, and whether onboarding or setup fees apply in the first 60 days [1].

Can a consultant manage Amazon PPC as effectively as an agency?

A skilled consultant can deliver expert strategy, audits, and training—but can't match agency execution speed at scale. Consultants excel when you need strategic direction, one-time diagnostics, or internal team training. Agencies excel at daily optimizations, systemized processes, and team redundancy. If you're spending under $30k/month and have internal support to execute, a consultant often delivers better ROI. Above $50k/month, agencies typically outperform due to specialization, automation, and dedicated analysts handling data-heavy optimizations like placement-level bid adjustments and bulk negative mining [2].

How do I know if I need an Amazon PPC agency or just a consultant?

If you're spending $50k+/month on ads, lack an internal PPC team, or are preparing for an exit, hire an agency for systemized execution and transferable infrastructure. If you're spending under $20k/month, need strategic guidance, or want to train an internal team, start with a consultant for cost efficiency and knowledge transfer. The key decision factor: can your current setup identify and eliminate wasted spend at the speed your account scales? If not—and you're losing 20–40% of spend to non-converting placements or poorly structured campaigns—you need more support regardless of invoice cost [3].

What should I ask before hiring an Amazon PPC agency?

Ask: "How do you identify and cut wasted spend in the first 60 days?" (look for structured diagnostics, not vague promises). "Do you optimize for profit per click or just ACoS?" (agencies should model TACoS by SKU margin, not chase vanity metrics). "How do you set TACoS targets for products with different margins?" (good agencies adjust targets by contribution margin, not one-size-fits-all). "Can I see SOPs for negative keyword mining and search term isolation?" (documented processes signal systemized optimization). Avoid agencies promising specific ACoS without auditing your account, or those that don't mention profit, margin, or exit readiness [4].

Is hiring a consultant cheaper than an agency for Amazon PPC?

Upfront, yes—consultants charge $500–$5,000/month vs. $2,000–$10,000+ for agencies. But cost-per-result often favors agencies at scale. If a consultant can't execute fast enough and 25% of your $60k/month ad spend ($15k/month) continues leaking into wasted placements, the "cheaper" option costs you $180k/year in lost profit. Calculate wasted spend (typically 10–40% in unoptimized accounts), multiply by 12 months, and compare to annual management cost. If an agency costing $60k/year eliminates $120k in waste vs. a consultant costing $24k/year eliminating $70k, the agency delivers $14k more net profit despite higher fees [5].

E-E-A-T Section

This article was written by Bernard Nader, founder of PPC Maestro, a profit-first Amazon PPC agency serving 7-figure private label sellers in the U.S., UK, and international markets. Bernard has managed millions in Amazon ad spend, developed the Profit Feedback Loop framework for eliminating wasted spend and optimizing TACoS by margin, and teaches Amazon PPC strategy publicly via YouTube tutorials, AMZ Summit presentations, and documented SOPs published on PPC Maestro. The strategies, cost benchmarks, and decision frameworks in this article are drawn from real client audits, multi-year agency operations, and systematic profit optimization across dozens of 7- and 8-figure Amazon accounts. While PPC Maestro offers full-service agency management, this article presents objective guidance on when consultants, hybrid models, or in-house teams may be more appropriate based on spend scale, operational capability, and business goals.