● White-label Amazon execution Senior-only team Dedicated team time
Home → Build vs partner
The honest comparison

Build · Hire ·
Partner.

Three ways to add Amazon to your agency. Each has trade-offs. Here's how the maths usually breaks down.

Side by side

The three options, compared.

Build in-house Hire freelancers Partner with us
Time to first client 6+ months 2–4 weeks 2 weeks
Upfront cost £80k+ salary + ramp Per-hour, unpredictable From £1,950/account, fixed
Scalability Hire more (slow) Capped by freelancer time Unlimited — we staff up
White-label reporting Yes (if you build templates) Maybe Built-in, in your identity
Sales / pitch support In-house team can join No Yes — we sit on pitches
Risk High — salary, lease, churn Medium — flake risk Low — rolling contract
NDA & client safety N/A — internal Often informal Mutual NDA · non-solicit
Senior expertise Depends on who you hire Variable 5+ yrs per specialist, every account
The numbers

The true cost of building in-house.

A senior Amazon hire isn't just a salary line. Once you add ramp time, benefits, tooling, management overhead, and the opportunity cost of briefs lost during recruitment, the real cost of building in-house typically lands somewhere between £140k–£180k in Year 1.

Year 1 cost · build in-house
  • Senior Amazon hire (salary)£80,000
  • NIC, pension, benefits£12,000
  • Recruitment fees£12,000
  • Tooling (Helium 10, Jungle Scout, etc.)£8,000
  • Ramp time (6mo at reduced output)£25,000
  • Manager oversight (~10% of senior time)£8,000
  • Briefs lost during 4-month hiring window£15,000–£40,000
  • Total Year 1£160k+
Year 1 cost · partner with us
  • 5 accounts at £1,950/mo (12 mo)£117,000
  • Onboarding£0
  • ToolingIncluded
  • Ramp time2 weeks
  • Management overhead£0
  • Briefs lost during onboarding£0
  • Total Year 1£117k
  • Client mark-up @ 2.5×£293k revenue

Indicative figures. Built from rate cards and HR data shared by partner agencies.

When each one fits

Which option suits you?

Build in-house if…

  • You've already got 15+ Amazon clients on your book
  • Amazon is becoming the agency's core revenue line
  • You have the cash flow to absorb 6 months of build cost
  • You can attract senior talent away from existing agencies

Hire freelancers if…

  • You need one-off project support, not ongoing service
  • You don't need white-label reporting
  • You're testing whether Amazon is a real opportunity for you
  • You're comfortable managing freelancer risk

Partner with us if…

  • You want to add Amazon as a billable service line — fast
  • You need senior delivery without senior salary
  • White-label is non-negotiable
  • You'd rather scale capability than scale headcount
A 30-minute call

Run the maths
with us.

30 minutes, no deck. We'll walk through what build vs partner looks like for your specific book.