● 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 Flat agency partner rate, 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 briefs lost during recruitment, the real Year 1 cost is meaningfully higher than the headline number.

Year 1 cost · build in-house
  • Senior Amazon hire (salary)£75,000–£90,000
  • NIC, pension, benefits£12,000
  • Recruitment fees£10,000–£15,000
  • Tooling (Helium 10, etc.)£3,000–£4,000
  • Ramp time (4–6 mo reduced output)£20,000–£30,000
  • Manager oversight£6,000–£8,000
  • Realistic Year 1£140k+

Plus the harder-to-quantify cost of briefs lost during the 4-month hiring window.

What partnering looks like
  • Partner retainerFixed monthly fee
  • Onboarding£0
  • ToolingIncluded
  • Ramp time2 weeks
  • Management overhead£0
  • Briefs lost during onboarding£0
  • Notice period30 days rolling
  • Typical client mark-up2–3×

Partner rates shared on the intro call once we know your scope.

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.