An Amazon consultant for one problem, answered in writing.
Shelfcrest works as an Amazon consultant for private label brands and Amazon sellers who run their own seller account and need a second mind on one problem: a stalled product, a launch, a new marketplace, or an agency proposal. The answer comes as a written plan you can act on.
What an Amazon consultant does, and what it is not
An Amazon consultant looks at one part of your Amazon business, works out what is really going on, and sets the strategy for fixing it. You or your team then do the work. That is the difference between Amazon seller consulting and management, where the agency does the work every week.
Consulting services fit brands that already run their own Amazon Seller Central account and are stuck on something specific. A product whose growth stopped. A launch that needs a strategy before the first Amazon advertising dollar. A marketplace you are not sure about. An agency proposal you want read by someone with nothing to sell you.
Shelfcrest's Amazon consulting service ends in a written strategy: what the data shows, what to change, in what order, and how you will know it worked against your goals. If ongoing help would pay, it says so, and names which of the management services fits.
Six moments brands ask for outside help
A product that stopped growing
Sales flattened and nobody can say whether it is the listing, the ads, the price or the stock.
A launch in the next few months
The keyword research, the listing and the Amazon advertising need a strategy before money is spent.
An agency proposal on the table
You want someone with nothing to sell you to read the scope, the fee model and the promises.
A second marketplace
Adding Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia or Walmart needs a decision on what to send and how.
An account health scare
A warning or a falling rating, and you want to know how serious it is before you answer.
In-house, outsourced, or doing it yourself
You need to know what the operations actually take each week before committing to a salary or a retainer.
Six questions one consultation answers
| Question | What the consultant looks at | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Why did this product stop growing? | Search funnel by query, conversion, ad spend against break-even, price, stock and reviews | The cause, ranked, and the first three changes |
| How do we launch this product? | Keyword research, the listing, launch campaigns and the budget | A launch plan with a budget and an end date |
| Is this agency proposal any good? | Scope, fee model, minimums, what happens to your data when you leave | A written read of the proposal, line by line |
| Should we sell in another marketplace? | Demand for the product there, fees, logistics and listing work | A go or wait answer, with the reasons |
| How serious is this account health warning? | The policy, its severity, history of repeats, the Account Health Rating | What to fix, and what to send Amazon |
| Should we hire, outsource or do it ourselves? | The hours the work takes each week, and the skills it needs | A clear recommendation, including when an agency is not needed |
One question per consultation keeps the answer specific and the strategy usable. When a problem turns out to be two, the written answer says so, and the second one is answered next.
Eight areas covered, and the question behind each
- Amazon SEO and listings
- Do the listings carry the searches that sell, within Amazon's limits on titles, bullets, images and search terms?
- Amazon advertising and marketing
- Is each PPC campaign measured against break-even ACoS, and is the marketing strategy building organic growth, with TACoS falling?
- Product research
- Is there demand for this product on Amazon, what do shoppers search for, and what would it cost to compete?
- Pricing, margin and revenue
- What does each unit earn after Amazon's fees, and how much revenue can advertising take before the sale loses money?
- Account health
- Is anything on the Account Health page a real risk, and what does Amazon need to see?
- Amazon FBA operations
- Will the next restock fit this month's FBA capacity limit, and is stock timed against the advertising?
- Marketplaces
- Which Amazon store or other marketplace should come next, and what does it take to open it well?
- Agencies and hiring
- What should the work cost, who should do it, and what should a contract say about your data?
The numbers every Amazon consultation starts from
Every consultation starts from your own numbers, not from a benchmark someone else published. Margin per unit decides how much advertising a product can carry. The search funnel shows where shoppers are lost. The Account Health Rating shows whether anything is urgent. Without these, advice is guesswork.
Margin before ads = (price minus product cost, Amazon fees and shipping) / price
Break-even ACoS = margin before ads
Conversion by search = purchases / clicks, from Search Query Performance
Worked example, illustrative
A brand asks why its best product stopped growing. It sells for $40, and costs and fees add up to $26.
- Margin before ads is 14 / 40 = 35 percent, so break-even ACoS is 35 percent.
- The account runs at an ACoS of 42 percent: every ad sale loses money, so the ads were cut back.
- Organic sales fell with them, because the product had been ranking on searches it only reached through ads.
- The strategy: fix the listing for those searches first, then rebuild the ads with bids set under break-even, and measure growth by TACoS.
| Number | Where it comes from | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Margin before ads | Your costs, Amazon's fees and the price | How much advertising a sale can carry |
| ACoS and TACoS | Campaign Manager and Business Reports | Whether ads pay, and whether they build organic sales |
| Search funnel | Search Query Performance in Brand Analytics | Where shoppers are lost: impression, click or purchase |
| Account Health Rating | The Account Health page | Whether anything is urgent before growth work starts |
| Capacity and stock | The FBA Capacity Monitor and inventory reports | Whether the plan can be supplied |
What an Amazon consultation finds
Illustrative examples on an unnamed account. Not client results.
A stalled product ranking only where ads paid for it
When the ads were cut, organic sales fell with them
Put the converting ad searches into the listing, then rebuild the bids under break-even
An agency proposal billing a percentage of total sales
The fee rises with sales the agency did not cause
Ask for a flat fee, or a percentage of ad spend capped in writing
A launch planned without an end date for launch ads
The launch budget turns into a permanent cost
Set a budget and an end date, and a rule for what happens after
A second marketplace chosen for its size, not its demand
The listing work and logistics cost more than the first year of sales
Check demand for the product there first, then decide
How an Amazon consultation works, step by step
Step 1: the question
You describe the problem, and the question is agreed in writing before anything else, so the answer is the one you need.
Step 2: access and data
You authorize Shelfcrest as a service provider in Seller Central, tool by tool, and share your cost per unit. Nothing else is needed.
Step 3: analysis
The reports, listings, campaigns and account health that bear on the question are read in your account, not guessed from a benchmark.
Step 4: the written strategy
What the data shows, the changes ranked by what they are worth to your goals, the order to make them in, and the number that will show each one worked.
Step 5: questions answered
Questions are answered in writing, so the answers stay with the strategy they belong to.
After the consultation
You carry the strategy out yourself, or ask for it to be done. If ongoing management would pay, the written answer says so, and if it would not, it says that too.
Included in an Amazon consultation
- One question, agreed in writing before the work starts
- Analysis in your own account, from your own reports
- Margin and break-even worked out for the products involved
- A written strategy: findings, ranked changes, order and measures
- Plain language, so your team can act on it without a translator
- Questions on the plan answered in writing
- An honest answer when an agency is not what you need
- The written strategy is yours to keep and to use with anyone
A consultation does not include carrying out the plan. For that, see Amazon PPC management, listing optimization or full account management.
A 10-step self check before you hire an Amazon consultant
- Write down the one problem you want solved, in one sentence.
- Work out the margin before ads for the products involved: price minus every cost and fee, divided by price.
- Pull ACoS and TACoS for the last three months and see which way each is moving.
- If your brand is registered, open Search Query Performance and find where shoppers drop out.
- Check the Account Health page for anything open or anything under 200 on the rating.
- Compare your stock with next month's FBA capacity limit.
- Read your last twenty one and two star reviews for a repeated complaint.
- Search your main keyword on Amazon, logged out, and compare your listing with the three above it.
- Write down what you have already tried, and what happened.
- Decide what you will do with the answer, before you pay for it.
Half the time, steps two to eight answer the question on their own. The ACoS calculator handles step two and three.
A freelancer, a large agency, or an independent Amazon consultant
| Option | Works well when | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|
| Forums and free advice | The question is common and the answer is public | Advice without your numbers, from people who have not seen your account |
| Freelance marketplace | A clear task with a clear brief | Consulting quality varies, and the brief has to be right before anyone starts |
| Large agency | You already want full management | A consultation often ends in a sales pitch for a retainer |
| Independent Amazon consultant | One problem, and an answer from someone with no reason to oversell | Consultants who promise results they do not control |
Who this service is for
A good fit
- Brands running their own Seller Central account with one specific problem
- Brands comparing agency proposals, or deciding whether to hire
- Brands planning a launch or a second marketplace
Not a fit
- Anyone who wants the work done rather than a plan: see the management services
- Accounts that want a guaranteed sales or rank number
- Vendor Central only accounts
What an Amazon consultant costs at Shelfcrest
Consulting session: published at launch
An Amazon consultation is a fixed fee per question, agreed before the work starts, never an hourly meter. The price is on the pricing page, next to the monthly plans and the other one-time projects.
Amazon consultant FAQ
What does an Amazon consultant do?
An Amazon seller consultant analyzes one part of your Amazon business, such as a product, a launch, an agency proposal or a marketplace decision, and sets out the strategy in writing. You or your team carry it out.
How are consulting services different from Amazon management?
A consultant writes the strategy and you do the work. A management service does the work every week. Shelfcrest offers both, and the written strategy is the same.
Do I need to give an Amazon consultant access to my account?
For a useful answer, yes. You authorize Shelfcrest as a service provider in Seller Central, tool by tool, and you can remove the access when the consultation ends. Your password is never shared.
Can you review a proposal from another agency?
Yes. The written review covers the scope, the fee model and any minimum, what is promised, and what happens to your campaigns and data if you leave.
Can an Amazon consultant help with product research?
Yes, as a question: is there demand for this product on Amazon, and what would it cost to compete? Amazon's Product Opportunity Explorer shows search terms and demand trends, and the answer is built from data like that rather than a guess.
Do you guarantee results?
No. Amazon controls its search results and its marketplace. A consultation guarantees an answer based on your own data, in writing.
How long does a consultation take?
It depends on the question and on how quickly access and costs are shared. The timing is agreed in writing with the question, before the work starts.
Is an Amazon consultant the same as an Amazon account manager?
No. Shelfcrest is independent and works for your brand. Amazon runs its own programs for some sellers, such as Strategic Account Services.
What if the answer is that I do not need an agency?
Then the plan says so. The fee is for the answer, not for selling you the next service.
Can you help us decide whether to hire someone in-house?
Yes. The plan sets out what the work takes each week and what skills it needs, so you can compare a hire, a freelancer and an agency on the same basis.
Do you work as an Amazon FBA consultant?
Yes. Most brands that ask for a consultation sell through FBA, so the questions often involve it: fees, restocks, capacity limits and stranded stock. For ongoing FBA stock planning there is a separate inventory management service.
Do you work on marketplaces other than Amazon?
Walmart Marketplace, for brands that already sell on Amazon. The consultation can cover whether and how to add it.
What do you need from us?
The question, service provider access in Seller Central, and your cost per unit for the products involved.
What should Amazon sellers look for in Amazon consulting services?
Consultants who ask for your data before giving advice, name the person doing the work, and put their recommendations in writing. Case studies only count if they are real and approved by the brand; Shelfcrest publishes none yet, and says so. Beware of consulting strategies that end every answer in a retainer.
Can a consultant improve my product listings?
A consultation shows what is wrong with the product listings and the content, and in what order to fix it. The rewriting itself is part of Amazon SEO and listing optimization, or your own team can do it from the written strategy.
What happens to the plan afterwards?
It is yours, to carry out yourself, with your own team, or with any agency.
Ask for an Amazon consultation.
Send your store link and the one question you want answered. The free audit comes back first, so you know what a consultation would cover before you pay for one.