10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an E-commerce Agency
Hiring the wrong marketplace agency usually costs more than their fee: months of lost momentum, wasted ad spend, and sometimes an account that is harder to recover than it was to build. The good news is that most problems are visible before you sign, if you ask the right questions. Use these ten in every agency call, and compare the answers side by side.
1. How exactly are your fees calculated?
Agencies typically charge a fixed monthly retainer, a percentage of sales, or a hybrid of the two. Each model is legitimate; what matters is that you can calculate your bill yourself. Ask:
- Is the percentage based on gross sales, net sales (after returns), or only ad-generated sales? These can be very different numbers.
- Where does the sales figure come from: the marketplace's own reports or the agency's tool?
- Is there a setup fee, and what does it cover?
- How does the fee change as you add SKUs or channels?
Ask for a worked example using your own numbers. If the agency cannot show you a sample invoice, expect surprises later.
2. What is included, and what costs extra?
"Full-service" means different things to different agencies. Get a written list covering listing creation and optimization, advertising management, promotions, inventory planning, customer messages, images and A+ content, video, and reporting. Creative work, new channels, and extra SKUs are common add-ons, so confirm them before you compare prices.
3. Who pays for ad spend, samples, inventory and shipping?
In most agency arrangements, the brand pays ad spend, influencer samples, inventory and freight directly, and the agency fee covers strategy and management. That is normal. What you want is clarity: who proposes the budget, who approves it, and whether spend can increase without your written sign-off.
4. How long is the contract, and how do I exit?
A short minimum term is reasonable, because marketplace results take time to build. Ask about the minimum period, the notice period after it, and what happens on exit: how account access is removed, and which files (creatives, keyword research, reports) you keep. Avoid open-ended lock-ins or large early-termination penalties you don't fully understand.
5. How will you access my accounts?
The right answer is user permissions. Major marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart let the account owner invite additional users with specific access rights; check each platform's current options. An agency should never ask for your main login password or your two-factor authentication codes.
Tip: Invite the agency as a user, grant only the permissions they need, and review the user list whenever the team or contract changes.
6. Who owns the accounts, data and brand?
You should own your seller accounts, your advertising accounts, your trademark and brand registry, and your product content. Be cautious if an agency offers to open accounts or register your brand under its own company name. Ask in writing: "If we stop working together, what stays with us?" The answer should be "everything."
7. What will you report, and how often?
Agree on the cadence (weekly, biweekly or monthly) and the contents before you start. A useful report typically shows sales, units, advertising spend and ACoS or ROAS, conversion rate, inventory health, and the actions taken plus what comes next. Ask to see a real, anonymized sample report.
8. Who will actually work on my account?
The person on the sales call is not always the person running your campaigns. Ask who your day-to-day contact is, who manages ads and listings, how many accounts each manager handles, and which language and time zone they work in. For Chinese sellers, a team that works in both English and Chinese can save a lot of back-and-forth.
9. What is your experience with my platforms and my category?
Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, Temu, SHEIN and TikTok Shop each have different rules, ad tools and customer behavior. Ask which platforms the team runs every day, whether they have worked in your category (furniture, apparel and electronics are very different businesses), and for case studies or references from similar brands. Treat vague or unverifiable results with caution.
10. How do you handle compliance, suspensions and KPIs?
Ask how the agency keeps listings within platform policies, and what they do if an account or listing is flagged. No agency can promise that a suspension will never happen, especially when the cause is on the seller side, such as incomplete identity verification. A good partner will explain what they control, what you control, and how they support appeals.
In the same conversation, agree on KPIs up front: which metrics matter, a realistic timeline, and how you will review progress together. Commitments should be specific to your products and starting point, not a one-size-fits-all promise.
Red flags to watch for
- Asks for your account password or two-factor codes.
- Wants to own your accounts, brand registry or ad accounts.
- Guarantees specific rankings or sales figures before seeing your data.
- Cannot explain how the fee is calculated, or won't put it in writing.
- No sample report, no named team, no references.
- Suggests shortcuts such as incentivized reviews or policy workarounds.
- Long lock-in with unclear exit terms.
Quick checklist for your agency calls
| Topic | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Fees | Clear model, clear revenue basis, sample invoice |
| Scope | Written list of included and extra services |
| Costs | Ad spend and samples proposed by agency, approved by you |
| Contract | Short minimum term, clear notice period |
| Access | User invitation, never passwords |
| Ownership | You own accounts, data and brand |
| Reporting | Agreed cadence, real sample report |
| Team | Named people, clear contact, shared language |
| Experience | Relevant platforms, category and references |
| Compliance and KPIs | Policy-first approach, KPIs agreed before onboarding |
How Atronia Innovations answers these questions
We publish our plans openly: a fixed monthly fee plus 1% of ad-generated sales for Channel Takeover, or 5% of net revenue for Channel Expansion. Every plan has a 3-month minimum, then 30 days' notice. We work through user invitations, you keep full ownership, and KPIs are agreed before onboarding. See the details on our plans page or book a call and ask us all ten.
