How to Make Money on Amazon With and Without Selling Products

It’s not too late to ride the ecommerce wave. If wondering how to make money on Amazon got you here, you’re already on the path to becoming an ecommerce entrepreneur.

More than a massive marketplace with 310 million+ users, Amazon is now a source to generate multiple income channels for ambitious individuals like yours. It has reidentified itself as an ecosystem for opportunities.

As a result, it offers numerous opportunities to make money on the Amazon platform that goes even beyond different styles of selling.

From private labeling to wholesaling, from publishing books to working as an Amazon employee. We have 17 answers to your question of ‘how to make money on Amazon?’. So let’s take a look at what are those ways.

1. Make money by selling on Amazon FBA

How to make money on Amazon without the heavy lifting? If entrepreneurship has always been your calling, FBA now simplifies your fulfillment process and backs you up in your journey to become a successful Amazon FBA seller.

You can sell goods without having to manage an inventory, packing, labeling, and shipping. Thanks to Amazon FBA, even customer service is handled by Amazon.

All you need to do is,

Find a profitable niche or a product that you are interested in selling

Perform thorough market research to understand your target audience and product features

Buy wholesale products from Alibaba.com or platforms like Temu

Create an Amazon seller account, and then log in to Seller Central to set up the FBA program

Ship your inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center

And that’s all!

The rest will be taken care of by the Amazon FBA network. This is one of the most straightforward methods to make money on Amazon. However, making yourself visible in the Amazon Marketplace through organic ranking can be challenging unless you rely on PPC ads.

For this, you need a robust ecommerce intelligence tool for better access to data, to make data-driven decisions, and to run targeted ad campaigns. SellerApp’s PPC management solution can be of immense help if you’re fumbling with achieving target goals on Amazon.

Of course, you could always choose to ship the products yourself using FBM (fulfillment by merchant) to avoid extra Amazon fees. However, depending on your product, niche, Amazon profit margin, and business model, Amazon FBA could be a better choice for selling products and scale.

To begin your journey, register at Seller Central and start selling on Amazon. Then you can sign up for Amazon FBA.

Tip: Looking to find a new product to sell? Start with product research here.

How much money can I make by selling on Amazon FBA?

There is no fixed amount of profit you can earn by selling on Amazon FBA. While 20-30% is known as a good profit margin, 40% of FBA sellers are known for making between $1,000 to $25,000 per month in sales.

2. Make money on Amazon by selling your private-label products

The best way to make money on Amazon this year is to start your own private label business.

Here’s how to make money on Amazon selling private-label products.

You start with manufacturing any product with fair market demand (preferably, with some added improvements), put your brand tag and logos on it, and sell it to customers on Amazon. Even Amazon capitalized on this concept by releasing their private label products like Whole Foods, AmazonBasics, etc.

The method has been there in the market for quite a few years. Nowadays, it has been popularized as white-labeling.

Besides, there are quite a few benefits of selling private label products using Amazon FBA.

First, you will have advanced tools and services like SellerApp that will help you throughout your selling journey, from finding the right product to scaling the business using advertising solutions.

Second, you will create a brand that will be sustainable and scalable over a period of time. The best part is you can always expand your private label business to other online marketplaces or sell your business.

How much money can I make by selling your private-label products on Amazon?

While we cannot quote a number uniform for every seller, 63% of private label owners report an earning of $100,000 per month, while the rest 40% can earn over $500,000. The overall target margin for seasoned Amazon private label sellers is 30% and above.

3. Make money on Amazon by selling wholesale goods

If you’re wondering how to sell on Amazon and make money without going into the intricacies of whitelabeling, we have a solution for you that is quite similar yet more direct.

For instance, there are established brands that sell in bulk; you can buy wholesale items, and sell using Amazon FBA. In case, you are practicing Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM), you’ll have to hold an inventory, but you won’t have to create a separate brand for yourself.

Wholesaling also excludes you from the branding and manufacturing responsibilities of the products you’re selling. On the one hand, you get an answer to the pressing question of how to make money selling on Amazon, on the other hand, you will be spared from certain time-consuming responsibilities.

But that ease in operation comes at a cost.

You’ll face a lot more competition as there are plenty of sellers like you selling the particular item. To make money on Amazon, enthusiastic sellers often join the business expecting a high return, but growing becomes increasingly difficult without many options to scale. It is surely adding an extra channel of income but lacks the potential to yield good returns.

To help you start, gather information about the established wholesalers and find the best deals. Remember, if you can’t buy items for a low enough price, it can be hard to reap profits. You can keep your focus on:

Dealing in buying lesser-known products to capture the market and avoid competition.

Or, sell a popular product irrespective of competition solely depending on high demand.

How much money can I make by selling wholesale goods on Amazon?

With an average profit margin of 15% to 20%, most of the wholesalers on Amazon make $1,000 per month as profit. The top players may also bag a whopping $100,000 per month.

4. Practice retail arbitrage to make money on Amazon

Although retail arbitrage looks very similar to wholesaling from the surface level, it goes a level deeper as it includes selling products till stock lasts.

So how exactly can you make good money selling on Amazon following the principle of retail arbitrage?

You essentially source your inventory from discounted or clearance items from Walmart or Target, be it any offline retail store.

Then you determine a price markup to increase its demand and yet get the desired profit.

Although somewhat similar to wholesaling on Amazon, to understand how to sell on Amazon and make money using retail arbitrage, get a deeper knowledge of the average market value of the products you’re selling and keep a close eye on limited-period discounts, clearances, or price fluctuations.

Retail arbitrage is more of an opportunity than stability. It is not a scalable model since it requires added efforts such as manual engagement for sourcing and constant price monitoring.

How much money can I make by practicing retail arbitrage on Amazon?

If you’re a seller practicing retail arbitrage on Amazon, you can expect a 15% to 20% profit margin. Over 60% of the sellers experience a $5,000 per month, which makes retail arbitrage a low-cost market entry with a commendable profit percentage.

5. Online arbitrage is another solution

Very similar to retail arbitrage, if sellers acquire a stock of products from an online source (maybe eBay), list it on the marketplace, and sell it for a desired markup, making money on Amazon, it is known as online arbitrage.

How much money can I make by practicing online arbitrage on Amazon?

The average profit margin for a seller, in this case, can be 35%. However, during peak seasons or Q4, it experiences a considerable hike.

6. Affiliate Marketing

There’s another solution to the popular question of how to make money on Amazon. You can simply earn money by leveraging your existing blog/website/social media platforms with the Amazon Associates program.

Did you see a cool product on Amazon? Let your friends know about it too. Share your referral and if they buy it through your link, you earn a commission on it. It’s that simple.

All you need is to have a blog, website, or social media account with a solid reach. Or it can be as simple as email/WhatsApp groups.

Note: Pick a product that aligns with your blog, style of content, website, or social media page.

If the wild thought about how to earn money on Amazon without even selling products ever crossed your mind, your answer is Amazon affiliate marketing. You can earn up to 10% of advertising fees from qualified purchases.

So if you have a blog or channel on health and lifestyle, you can promote yoga mats, gym supplies, etc.

How much money can I make with Amazon Affiliate marketing?

Here’s a peek into how much you can earn via Amazon Affiliate marketing:

Product category(s) | Fixed commission rate
Amazon Games | 20.00%
Luxury Beauty, Luxury Stores Beauty, Amazon Explore | 10.00%
Amazon Haul | 7.00%
Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade, Digital Videos | 5.00%
Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive | 4.50%
Amazon Fire Tablet Devices, Amazon Kindle Devices, Amazon Fashion Women's, Men's & Kids Private Label, Luxury Stores Fashion, Apparel, Amazon Cloud Cam Devices, Fire TV Edition Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV Devices, Amazon Echo Devices, Ring Devices, Watches, Jewelry, Luggage, Shoes, and Handbags & Accessories | 4.00%
Toys, Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden, Pets Products, Headphones, Beauty, Musical Instruments, Business & Industrial Supplies, Outdoors, Tools, Sports, Baby Products, Amazon Coins | 3.00%
PC, PC Components, DVD & Blu-Ray | 2.50%
Televisions, Digital Video Games | 2.00%
Amazon Fresh, Physical Video Games & Video Game Consoles, Grocery, Health & Personal Care | 1.00%
Gift Cards; Wireless Service Plans; Alcoholic Beverages; Digital Kindle Products purchased as a subscription; Vehicles – Leasing and Sales; Food prepared and delivered from a restaurant; Amazon Appstore, Prime Now, or Amazon Pay Places | 0.00%
All Other Categories | 4.00%

You can find more details about the commission interest rates here.

7. Make money on Amazon by publishing books

If you’re a closeted writer or you have an affinity to pen down your thoughts, Amazon brings you a chance to turn your written works into books, sell your books, and make money. It is a legitimate way to make money on Amazon or kick-start your writing career.

As long as you maintain quality of writing, and market your books the right way, then there’s a huge potential to establish yourself as a published author. You may even win the Editor’s Choice badge that will set you up for rapid success. You have limitless potential that will lead you to aim for more than just to make money on Amazon.

It is not only open for anyone but also you can publish digital books through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Once published, your book becomes available on Kindle stores across the marketplace within 24-48 hours.

Amazon’s powerful marketing tools and global distribution can help you sell your ebooks worldwide. You can enroll in KDP Select to reap the promotional benefits that Amazon has to offer.

Amazon lets you set your own prices for self-published books. You’ll earn up to 70% of royalties on Kindle sales. You can also make changes to your content at any time.

Want to make money on Amazon yet you have no time to write? This tricky situation has a solution as well.

You can also outsource your content and book design. However, you need to have the ability to market your product. Learn about your niche and use the right keywords to get the book right in front of your customers.

How much money can I make by publishing books on Amazon?

Authors on Kindle who are self-published can earn from $150 to $20,000 in a month, depending upon their popularity. More than 50% of the authors earn a profit margin of 16% or higher.

KDP Royalty program:

8. Work from home as an Amazon Customer Service Associate

Amazon acquires a major portion of the global workforce. But, not all of them will work from the company’s office. Few of them work remotely in the comfort of their own home. Thus we can consider working as an Amazon Customer Service Associate as one of the popular ways to make money on Amazon (although it does not require actively selling).

Though virtual opportunities are not available everywhere, you may be able to apply for Amazon’s ‘work from home’ positions, given that you are the right fit for the position.

You could find positions such as customer service rep positions for those who speak a second language other than English, along with a few non-customer service ones like the technical trainer, cloud tech account managers, etc.

How much money can I make as an Amazon Customer Service Associate?

The annual salary of Amazon Customer Service Associate in the US is approximately $38,807. Whereas their average hourly pay is somewhere around $18.80.

9. Amazon Flex: Deliver goods to make money on Amazon

You might be already aware that Amazon has its own delivery service. Perhaps, Amazon’s same-day delivery option for customers has spiked the need for delivery help in various metropolitan cities. This means you can join Amazon’s delivery fleet as a driver.

This program is called Amazon Flex. It’s simple. All you have to do is own a smartphone and use your own vehicle to deliver packages for Amazon.

According to the Flex program, Amazon pays drivers between $18 – $25 per hour, and the shifts are typically five hours. You need to download their app and answer a quick questionnaire. If you are accepted, you start making money.

Find more details on the Amazon Flex program here.

How much money can I make by working as an Amazon Flex Associate?

Unlike the ACS position, Amazon Flex requires some heavy lifting. One can earn a passive income of $18 to $25 per hour.

10. Sell with Amazon Merch to make money on Amazon

If you’re wondering what’s the easiest way to make money on Amazon, maybe with a self-curated design that would work for custom t-shirts, or coffee mugs without having to spend money to stock up the inventory?

Then Merch by Amazon is your answer.

Merch by Amazon is a print-on-demand service. Start by uploading your designs to the Amazon database and selecting the product type and color. Amazon will take care of the production, packaging, shipping, and customer service while your designs will be displayed as Amazon listings.

You will earn royalties for a product sold that you designed. There are no upfront costs to start this business and make money on Amazon. However, you need to fill out the application form and the program is invite-only at the moment.

How much money can I make by selling on Amazon Merch?

Going with the average, Amazon Merch sellers make between $300 to $1,000 per month. One can earn royalties of 12% to 37% on the selling price, which depends on the selling price and strategy of your business.

11. Amazon Handmade for artisans to make money on Amazon

If you have a knack for arts and crafts and often find yourself making artsy things at home, Amazon Handmade is one of the popular ways to make money on Amazon.

Amazon marketplace has opened up the Handmade section for artisans from 80+ different countries.

Amazon has an artisan-only application and audit process, which maintains the quality and intent of the platform.

The pricing for handmade sellers is very straightforward. There are no hidden fees or listing fees at all. You’ll just have to pay a 15% referral fee to Amazon for each sale made.

If you’re making less than 40 units of sales, you do not even need a professional seller membership. Over 60% of sellers have earned over $1,000 per month selling handcrafted items.

Handmade selling is profitable. Amazon is surely undergoing a subtle unofficial rebranding for which we have options such as Handmade and Merch.

Recommended Guide: How to Use Amazon.

How much money can I make by selling on Amazon Handmade?

Making money on Amazon Handmade varies drastically according to the products you’re selling. Hobbyist artists may earn a passive income but some Handmade sellers can earn up to $11,000 in sales per day.

12. Amazon Trade-in for quick discounts

Amazon Trade-in will pay you with an Amazon gift card if you sell your used books, games, and gadgets to Amazon. Although this was not what you expected while searching for ‘how can I make money on Amazon’, well, every penny saved is actually earned. So technically, you won’t earn any money directly but you get coupon rewards that you can redeem on Amazon essentials or other purchases.

Selling used items individually requires hard work which includes taking photos, measurements, and writing the description for the product.

With Trade-in, you can gather your used items, and get an estimate of how much you will earn in exchange for those from Amazon. Even though you do not receive money directly into your bank account using Amazon Trade-in, you and get products from your wish list that will eventually save your hard-earned money.

How much money can I make by selling on Amazon Trade-in?

Amazon Trade-in can’t bring you steady revenue. You get paid in offers and discounts.

13. Write Reviews for Amazon Vine Program

This is yet another example where you don’t earn any cash directly but receive free goodies in exchange for a review. It can be regarded as one of the easy ways to make money on Amazon, well, indirectly.

Amazon Vine program is only offered to people who are frequent buyers and consistently leave reviews for products on Amazon. The purpose of this program is to encourage people to write honest, and unbiased reviews ultimately leading to the trust and credibility of Amazon.

The best way to get invited to be a part of this program is to leave clear and helpful reviews on the products you purchased earlier.

How much money can I make by writing reviews for the Amazon Vine Program?

Amazon Vine program can get you redeemable coupons of an average of $4 for each review.

14. Mechanical Turk to make money on Amazon as a side hustle

Mechanical Turk, often known as MTurk is Amazon’s crowdsourcing marketplace. It allows businesses with limited manpower or soloprenures to outsource micro-tasks including data validation, survey, data entry, etc.

How much money can I make by joining Amazon MTurk?

To ease your curiosity on how to earn money on Amazon by joining the Mechanical Turk force?

It is the easiest way to make money on Amazon without committing to a major goal. Although sometimes, the tasks can be tedious and repetitive you can dedicate smaller time chunks and get paid for it.

One can expect about $6 to $10 per hour doing these microtasks. However, compensation for MTurk varies with the nature of the task. Consider joining MTurk if you’re a student or willing to have a passive income source.

15. Audiobook recording via ACX

If you’re looking to make money on Amazon through ACX start by turning your ebooks or copies into audiobooks. If you have an interest in storytelling, this can be considered as an option as you can narrate audiobooks for other authors as well; all you need is good oratorical skills. Don’t forget the power of marketing. Do some keyword research to find popular genres and utilize promotional tools like free audiobook codes to attract listeners.

Plus, you can use affiliate links to boost your profit by promoting Audible subscriptions or audiobooks (of other authors) through ebooks or audiobooks written by you— almost killing two birds with a stone.

How much money can I make by joining Amazon ACX?

ACX will help you earn up to 40% royalties if you choose exclusive distribution. You can earn either a flat fee or a share in the royalties. Perfect for a side hustle!

16. Become an Amazon influencer program

There is a separate affiliate program, particularly for influencers on Amazon— Amazon Influencers.

These Amazon influencers do what regular influencers do— promote Amazon products on various social media channels like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to push traffic into their custom Amazon Storefronts where they familiarize their audience with a specific selection of products they’re promoting.

Micro-influencers with a couple thousand followers are also qualified for the role. You just need to have a creator account to qualify.

How much money can I make by joining the Amazon influencer program?

You can leverage the onsite commission if your review video makes it to the product listing and someone makes a purchase watching your video. Commission varies from 1-20% depending on the category of product you’re promoting.

Once you are approved as an Amazon influencer, Amazon will share a unique URL to your own Amazon page. This page will showcase products that you choose to recommend to your audience. Similar to Amazon Associates, you’ll earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

17. Amazon Ads Partner Network

Any individual contributor or SaaS-based organization can earn from the Amazon Advertising Partner Network by assisting brands on the Amazon marketplace to make their presence prominent through advertising.

You can offer campaign management services, where you can create and optimize their ads on Amazon using tools like Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands as we have done as SellerApp since 2017. Especially with the help of AI and machine learning, create custom solutions to have better control over ad performance.

The goal is to not just achieve numbers on sales by meeting advertising goals, but to make the involvement of the business owners easier— either by technology or by agile communication.

Additionally, providing valuable insights and analytics can help you gain clients’s trust and in collaboration, you can build an undeniably impactful business presence and maximize their ROI.

How much money can I make by joining the Amazon Advertising Partner Network?

You can make money on Amazon Advertising Partner Network depending on your services and expertise. Agencies are capable of pulling in $500–$5,000+ per client/month, AdTech companies earn in millions, while individual consultants can charge $100–$500 per session. Once you learn how to play it right, you can easily rake in six to seven figures. We’re talking big here!

Earning potential for the work options

Work options | Estimated earnings
Selling on Amazon FBA | Can range from $1,000 to $25,000 monthly
Selling private-label products | 20-40 % net profit margin.
Selling wholesale goods | Top players can earn $5,000 and above
Arbitrage | Minimum 15% profit margin
Affiliate marketing | 1% -20% per sale depending on categories
Kindle published author | The best authors can earn up to $40,000 per month
Customer associate | $18–$21 per hour approx.
Amazon Flex delivery | $18-$25 /hour depending on location.
Amazon merch sellers | 13% to 37% profit can be expected.
Amazon Handmade | varies
ACX | Up to 40% royalties
Amazon influencer | 1% -20% per sale depending on categories
Amazon partner network | Six figures and above

Final thoughts

Although Amazon is still predominantly an ecommerce giant, it has grown out of its identity as just a shopping platform. And this is what has made people look for answers to ‘how to make money on Amazon.

People come to Amazon looking for full-time money-making opportunities or even part-time. The possibilities are endless. Choose multiple streams of income if you wish to but choose according to your skill, investing capacity, and goals, (be it long-term or short-term). Stay assured that Amazon has something for everyone. Just pick any from the 17 practical ways to make money on Amazon and just get started! Strive and succeed.

Additional Read:

Secrets on How to sell on Amazon Prime 2020

Amazon FBA fee changes 2021

How to optimize ads with AMC and Amazon Ad Server?