The four main ways to make money on Amazon involve selling products, being an influencer or affiliate partner, taking support opportunities, or working with Amazon in some capacity.
Most of these ideas can be implemented from home and with minimal to no budget, allowing you to get up and running quickly. Ultimately, many translate into an online passive income that leverages your unique skills and experience.
I’ve shared many tips below to help you start making money on Amazon with or without selling.
Key Takeaways
- Some top ways to make money selling online on Amazon are via FBA, online arbitrage, and dropshipping.
- Some of the top methods to make money on Amazon without selling are via affiliate marketing or Amazon influencing.
- You can start selling on Amazon with as little as $0 – $50.
11 Tips to Make Money Selling on Amazon
Amazon sellers have access to over 300 million users worldwide, making the platform a prime spot for making anything from a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month.
However, product research and strategy distinguish sellers who make a lot of money from the others.
So, here are 11 proven methods for earning money selling stuff on Amazon.
1. Start Amazon Dropshipping
Best for: Beginner online sellers, 9–5 workers, stay-at-home parents, etc.
Earning Potential: $1,000 to $5,000 a month
Core Requirements: An Amazon Seller account, product, and supplier research tools
Average startup cost: $500 or less
Dropshipping is one of the best ways to make money online and involves selling products handled by third-party vendors. You manage only the products’ listings and marketing, while the true seller/supplier deals with fulfillment (storage and shipment).
However, it’s best to research products with the best profit margin. In this case, you can use tools like AMZScout’s dropshipping extension to avoid risky products and maximize your success rate.
Furthermore, the trick to consistently making money with dropshipping is finding a reliable supplier. Remember, you own the listings, so putting up low-quality products for sale impacts you more than the supplier.
Use Jungle Scout’s Supplier Database to find quality suppliers. Jungle Scout’s tools also help with keyword research for better listing visibility, optimizing your product listings for improved organic reach, and PPC ads analytics.
2. Sell Your Own Private Label Products Through Amazon FBA
Best for: Investors and business owners looking to profit from establishing a unique brand
Earning Potential: Up to $50,000 a month (average)
Core Requirements: A unique brand name or product logo, Amazon Seller account
Average startup cost: $2,000 – $3,500
Selling private-label products involves branding pre-existing items and reselling them on Amazon.
For example, you can research a product category like stainless steel bottles to find ones with elegant, ergonomic designs. Then, find a reliable Alibaba supplier that sells a low-cost type that matches your chosen criteria. Pay a company to give your bottle a superior finish through powder coating, then brand it “GeeksHydrate.”
Next, you register GeeksHydrate with the Amazon Brand Registry to protect your brand and access enhanced marketing tools. You can now start selling through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
One of the benefits you get from the Amazon FBA private label network is that the shipping and delivery of your products can take as little as two days. Moreover, products won’t take up much of your living space as they’re stored and shipped directly from an Amazon warehouse.
We’ve provided this detailed guide to help you understand the essentials of Amazon FBA.
PS: Your Amazon FBA startup cost depends on how much you’re willing to invest in your private label products, how much you’ll spend on marketing, and what FBA fees you’ll incur.
3. Launch an Arbitrage Business on Amazon
Best for: Beginner sellers, 9 – 5 workers, third-party sellers, online entrepreneurs
Earning Potential: $1,000 to $5,000 a month
Core Requirements: A computer or smartphone
Average startup cost: $500 – $1,000
You can choose to sell products on Amazon via retail or online arbitrage.
In retail arbitrage, you buy discounted branded products from a big retail store like Target and resell them on Amazon for a profit. Conversely, with online arbitrage, you buy discounted goods from other online stores and resell them on Amazon for a markup.
In both cases, it’s best to take advantage of sales periods and clearance sales to make easy-to-measure profits. Proper product research, for which you can use tools like Nepeto, is also required.
Since online and retail arbitrage is straightforward, avoid entering overly competitive markets. It also helps to exercise patience as you’ll often make the most during seasonal offers, flash sales, and promotions.
Arbitrage, unlike drop shipping, requires you to handle inventory. Hence, you must decide between Amazon FBA or FBM to fulfill your orders.
4. Use Amazon Merch on Demand to Sell Branded Items
Best for: Creative designers and artists
Earning Potential: Up to 36% royalty
Core Requirements: A computer with design software like Adobe Photoshop
Average startup cost: $100 or less
Amazon Merch on Demand is built for creatives with clever ideas for branding items like T-shirts, phone cases, pillows, etc. You only need to upload your designs to the Amazon marketplace, and the e-commerce giant handles printing and shipping whenever you get an order.
So, how do you make your money?
After every order you get, Amazon fulfills the designed product at a set price, and you make a royalty depending on the item’s price. Tools like PrettyMerch can help you stay ahead of trends to release relevant merchandise and increase your chances of success.
For reference, the table below shows general royalty ranges for standard T-shirt prices in some Amazon marketplaces.
| Amazon Merch Marketplace | Selling Range | Your Royalty |
|---|---|---|
| US | $15.99 - $29.99 | $1.93 - $9.32 |
| UK | £14.99 - £17.49 | £1.92 - £3.57 |
| Germany | €15.49 - €17.99 | €1.13 - €2.70 |
| France | €15.49 - €17.99 | €1.14 - €2.78 |
| Spain | €15.49 - €17.99 | €1.40 - €3.01 |
You can use third-party Print-on-Demand services with Amazon integration (like Printful) to sell more than Amazon’s limited selection. However, you’ll have to register (and pay) for an Amazon seller account and pay a subscription to the third-party POD service.
5. Sell Used Products in Your Home
Best for: Anyone looking to trade household items for money
Earning Potential: Variable
Core Requirements: Used household items in good condition
Average startup cost: $0 – $500
You can make money selling used household goods on Amazon, provided you stick to the company’s guidelines.
For example, you can’t sell used products in the baby, clothing, and personal beauty categories. On the other hand, there’s a fantastic demand for used items like books, toys, and electronics.
The revenue you can make isn’t fixed, as you can choose a reasonable price for used items to make a profit.
Once you get the hang of this, you don’t have to limit yourself to only used household items. Instead, visit thrift stores and garage sales to find books, old equipment, tapes, and other items you can sell under this category.
In this case, depending on what you’re buying to resell, you might need a budget for the business.
6. Handcraft Your Own Items to Sell on Amazon Through Amazon Handmade
Best for: Artisans and creators of handmade items
Earning Potential: $1,000+ a month
Core Requirements: Creatively handcrafted items to sell (accessories, jewelry, artwork, etc.)
Average startup cost: $0
Creative individuals can design, craft, and sell their handmade goods directly on Amazon.
But to be honest, this method naturally takes more time and effort. If you’re interested, though, the trade-off is massive brand exposure – and Amazon waives the Professional Seller account fee for you!
Given the stiff competition in this category, you can invest the savings you get from the waived seller fees in a keyword research and listing optimization tool like Helium 10 (discounts here). That way, your products can attract more organic visitors and conversions, increasing revenue.
7. Publish Your Own Books on Kindle Direct Publishing
Best for: Authors looking to self-publish
Earning Potential: Up to $40,000 a month (average).
Core Requirements: Ready-to-go publications, a computer or smartphone
Average startup cost: Less than $100
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) lets authors publish their books digitally (ebooks and audiobooks). However, you can also publish and list physical, printed editions.
While it’s possible to succeed after just one or two stand-out releases, most authors find success via prolific writing. So, this selling approach could be a numbers game at the end of the day.
The best part is that Amazon offers multiple ways to make money from this method.
You can, for instance, earn when a Kindle Unlimited member reads your book.
You also get royalties (up to 70%) when someone buys your book.
Furthermore, you don’t need to be an author or have a knack for writing to profit from this selling venture. You can get a freelance ghostwriter on reputable platforms like Fiverr or Upwork to create books (storybooks, self-help guides, etc.) to sell on Amazon KDP.
As I've explained in this focused guide, you can succeed tremendously with Amazon KDP by leveraging powerful seller tools.
8. Resell Books on Amazon
Best for: 9–5 workers and everyone else interested in a book arbitrage
Earning Potential: $500 to $2,000 per month
Core Requirements: A computer and an Amazon Seller account
Average startup cost: $500 – $1,000
You can make money buying cheap books on Amazon and then relisting them at a higher price. In fact, reselling books on Amazon is popular amongst thousands of sellers on the platform who treat it as a special kind of online arbitrage.
The average startup cost in this niche encompasses your Amazon selling fees and initial capital. Hence, you can decide to spend as little or as much as you want as your business scales.
You can also get tools like Zen Arbitrage to help you find your feet in this space and start making money with a small investment. This tool is designed to scan over 40 bookselling websites to find the cheapest prices, show you FBA prices for any book you’re researching, and get your books directly to the customer.
9. Sell Wholesale Goods
Best for: Sellers with significant starting capital
Earning Potential: $5,000 or more per month
Core Requirements: A computer and smartphone, Amazon Seller account.
Average startup cost: Up to $5,000
Wholesaling involves buying bulk products from various companies and reselling them on Amazon. Unlike private labeling, there’s no need to worry about enormous manufacturing costs and the many steps involved in branding products.
However, wholesaling is very popular and highly competitive since you have to share the Buy Box with fellow resellers. This means you must often lower your prices than your competitors to win this Buy Box and draw Amazon customers’ attention.
While competitively lowering prices on Amazon is common, you can still use the best repricers for efficient repricing strategies.
This is an excellent place to mention that your starting costs include taxes and sales permits you might need for wholesaling, the minimum order quantity (MOQ) the supplier/manufacturer sets, and your professional Amazon seller account.
Consider robust supplier research tools like Jungle Scout to find reliable suppliers with high-quality products at a lower initial cost.
10. Sign Up for Amazon Advantage
Best for: Media content creators like filmmakers and authors
Earning Potential: Scalable and unlimited
Core Requirements: Establishment as a creator with engaging content
Average startup cost: $100 or less
Amazon Advantage is a unique program in which the e-commerce platform sources your creative products and shares revenue with you after sales. However, it is a non-digital initiative reserved for filmmakers, authors, musicians, and other media content creators.
How does this work?
Amazon orders and ships your inventory to its fulfillment centers, manages sales and deliveries to customers, provides customer service, and handles returns and refunds. Then, you get 45% of the sales price (minus other fees), while Amazon keeps 55%.
I don’t think this option is better than Amazon KDP, where you get higher royalties.
However, Amazon KDP won’t work for creators who want to get their calendars, sheet music, vinyl records, etc, out there.
11. Sell Apps via Amazon
Best for: App developers looking to make money fast
Earning Potential: $5,000+ a month
Core Requirements: A computer and smartphone, Amazon Developer account
Average startup cost: $0
You can publish your Android apps on the Amazon App Store to reach millions of people on Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire, and select Android devices. While this demands pro skills, it’s also one of the most profitable ways to make money with Amazon.
App developers can decide to make money by enabling in-app purchases, showing ads in their apps, outright pricing app downloads, or offering a combination of these.
For an undisclosed limited time, developers earning below $1 million per year may be eligible for an 80/20 revenue split. That’s better than the standard 70/30 revenue split, as it puts more money in your pocket while starting.
Other Ways to Make Money on Amazon Without Selling
If Amazon selling isn’t your thing, you can still make money on the platform with the following opportunities:
1. Try Amazon Affiliate Marketing – Getting Paid to Recommend Products
Best for: Content creators and social media influencers
Earning Potential: A few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars a month
Core Requirements: A dedicated blog, TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram account with an engaged following
Average startup cost: $100 – $200
Amazon affiliates earn a commission by promoting products sold by Amazon or other brands through the Amazon Associates Program. You simply sign up for the program and get a unique link to share with your audience.
However, to make this work, you must have some kind of following or audience.
Some proven ways to do this include via a dedicated blog, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube channel. In fact, the average startup cost I’ve highlighted above generally applies to setting up a blog.
But how will you make money?
Once you join the Amazon Associates program, you can generate a unique link for every product you want to promote. If a member of your audience buys a product on Amazon through your link, that’s a qualified purchase, earning you a commission.
While the 1–20% commission might sound like pocket change, it quickly becomes a sizable amount if you have a large enough audience or promote higher-priced products.
Fortunately, you might not need to be an influencer or get your face out there to make this work. Plenty of bloggers, like Spencer Haws and Jon Dykstra, have done so.
If you’re not opposed to social media, platforms like TikTok give you the potential to reach thousands of viewers who might be interested in the products you’re promoting.
2. Become an Amazon Flex Delivery Person
Best for: Anyone who can drive
Earning Potential: $18 – 25/hour, plus tips
Core Requirements: A delivery vehicle, auto insurance, valid DL, SSN, checking/savings bank account, and smartphone
Average startup cost: $300 or more (if you have a reliable vehicle)
Amazon Flex is like Uber or DoorDash but for making Amazon deliveries.
The job involves driving items from nearby fulfillment centers to delivery spots.
The process of joining the program is simple: fill out a questionnaire and download the Amazon Flex App. However, just like DoorDash or similar services, you must
- Own the delivery vehicle — at least a 4-door midsize sedan or SUV.
- Maintain a personal auto insurance that complies with the local requirements.
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Have a valid DL and social security number.
- Have a checking or savings account for payment processing.
Once accepted, Amazon assigns you a block based on where you live so you can start delivering packages to community members.
Thankfully, the service is currently available in 100+ US towns and cities.
Furthermore, Flex drivers earn between $18-$25 per hour for typical 5-hour shifts.
Hence, if the service is popular in your area, this can quickly become a full-time job.
3. Try Amazon Influencing
Best for: Creators with a unique POV or expertise on some topic
Earning Potential: A few hundred to thousands of dollars per month
Core Requirements: A TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media account with an engaged following
Average startup cost: $0
The Amazon Influencer Program is a promising opportunity if you have a reasonable following on TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
It’s similar to the Amazon Associates program in that you get commissions (1-20%) for every qualified purchase. But better still, you can refer your viewers to your dedicated Amazon storefront to buy any of your curated products.
Perhaps the most remarkable bit about this is that you don’t need a massive following to be approved. Some people I’ve watched grow started making money with as few as 1,000 followers. However, the effort you channel into your storefront decides the traffic, conversions, and commissions (revenue) you get from there.
The best part is that you can even partner with some Amazon-selling brands to include their products in your storefront. Depending on your arrangements with those brands, you can make extra income besides your Amazon commissions.
In addition, the product videos you add to your storefront can earn you extra money if customers watch them before making their purchases!
You need an Instagram or Facebook business or creator account if they’re the platforms you’re submitting to Amazon.
4. Offer Amazon-Related Services to Clients
Best for: Copywriters, digital content writers, digital marketing, and SEO specialists
Earning Potential: A few hundred to thousands of dollars per month
Core Requirements: Strong digital marketing skills, familiarity with Amazon seller software (Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Zoof, etc), and a computer
Average startup cost: About $100
You can offer clients Amazon selling-related services like data entry, Amazon listing copywriting, and ads management. In this case, it’s good to have a solid understanding of digital marketing strategies or other skills (such as data entry for virtual assistance), depending on your niche and the client’s wants.
Getting these types of jobs will require effort, and you’ll most likely get them from reputable third-party websites like Fiverr. Furthermore, how much you can earn depends on the agreement you’ve made with the client and the nature of the task.
It usually costs nothing to sign up on freelance websites where you can meet clients who’ll need such services. However, you might need to spend on courses (to brush up your skills) and ads to get your offer in front of more targeted clients.
5. Sign up for Amazon Mechanical Turk
Best for: Freelancers looking for a side hustle, stay-at-home parents
Earning Potential: Up to $6 to $10 per hour ($120 to $200 for a 20-hour workweek)
Core Requirements: A computer or smartphone
Average startup cost: $0
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing marketplace where freelancers get paid for various human intelligence tasks. These tasks mainly involve data processing and analysis problems like:
- Completing surveys and questionnaires
- Transcribing audio recordings
- Choosing the best product picture
- Removing incomplete or duplicate content on Amazon reviews
- Tagging to improve categorization
To join the MTurk program, you just need to sign up. Your account will then be reviewed to determine your eligibility for the program.
I’d like to stress that MTurk tasks are typically short and easy to do, which justifies the low payouts. So, you’d have to repeat many tasks in a row to get better pay.
Hence, I only recommend this as a side gig as you seek more lucrative opportunities elsewhere.
6. Work as an Amazon Rep
Best for: Stay-at-home parents, aspiring FBA sellers, and part-time college students
Earning Potential: From $22,500/year
Core Requirements: At least a high school diploma, basic technology experience (e.g., Windows products and remote collaboration tools), strong communication and customer service skills
Average startup cost: $0
With over 1.5 million employees globally, it’s no surprise that not all of Amazon’s staff work at the company’s headquarters or other offices. Hence, you can join the customer service team working from home as an Amazon representative.
Notably, this role involves directly contacting customers to help them with issues encountered on Amazon products or some third-party products.
Some of the perks of being an Amazon rep include saving on gas and other commute-related expenses. I also like that this role can prepare you for being an FBA seller, as you’ll understand the most common customer service issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Items Are More Profitable to Sell on Amazon?
The most profitable items on Amazon are generally those with a broader market appeal, such as electronics, beauty and personal care items, and home and kitchen equipment. However, you must employ the right strategies and be in a niche with high demand and low competition products.
How Long Does It Take to Make Money on Amazon?
There’s no fixed duration for how long it takes to make money on Amazon.
Instead, the duration will depend on your chosen method to make money on Amazon and how well you apply yourself to the technique.
For example, establishing yourself as an Amazon FBA seller or influencer could take several months, but an approved Flex delivery driver could start taking payouts in just a few days.
Launch a Profitable Amazon Business Today
You can choose the most convenient of these 17 approaches for your unique circumstances and ability.
Remember that it’s essential not to follow the crowd to make money on Amazon.
Instead, choose something you’re comfortable with and apply yourself to it.
To help you better, I’ve left links to numerous relevant guides and tools throughout this piece.
