Find and fix the products losing money, once a month
A 30-minute monthly routine on Profit by product: which products lose money after ads, why, and what to change for each verdict.
Before you start
What you should see
- Last month's settlements or transactions are in for each marketplace
- Amazon Ads is connected on each Amazon marketplace you advertise in
- No product shows Cost missing (link SKUs, add costs first)
1. Look at last month
Where in the app: Commerce → Channel profit → By product, period: last month
Read the cards: profit after ads, TACOS, how many products lost money and how much. Then each marketplace's table, worst first.
2. Act on each verdict
| Verdict | First move | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Losing money | Check its price and fees on Inventory → Prices (Amazon's fee estimate); raise the price or lower the landed cost | Stop its ads until it makes money before ads; if it can't, sell through and stop reordering |
| Ads eat the profit | Bring bids down to its break-even cost per click (open the row) | Move budget to its campaigns with the lowest ACOS |
| Ads with no sales | Pause the campaigns spending on it | Check the listing is buyable and in stock |
| Ads cost more than they earn | Decide if it's on purpose (a launch, defending rank) and for how long | If not, lower bids towards break-even |
3. Check next month
What you should see
- Fewer products losing money, and less lost
- TACOS steady or lower with sales steady or higher
- ACOS under break-even ACOS on the products you changed
Read next
Profit by product, after ads: what every product really makes
Each product's profit after the marketplace's fees, what it cost you and its ads, per marketplace. The products losing money come first, each with how far its ads can go before they stop paying.
Read the guideACOS, TACOS, break-even ACOS and cost per click, with an example
The five numbers that say whether ads make or lose money, how each is worked out, and one product's month worked through from sales to profit after ads.
Read the guideAre you losing money? Find the channel or product that is
A marketplace can look busy and still lose money once fees, ads, refunds and the real cost of each unit are counted. Here's how to find where, in about half an hour.
Read the guide