How to make money on Amazon without selling?

how to make money on amazon without selling

Imagine an endless aisle filled with products, customers eager to purchase with credit cards, and a system that automatically handles delivery and logistics. Sounds like retail heaven? It’s real, thanks to Amazon.

Most people think making money on Amazon means buying, stocking, and shipping products, which can be costly and competitive. But what if you could make money without selling any physical products?

Amazon offers alternative, profitable income opportunities that don’t involve direct sales. You can explore affiliate marketing, Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon Mechanical Turk, Merch by Amazon, the Amazon Influencer Program, Amazon Handmade, and more… These methods allow you to generate income without managing inventory.

At Ad Badger, we’ve helped countless sellers achieve success and transform their lives with Amazon businesses. 

Amazon is a money-making machine, and you don’t need to sell physical products to tap into its potential. Start exploring these creative ways to make money on Amazon today.

In this article, Ad Badger will talk about:

How Can You Make Money with Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

Imagine making money on Amazon without worrying about inventory, shipping, or fulfillment. What if your skills in content creation and relationship-building could translate into a steady income stream?

The traditional way of making money on Amazon involves buying, storing, and shipping products, which can be costly and time-consuming. Many people are deterred by these hurdles and the intense competition in the marketplace. But there’s a smarter, simpler way to profit from Amazon’s massive reach without handling any products.

Amazon’s Affiliate Program offers a lucrative alternative. By becoming an Amazon Associate, you can earn commissions by recommending products.

Here’s how it works: you sign up for the program, choose a niche that interests you, and create content like blogs, YouTube videos, or social media posts. Embed your unique affiliate links in this content.

When someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission ranging from 4% to 10%, depending on the product category. Top affiliates earn between $100 to $25,000 per month, simply by driving traffic to Amazon.

Selling on Amazon

For instance, if you’re passionate about mobile photography, you could create YouTube reviews for the latest gadgets, including affiliate links in your descriptions. As your viewership grows, so does your income from affiliate commissions, without ever dealing with the products directly.

The Amazon Affiliate Program turns your content creation skills into a powerful income stream, leveraging your ability to influence and engage an online audience.

Ad Badger’s team of marketers and engineers have created the best tool on the market for helping you reach your success.

How Can You Make Money on Amazon with Kindle Direct Publishing?

What if you could turn your writing skills into a steady stream of royalty income without ever handling physical products? Many aspiring authors fear the traditional publishing hurdles, but there’s a simpler way.

You owe it to yourself to explore Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, where you can publish eBooks and audiobooks for a global audience without any upfront costs or inventory management.

With KDP, you get access to millions of built-in book buyers. You can earn up to 70% royalties on sales, allowing top authors to make over $100,000 annually.

 Whether you write novels, create low-content books like journals and planners, or repurpose existing content, KDP offers a flexible, lucrative way to monetize your writing.

How to Create a KDP Account

To get started with Kindle Direct Publishing, first create your content. Write your eBook or create low-content books such as journals, planners, or coloring books, ensuring your content is high quality and well-edited.

Create your KDP account

Next, format your book using tools like Kindle Create to prepare your manuscript for Kindle devices, as proper formatting is crucial for a good reading experience.

Design a compelling cover using design tools or hire a professional, as the cover is the first thing potential readers will see and it needs to be appealing.

Sign up for KDP by creating an account on Kindle Direct Publishing, which is free and straightforward. Upload your book by entering your book details, uploading your manuscript and cover, and previewing how your book will appear on Kindle devices.

Set your pricing, choosing between the 35% and 70% royalty options, with the 70% option requiring your eBook to be priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Once everything is set, click publish, and your book will be available on Amazon within 72 hours.

Promote your book using social media, email newsletters, and other marketing strategies. You can also enroll your book in Kindle Unlimited and KDP Select to reach more readers.

KDP Dashboard

Monitor your sales and royalties using KDP’s dashboard to track your performance and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.

Negative Keyword Target Nightly Hunt

This tool automatically finds and removes bad keywords from your Amazon ads, making them work better, even overnight.

How Can You Earn Money with Merch by Amazon?

Do you love visual creative expression like drawing, design, or graphic work but feel overwhelmed by the production logistics? 

Managing production, inventory, and shipping can be a hassle, especially if you prefer focusing on your creative work rather than the operational side of things. This often leads to cluttered spaces, high upfront costs, and much time spent on logistics rather than designing.

Merch by Amazon offers an ideal solution, allowing you to focus solely on your designs while Amazon handles the rest.

Here’s how it works:

Create your account, upload your designs, and start earning royalties from every sale as Amazon handles the rest.

To maximize your earnings, focus on trending themes and engage with niche communities and social media platforms to drive traffic to your product listings.

By leveraging your creativity and Amazon’s extensive reach, you can turn your passion for design into a lucrative business without the traditional headaches of inventory management.

Merch by Amazon is a free platform where you can upload your designs and start selling without any upfront costs. It’s perfect for artists and designers who want to monetize their creativity without the hassle of production and logistics.

How Can You Make Money with Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)?

Looking to make extra money in your spare time? Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) offers a flexible way to earn by completing simple online tasks.

MTurk connects businesses with remote workers for tasks like data entry, survey taking, and image tagging.

Think of it as micro freelancing where you earn small amounts that add up over time. Pay per task ranges from $0.10 to $0.50, but consistent work can help top earners make over $500 a month.

MTurk tasks, known as “HITs” (Human Intelligence Tasks), are straightforward and require skills that computers can’t handle efficiently.

This could mean validating data, moderating content, or participating in research surveys. With an average 20-hour workweek, you could make $120 to $200, turning your free time into valuable income.

To get started with Amazon Mechanical Turk, sign up on the MTurk platform and start browsing available tasks.

MTurk platform

Focus on high-paying HITs that match your strengths and avoid lower-paying tasks that might not be worth your time. Regularly check for new tasks to maximize your earnings.

For detailed guidance, visit Amazon’s official MTurk page and start earning from your spare time today.

How Can You Make Money as an Amazon Influencer?

Do you have a social media presence but struggle to monetize it? Many influencers find it challenging to turn their content into a steady income stream without the right opportunities.

Traditional affiliate programs might offer less exposure or commission rates to make a significant income, and managing a blog or website can take time.

The Amazon Influencer Program offers a unique way to earn money by recommending products to your followers.

Apply using your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube account, even with just a few hundred followers.

Amazon influencer program

Ensure you have a business or creator account for Instagram or Facebook. Once approved, you get a dedicated storefront on Amazon to showcase products you love and recommend.

Amazon Influencer Program

Share your storefront link with your followers on social media and create video reviews that can appear on product listings, earning commissions through Onsite Commissions (which requires separate approval).

You earn a commission for every sale made through your link, with rates varying from 1% to 20% depending on the product category. Influencers can earn from a few hundred to thousands of dollars monthly by focusing on trending products and engaging with their audience.

For example, if you’re a tech enthusiast, create a curated list of your favorite gadgets and share it with your followers. When they purchase through your storefront, you earn a commission.

The more effort you put into promoting your storefront and the more traffic you drive to it, the higher your earnings will be.

For detailed steps and tips, check out our comprehensive guide on becoming an Amazon Influencer.

How Can You Make Money Selling Private Label Products on Amazon?

Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program allows you to focus on branding and marketing while Amazon takes care of the heavy lifting.

Private label selling involves manufacturing a pre-existing item, adding your branding, and selling it under your label.

With FBA, Amazon handles storage, shipping, and even customer service. This means you can list your products on Amazon and benefit from their efficient fulfillment network.

When you can’t decide between FBA and 3PL...

To start making money with private label products on Amazon, first research and select a product to estimate sales potential and find profitable niches.

Next, connect with suppliers on platforms like Alibaba to manufacture your products.

Alibaba Group

Once you have your product, create your listing on Amazon and utilize FBA to manage storage, shipping, and customer support. Continuously optimize your product listings and run marketing campaigns to drive sales.

Most Amazon private label sellers earn at least $1,000 monthly, with top sellers making over $100,000 monthly. This method allows you to scale your business efficiently without worrying about logistics.

For more detailed guidance, check out our free step-by-step guide on how to sell on Amazon with FBA.

How Can You Make Money on Amazon with Handmade Products?

Many artisans find it hard to balance the creative process with the business side, leading to limited sales and growth.

Amazon Handmade offers a perfect solution, providing a massive platform where artisans can craft and sell their unique products. Amazon Handmade is a marketplace within Amazon’s ecosystem specifically for artisans to sell their handmade goods. Unlike mass-produced items, every product on Amazon Handmade must be crafted, created, or assembled by the artisan, ensuring authenticity and quality.

Amazon Handmade is a marketplace within Amazon designed for artisans to sell handcrafted products. It requires items to be genuinely handmade, ensuring authenticity and uniqueness.

To get started with Amazon Handmade, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the Amazon Handmade application page and provide details about your business and products. 
  2. Once approved, create your Amazon Handmade storefront.
  3. Upload high-quality images of your products, write compelling product descriptions, and add relevant keywords to improve visibility. 
  4. Use Amazon’s tools to list your handmade items. 
  5. Keep track of your inventory and orders through Amazon’s Seller Central dashboard. 

Amazon Handmade requires you to manage production and shipping, so stay on top of your orders to ensure timely delivery and customer satisfaction.

Many Handmade artisans earn over $1,000 monthly in sales, and some achieve profit margins above 20% despite Amazon’s fees.

an overview of Ad Badger's Amazon PPC checklist

How Can You Make Money with Retail Arbitrage on Amazon?

Retail arbitrage involves buying discounted products from retail stores and reselling them on Amazon at a higher price.

Retail arbitrage is the third most popular way to sell products on Amazon, with 25% of sellers using this business model. It offers a fast and low-cost entry into the world of Amazon selling.

Even though it can be competitive and sometimes time-consuming, it allows you to make money without creating products or building a following.

To start making money with retail arbitrage on Amazon, begin by visiting retail stores like Walmart to find discounted products.

Purchase these items and list them on Amazon at a markup. The key is to find popular products that are significantly discounted, allowing you to make a good profit when reselling.

Online arbitrage works similarly, but you source products from online stores instead of physical ones.

Websites like eBay can be a goldmine for finding low-priced goods. 

Patience is essential, as you might spend hours searching for the right deals. However, the effort can pay off significantly. 

How Can You Make Money as a Wholesale Seller on Amazon?

The wholesale industry is highly competitive, with sellers constantly outbidding each other by offering the lowest prices.

Managing large quantities of products and storage can be challenging, especially if you rely solely on Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program. You need to understand that the margins can be thin, and without strategic planning, you might not achieve the desired profitability.

Becoming a wholesale seller on Amazon offers a lucrative opportunity.

Wholesale sellers buy products in large quantities at discounted rates and resell them on Amazon at competitive prices. By purchasing in bulk, you can offer lower prices and attract more customers.

Amazon Wholesale Infographic

To start making money as a wholesale seller on Amazon, research is key. Look for items with a high sales volume but relatively low competition. Ensure these products have consistent demand throughout the year, avoiding seasonal items unless you have a strategic plan for off-season storage and sales.

Once you’ve identified potential products, establish relationships with reliable suppliers. Platforms like Alibaba are excellent for finding bulk suppliers.

Negotiate for the best prices and terms. Ensure that your suppliers can meet your quality standards and have a reliable delivery schedule.

Decide whether to use Amazon’s FBA or your own warehouse. While FBA provides convenience, it comes with fees that can eat into your profits. Having your own warehouse space can reduce costs but requires significant initial investment and logistics management. If you choose FBA, calculate all associated costs, including long-term storage fees, to ensure profitability.

Create optimized product listings on Amazon. Use high-quality images, detailed product descriptions, and relevant keywords to improve visibility. Price your products competitively. Monitor competitors’ prices regularly and adjust your pricing strategy to stay attractive to buyers. 

Track your inventory levels and set up alerts for low stock. Reorder products in advance to prevent stockouts. Overstocking can lead to high storage costs, especially with FBA, so find a balance that maintains availability without incurring unnecessary expenses.

While wholesale relies heavily on competitive pricing, don’t neglect marketing. Utilize Amazon’s advertising tools like Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands to increase visibility. 

Keep a close eye on your financials. Track your costs meticulously, including purchasing, shipping, storage, and Amazon fees. 

Be prepared for risks such as market saturation, supplier issues, and changes in Amazon’s policies.

Diversify your product range to mitigate risks associated with relying on a single product. Have contingency plans in place for supplier delays or disruptions.

How Can You Make Money with Amazon Services?

Did you know that Amazon isn’t just for selling products? They’ve tapped into the gig economy, offering a platform where you can sell your professional services online.

Amazon Services connects skilled professionals, such as plumbers, lawn care specialists, dog walkers, and piano teachers, with customers seeking their expertise.

This platform lets you showcase your services to a vast audience, leveraging Amazon’s extensive reach and credibility. If you have a valuable skill or trade, Amazon Services can help you find clients who need your help.

How to configure HowTo Schema in UAE?

Here’s how to get started with Amazon Services:

Step 2: Fill out the requisite application forms to offer your services.
Step 3 : Highlight your expertise and include high-quality photos, customer reviews, and a compelling description of your services.
soundtrap-V7z8MGbfF5Q-unsplash
Step 4 : Determine your pricing based on market research and what you believe your services are worth.
Step 5 : Leverage Amazon’s platform to reach a broad audience.
Step 6 : Focus on providing top-notch service to build a loyal customer base.

For detailed guidance on making money with Amazon Services, visit their homepage.

This resource will provide all the information you need to get started, along with the necessary application forms. 

Summary

Amazon is a goldmine with countless ways to turn your skills into cash without dealing with inventory.

Dive into affiliate marketing by recommending products, publishing eBooks through Kindle Direct Publishing for up to 70% royalties, or completing simple online tasks with Mechanical Turk. Design t-shirts with Merch by Amazon, promote products through the Amazon Influencer Program or sell your unique handmade items on Amazon Handmade. For savvy shoppers, retail arbitrage and wholesale selling offer lucrative opportunities. You can even offer professional services like plumbing or dog walking through Amazon Services.

Start cashing in on Amazon’s vast platform today.

SUBSCRIBE