Your first thought about Amazon.com may be that it’s just an online e-commerce superstore where you and your family members login and spend money on products you need regularly, and have them delivered right to your door within two days via Prime delivery. Or, if you’re “old school”, you’ll remember when the focus of Amazon.com was selling books and then eventually other media including music. But there are many different ways you can actually earn money yourself via Amazon. In addition to selling products all over the world, Amazon offers services which help sell products, affiliate and influencer programs, and even full-time or part-time work from home opportunities. They provide an opportunity to grow your own business within their platform as well. Read on to learn how to make money online with Amazon, including promoting products with affiliate links, selling your own items, self-publishing e-books, or working directly for Amazon corporate.
Sell Your Own Private Label Products on Amazon
Private label sales using Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) network is a popular way to sell products on Amazon. 67% of Amazon sellers run their business using the private label method. Creating your own private label is the process of manufacturing a pre-existing item, putting your branding and logos on it, then selling it to consumers on the Amazon platform. It is also referred to as white labeling or brand creation. This process has been around for many years and is common in retail stores – think Target’s “Mainstays” brand and Walmart’s “Great Value”.
Thanks to FBA, Amazon is able to deliver products often in two days or less. This is how e-commerce business owners can list their own products on Amazon and make money from sales quite quickly.
Publish Your Own Books on Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) allows you to publish your own books on Amazon. If you’re a writer or creative, this can be a great way to self-publish and keep the lion’s share of the profit for yourself, as well as get your product out to your audience more quickly than pursuing a traditional publishing deal. You can choose from a digital format, or print actual copies of your book. The more you write, the more you can make.
Work Directly for Amazon
Deliver Goods
By now, you probably know that Amazon has its own delivery service. But did you know that you can join Amazon’s delivery fleet as a driver? Through Amazon’s Flex program, all you have to do is answer a quick questionnaire, download their app, and if accepted, you can begin working right away. Think of it as Uber, but for Amazon deliveries.
Amazon Fleets
There are also opportunities to partner with Amazon in a number of cities and own your own fleet business with a fairly low upfront investment, or you can apply to drive a delivery van for one of these privately franchised fleets.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services has a lot to offer. Look for available jobs in administration, cloud computing, business development, and many more areas, as there are countless opportunities to work in technology with this huge company. Amazon is constantly developing new technology solutions and marketing them, making this a fast paced, exciting employment option in various locations.
Complete Tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk for short) is a program that allows businesses to hire people for simple virtual tasks. The idea is that there are many things that humans still do more effectively than computers. This includes data validation, transcription, and research. There is also the opportunity to take paid surveys.
Participating in the program is easy. Just sign up, pick the tasks you want to complete, and submit them for payment. There’s no set schedule, you can do these tasks on your own time.
The downside is that these jobs generally pay very little. Still, if you have some free time and want to make some extra money, it’s worth a shot. The tasks listed here don’t take any special skills, so they can be performed by anyone.
Amazon Influencer and Affiliate Programs
If you have a significant social media following, you may find the Amazon Influencer program can work well to earn some extra cash. Influencers can create their own storefront page within Amazon with a curated list of items for their fans to shop from. This is a great way to promote items you already use and love to your existing audience and earn a small commission when they purchase via your unique link.
For example, my cousin has a blog and social media following from her careers as a singer/songwriter, actor, and model, and she started her influencer page to recommend products she was using to heal from various inflammatory health conditions, including her favorite supplements and healthy snacks, as well as natural skin care and beauty products she was already using. She mentioned some of these items in the vlog and blog she started when she went into a season of camping while she reevaluated and relocated during the pandemic, and she even listed the camping supplies she bought and used for that adventure as well. Here is an example of what an Amazon Influencer storefront looks like (and individual items can be linked from various social media or blog posts when mentioned, as long as it is disclosed that purchased via the link generates income for the creator, much like sponsored posts disclose). The prices are the same, and influencers are just considered part of the affiliate program with a built-in audience.
The Amazon Affiliate program is a bit different, as affiliates can create their own shopping experience on their blog or website by inserting links to products, and when a user clicks that link, a cookie is then saved on the user’s computer for a determined amount of time. Whatever that user buys from Amazon during that time period will be paid in commission to the affiliate. The prices are all the same as if they went to Amazon without the affiliate link, and the only difference is the affiliate is paid as the referral site from which the customer originated. Amazon puts a cookie on the user’s computer which saves your affiliate details, so that even if you don’t buy the item that you linked on your blog, your users can shop hours later and Amazon will pay you a commission for what they bought. Amazon saves your affiliate details for 24 hours and does not charge the user extra for buying with affiliate links.
I recently added my Amazon affiliates links on my Business Essentials page, so take a look to see an easy way to add some of these types of links to your website. You can also write reviews of products in comparison blog posts or YouTube videos, then link to the products on your page, the blog post, or YouTube video. Finding products to promte is very easy, so if you plan to make money online through blogging, this is a great way to generate sales off your site.
Take a look at what Amazon has to offer by looking up any of these options. If you’re interested in technology, their Web Services division may be a fantastic place to start a career or take yours to the next level. If that’s not for you, try one of their many other options for online business or remote work opportunities. Subscribe for more business, sales, and investing posts. Have a lovely day!
