Amazon Ad bids - I smell a rat
Hi Guys - I just added a new ASIN, then immediately created an Amazon Ads campaign for it.
After I created the ad campaign I went to my targets to see the suggested bids, and I noticed a certain target ASIN with a suggested bid of $0.52. This immediately caught my attention because I already have this same target ASIN in an existing ad campaign, and that number seemed quite low.
I checked my other campaign with the same target ASIN, and the suggested bid is $0.97 - almost twice what it is in the new ad campaign. This is for the same target ASIN, with both ad campaigns being Sponsored Products campaigns.
My fellow sellers, I smell a rat. I believe Amazon is manipulating us to pay more per click than we have to - significantly more.
Is there anyone out there with the software expertise to do some data scraping and compare what we are all paying per click?
Amazon Ad bids - I smell a rat
Hi Guys - I just added a new ASIN, then immediately created an Amazon Ads campaign for it.
After I created the ad campaign I went to my targets to see the suggested bids, and I noticed a certain target ASIN with a suggested bid of $0.52. This immediately caught my attention because I already have this same target ASIN in an existing ad campaign, and that number seemed quite low.
I checked my other campaign with the same target ASIN, and the suggested bid is $0.97 - almost twice what it is in the new ad campaign. This is for the same target ASIN, with both ad campaigns being Sponsored Products campaigns.
My fellow sellers, I smell a rat. I believe Amazon is manipulating us to pay more per click than we have to - significantly more.
Is there anyone out there with the software expertise to do some data scraping and compare what we are all paying per click?
13 replies
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
"I believe Amazon is manipulating us to pay more per click than we have to - significantly more."
Well, only one more reason why I refuse to advertise HERE.
[moderator edit: removed off-topic commentary]
Seller_xo4Akj7FBBnfC
I think it’s weird to insert a political cartoon that conflates Amazon with Barack Obama.
Indy_Amazon
Hi @Seller_LAhuiXJ4eMubd,
Indy from the community management team here. Completely understand the skepticism around the mismatch here.
Amazon's bid suggestions aren't static numbers—they're dynamic recommendations that take into account several factors unique to each campaign. When you created that new campaign for your fresh ASIN, the system is looking at different signals compared to your existing campaign. Things like your new product's lack of performance history, the campaign's targeting settings, and even the timing of when you're checking can all influence what bid Amazon suggests.
Think of it this way: your established campaign has data showing how that target ASIN performs with your existing products, while your new campaign is starting from scratch. The algorithm is essentially saying "here's a conservative starting point for this untested combination" versus "here's what we know works based on your existing data."
Rather than manipulation, this is actually the system trying to optimize for each unique situation. Your newer campaign might genuinely need a different bid to be competitive given it has no performance history yet. As your new campaign gathers data, you'll likely see those suggestions adjust.
If you're looking for a recommendation, I'd suggest starting with the lower suggested bid on your new campaign and monitor performance closely over the first week or two. If you're not getting the impressions you want, you can always adjust upward. The beauty of Sponsored Products is that you have full control to set bids based on your own goals and what you're seeing in your data.
Seller_YuoffgnFnXrIn
I actually A/B tested this- found the same thing as you, that there were suggested bid mismatches between two campaigns- same target, even the same product ad.
But - I let both run in different selling seasons, non-concurrently, at the same bid, and found that there was a difference in the suggested bid.
the reason was because Campaign B simply converted better likely due to statistical randomness and maybe the period it ran, and hence I concluded amazon considers the propensity of the target to convert based on the historical data of that target or ad group. It isnt manipulation per se in my opinion but I had the same initial reaction as you.
Tl;dr - not a rat in my opinion, its been tested.
