Most people think of Amazon warehouse jobs and delivery services when they think of Amazon jobs. But Amazon also has jobs you can do from home, which most people don’t even know about.
Although the e-commerce giant had 1.6 million employees at its peak in 2021, there are still 1.5 million full and part-time Amazon employees today.
Some of Amazon’s jobs you can do from home or on the side are well-known, but others might surprise you. They range from small, simple tasks to full-time jobs, so everyone can find something that works for them.
1. Customer Service Jobs at Amazon
Amazon’s work-from-home customer service jobs usually open up around the holidays and fill up quickly. Amazon only hires remote agents in certain states or countries, even though they can work from home.
To apply, you must have at least a high school diploma, one year of experience working in customer service, basic computer skills, and high-speed internet. But be sure to check the requirements for each posting.
Most hiring for the busy holiday season (October – January) starts at the end of August. On their virtual job page, you can find Amazon’s jobs that can be done from home.
Starting as a seasonal, part-time worker is a great way to become full-time.
2. Amazon MTurk Jobs
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is an online marketplace where businesses and developers can hire people like you to do small tasks they don’t want to do themselves. You can use MTurk to make extra money by doing simple online tasks in your spare time.
These small jobs can be anything, including transcribing audio, writing articles, evaluating images and videos, taking surveys, and removing duplicate content from business listings.
Thousands of tasks are available daily on MTurk, and you can choose the ones that match your skills and interests.
How much money you make depends on your tasks; most of them pay less than $10. You won’t make a lot of money doing these tasks, but you won’t have to spend much time or effort on them either.
3. Amazon FBA Seller
The best-known and most profitable way to make money on Amazon is through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
FBA lets sellers use Amazon’s shipping and fulfillment services for their items. Your products will be stored in Amazon’s warehouse, and Amazon will label and ship them for you.
Many start by buying cheap products at liquidation stores and selling them on Amazon. When my friend started in 2008, he did the same thing. His business now makes $2 million a year!
But not everything will be a hit.
It is imperative to sell the right things on Amazon. The hardest part of the whole process is choosing the right products. You don’t want something so cheap that you make no money or so expensive that no one buys it.
Aim for $15 to $20 items, which have a higher profit margin compared to lower-priced items. Shoppers are more inclined to make impulse purchases within this range, and it tends to attract a larger customer base.
Amazon also has a section called “Trending” that shows popular items that people are looking for on Amazon.
4. Sell with Merch by Amazon
With Merch by Amazon, you can turn your designs into Amazon products that you can sell. Your artwork and logos can be printed on coffee mugs, t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and many more.
After you fill out your application and get approved, you upload your artwork, choose the product type and color, write a description, and wait for someone to buy it. Amazon Merch will take care of production, shipping, and customer service, and you will get a royalty (10–20%) for every product that sells.
It should be easy, right? I love how you only have to do the work once and then don’t have to worry about it again.
5. Amazon Handmade
Amazon Handmade is a way to make extra money.
You can sell your crafts and goods on Amazon Handmade, just like on Etsy. Artists from over 80 countries sell their unique crafts to millions of customers worldwide through Amazon Handmade.
You can set your own prices, and there are no fees for listing with a Professional Selling Plan. Handmade will take 15% of the price of each item sold as a referral fee.
6. Become an Amazon Associate
When you sign up for Amazon Associates, you become an affiliate. You can make money by promoting products on your blog, Instagram, YouTube, or any other social media platform.
The Amazon Associate program is great because customers don’t have to buy the exact item they clicked on for you to get a percentage. If they buy something within 24 hours of clicking on your link, you’ll get a percentage of the sale.
To join Amazon Associates, you need to fill out an application and include links to your website or social media channels. You’ll be “accepted” right away, but the Associate teams will look at your application after you’ve made three qualified sales in the first 180 days.
If you don’t make 3 sales in the first 180 days, your application will be turned down. But don’t worry, you can still apply again, and the process isn’t too hard.
7. Amazon Influencers Program
If you have a decent-sized social media following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, you can apply to be part of the Amazon Influencer Program.
Similar to Amazon Associates, where you get a cut when someone buys something through your affiliate link, social media is the primary way to get the word out.
You’ll also get your own customizable page on Amazon and a vanity URL to showcase your favorite Amazon products to your followers. This makes it easy to send all your followers to one place where they can find all your favorite products.
8. Sell Private Label Items on Amazon
Selling private-label items is a rather unique way to make money on Amazon. It means looking for generic products that sell well on Amazon and can be bought cheaply in bulk from third-party manufacturers.
The next step is to make your logo and packaging and market your products better than your competitors.
This requires some market research, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a very profitable way to make money on Amazon. Returns depend on the product, but a profit margin of around 50% is a good goal.
9. Sell eBooks on Amazon
You can publish your own eBooks and paperbacks for free on Amazon with Kindle Direct Publishing and earn money whenever someone buys it.
It takes less than 5 minutes to publish your book, and within 24–48 hours, it will be available in Kindle stores around the world. It’s a free way to let millions of people know about your books.
As a Kindle publisher, you can set the prices for your books and earn up to 70% royalties. Also, the rights to your books stay with you.
The best part is that once you make a book, it will keep selling on Amazon without you having to do anything.
10. Amazon Trade-In Program
With Amazon Trade-In, you can get Amazon gift cards in exchange for used items you no longer want, like books, electronics, video games, and more.
Amazon gives a list of the things that can be traded in. After you find your item on the list:
- Submit a trade-in form
- Get a quote
- Print the free shipping label and send the item to Amazon
Once your item has been received and evaluated, you’ll get an e-mail telling you whether it was accepted or not.
If the item is turned down, they will return it to you for free. If the item is accepted, the amount will show up when you check the balance of your gift card.
Bonus: Amazon Flex Deliveries
Amazon Flex is not a work-from-home job, but I’m including it here because you can set your own hours. For many, that’s one of the biggest draws of working from home.
When you use your own car to deliver packages, you get paid between $18 and $25 per hour. You decide how many hours you want to work, pick up packages from a nearby Amazon Fulfillment Center or business, and deliver them.
To get the Amazon Flex app, you must be at least 21 years old, have a car, a smartphone, a valid driver’s license and insurance, and live somewhere that offers Flex.
Make Serious Bank with Amazon’s Lesser-Known Jobs
From discovering hidden treasures in your garage through the Amazon Trade-In Program to designing your own unique products with Merch by Amazon, the opportunities to make money and have a blast are limitless.
So, why not embark on an Amazonian adventure and embrace the excitement that awaits? The choice is yours – dive in, explore, and let your imagination soar with Amazon!
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Amanda Kay, the founder of My Life, I Guess, provides valuable career advice and support for anyone striving to make a living and, more importantly, make a life. Whether it's navigating job searches, learning new skills, overcoming unemployment, or dealing with debt, My Life, I Guess has been a go-to resource for career guidance and financial stability since 2013. Amanda's expertise and relatable approach have been featured in trusted publications such as MSN, Credit.com, Yahoo! Finance, the Ladders and Fairygodboss.