Suggested Bid now significantly higher

Amazon Sponsored Products
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Over the last few months we’ve seen Amazon Advertising ‘suggested bids’ and alleged winning bid range increase significantly.

We’re seeing bids recommended at 4-6x more than before across a diverse range of products, with amazon alleging that the winning bid are now far higher than they used to be.

In some we’re even seeing Amazon claim ranges of £5-£22 PER CLICK for items that sell for £10-£30. This isn’t car insurance!

Either something isn’t right or we should be buying amazon shares ahead of a massive earnings increase.

Has anyone else noticed this?

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Yes, we’ve seen (particularly in the US) ridiculous bids for products that aren’t priced nearly high enough to justify them. I just ignore bids like this - competitors for the keywords are clearly bidding too high and certainly don’t have the margins to sustain PPC bids like this. Bid according to your budget, and I recommend finding long tail keywords to bid for, rather than the single words. Long-tail keywords tend to be much more reasonable, with a higher conversion rate, but of course a lower amount of people search for them. :slight_smile:

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I’m hoping that it is just people bidding up for prime week. Think a lot of the chinese companies bid up the then get higher up the rankings

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Most Amazon PPC problems aren’t caused by bids.

They’re caused by using the wrong match type at the wrong time.

Here’s how I think about match types strategically:

1 : Auto campaigns

Great for exploration. Let Amazon show you what shoppers are actually searching for. This is where insights are born.

2 : Broad match

Used when you want reach and data. Ideal for expansion, brand exposure, and discovering variations you didn’t plan for.

3 : Phrase match

More control, less noise. Best when you know the intent but still want flexibility around how shoppers search.

4 : Exact match

This is where efficiency lives. High intent, high control, and usually the best place to scale what’s already proven.

The real win isn’t choosing one match type.

It’s using each one at the right stage of the funnel.

Discovery → Validation → Efficiency.

That’s how strong Amazon PPC systems are built.

If your campaigns feel messy or unpredictable, start by checking whether your match types actually match your goal.