Best Amazon Aggregators: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Names change: aggregators merge, restructure, or pause acquisitions temporarily. What stays stable are the buyer archetypes and their decision logic. Anyone who understands that logic approaches the right houses – and doesn't waste months in processes that structurally don't fit.

• Size threshold: Many houses have a hard revenue or EBITDA minimum. Below it, there's no deal, regardless of brand quality.
• Category mandate: A buyer with a household portfolio will rarely acquire a regulated supplement brand.
• Capital situation: Anyone currently consolidating rather than buying isn't a realistic counterpart.

These figures are indicative values from ongoing market observation, not binding terms. Every process is negotiated individually.

The multiple is only the headline. Offers only become comparable once you break down the structure behind them:

• Cash at closing vs. earn-out: 70/30 and 50/50 can both be "the same multiple" – but economically entirely different deals.
• Earn-out basis: Revenue, gross margin or EBITDA? The further down the calculation, the greater the risk for the seller.
• Inventory valuation: Is inventory taken over at cost or net realizable value?
• Working-capital adjustment: An inconspicuous mechanism that can shift the purchase price significantly after the fact.
• Warranties and liability period: Scope of the representations and the size of the escrow.

A high offer without the ability to close is more expensive than a solid offer with clear execution. This can be checked using hard signals:

• Number and timing of the most recently completed transactions.
• Proof of funding or committed capital instead of a letter of intent.
• Reference calls with sellers from previous deals.
• Concrete timeline from LOI to closing – and who runs due diligence.

For many founders, this is the real difference between buyer types. Large houses integrate in a highly standardized way; specialists often keep running brands more independently. Both are legitimate – what matters is whether it matches your own expectations.

• Are the brand name, positioning and product line preserved?
• Are supplier relationships continued or consolidated?
• What role is planned for the seller after closing?
• Is there a plan for international expansion – and who bears the cost?

1. Define your own objective: maximum price, a fast exit, or continuation?
2. Pre-filter buyer types by size threshold and category mandate.
3. Run at least three processes in parallel to get real comparability.
4. Normalize offers to cash-at-closing, not the stated multiple.
5. Have the earn-out basis and calculation formula fixed in writing.
6. Obtain references from previous sellers.
7. Evaluate the tax structure before the LOI, not after.
8. Agree on the post-closing role and handover period in binding terms.

Comparing aggregators doesn't work through rankings, but through fit: size, category, deal structure and succession plan. Anyone who sorts out these four axes in advance negotiates from a significantly better position – and quickly recognizes which conversations don't make sense.

You'll find the fundamentals on this topic in the guide to Amazon aggregators. Questions about assessing a specific offer? j.schuettler@jsmgmt.com