The most you can pay for a click
A breakeven bid is computed for every keyword: you can pay up to the margin that keyword’s sales bring in. But the bid you write on Amazon is a base bid and placement multipliers grow it — so the calculation is made on the multiplier-adjusted figure. A bid change arrives as a suggestion; you approve it.
A bid is not the same thing as cost per click
You pay the auction price, not your bid. Reading the two as the same number makes every keyword look more expensive than it is, and bids get cut on keywords that were fine.
The screen shows both: the bid you wrote and the CPC you actually paid, next to the breakeven figure that decides whether either one is affordable.
Amazon’s own suggestion is kept separate
Amazon suggests a bid based on the auction. That is useful information and it is shown — but it is not a profitability calculation and it is never presented as one.
Breakeven comes from your margin; Amazon’s suggestion comes from competition. Both are on the row, labelled as what they are.
Frequently asked questions
What is a breakeven bid?
The click price at which that keyword’s sales stop making money. It is derived from the product’s real margin, not an assumed one.
Do bid changes apply automatically?
No. A bid change is produced as a suggestion with its evidence and is written to Amazon only after you approve it.