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Wholesale Buyer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Wholesale Buyer, or Buyer, chooses and orders products for an organisation to sell. Their main duties include industry-specific market research, forecasts of customers’ needs and the creation of purchase orders.

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Wholesale Buyer duties and responsibilities

A Wholesale Buyer spends a significant amount of time negotiating with suppliers. They also have the following daily duties and responsibilities:

  • Analyse and forecast trends by using consumer data
  • Attend trade fairs to find new products for the organisation to sell
  • Negotiate prices, delivery dates and orders
  • Develop an accurate and efficient system for monitoring open purchase orders
  • Provide management with a weekly purchase order report covering all vendor invoice numbers for closed purchase orders
  • Collaborate with the inventory management team to make sure that the deliveries align to the assigned purchase orders and to identify missing or back-ordered items
  • Assist the Supply Chain Manager to maintain inventory levels properly
  • Establish lines of contact with field management teams to make sure all field purchase orders are accurate
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What does a Wholesale Buyer do?

Wholesale Buyers are responsible for planning, choosing and ordering durable and non-durable products for organisations to resell at the wholesale or retail level. They perform industry-specific consumer and market research to understand the organisation’s competition and to forecast customer behaviour and needs. Wholesale Buyers select, order and pay for merchandise based on the contractual agreement with the suppliers. They also monitor the status of purchase orders and report to the management team of an organisation.

Wholesale Buyer skills and qualifications

A Wholesale Buyer needs strong verbal and written communication skills to deal with different suppliers. They need the following skills to fulfil their duties and responsibilities successfully:

  • Ability to work well with a diverse range of people
  • Attention to detail
  • Customer service skills
  • Working knowledge of popular CRM software packages, as well as industry-specific purchase order software
  • Excellent negotiation skills
  • Ability to sell the organisation’s products and services
  • Management of the financial resources available for purchases
  • Ability to work well in a fast-paced and high-stress environment

Wholesale Buyer experience requirements

Most organisations look for candidates who have at least two or more years of experience in purchasing from the same industry, such as a Retail Buyer. Some organisations may consider candidates with experience in related positions, such as a General Manager or Sales Manager.

Wholesale Buyer education and training requirements

Most candidates need a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field to become a Wholesale Buyer. Candidates can also use a certificate in retail operations or a diploma in retail skills for applying to a Wholesale Buyer position. Some organisations look for candidates who have completed an advanced apprenticeship in retail management, buying or merchandising. Employers also value candidates with experience in visual merchandising or as a Buyer’s Assistant while obtaining qualifications to become a Wholesale Buyer.

Wholesale Buyer salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Wholesale Buyer is £31,906 per year. The salary level for a Wholesale Buyer depends on the company, its location and the years of experience required.

Job description samples for similar positions

If the job description of a Wholesale Buyer is not what you are looking for, here are sample job descriptions for similar positions:

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Wholesale Buyer job description FAQs

What is the difference between a Wholesale Buyer and a Retail Buyer?

Wholesale and Retail Buyers perform similar functions. Both buy finished products for their organisation to resell. The difference is that wholesale organisations sell to retail organisations, whereas retail organisations sell to consumers. Another difference is that the quantities purchased by Wholesale Buyers are larger than those of Retail Buyers.

Do the duties of Wholesale Buyers differ between organisations?

The size of the organisation determines the duties and responsibilities of a Wholesale Buyer. In smaller organisations, there may be only one Wholesale Buyer who buys all the goods the organisation needs. In larger organisations, teams of Wholesale Buyers exist, and each buyer specialises in a specific product line of the organisation.

How can you make a Wholesale Buyer job description stand out?

The job description needs to include details of travel required if the position involves travelling between different cities or countries to make purchases from merchandisers. If the position requires experience in a specific industry, you need to include this requirement in the job description. You can also mention specific requirements for the role, such as familiarity with specific software for purchase orders to highlight your job description.

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