Buyer vs purchasing agent

The differences between buyers and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a buyer, becoming a purchasing agent takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a buyer has an average salary of $54,049, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.

The top three skills for a buyer include purchase orders, customer service and logistics. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.

Buyer vs purchasing agent overview

	Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$54,049	$51,950
Hourly rate	$25.99	$24.98
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	23,589	45,856
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	-	6

What does a buyer do?

A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.

What does a purchasing agent do?

A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.

Buyer vs purchasing agent salary

Buyers and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$54,049	$51,950
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $76,000	Between $37,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Englewood, NJ	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Maryland
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Abiomed
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between buyer and purchasing agent education

There are a few differences between a buyer and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:

	Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Buyer vs purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between buyers' and purchasing agents' demographics:

	Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1%	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	15%	7%

Differences between buyer and purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Buyer example responsibilities.

Achieve QA initiatives by increasing transparency and communication with multiple departments and suppliers to achieve daily/weekly/monthly production requirements and expedites.
Manage all incoming RMA equipment, processing and directing to correct locations and departments.
Create, analyze and manage recaps pertaining to inventory, trends, OTB, and markdowns.
Manage KanBan spreadsheets to optimize inventory levels and supplier performance.
Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.
Manage MRB and IQA escalations to facilitate defective material resolutions.

Show more

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Show more

Buyer vs purchasing agent skills

Common buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 22%
Customer Service, 11%
Logistics, 5%
Supplier Performance, 4%
MRP, 4%
Commodities, 3%

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%

Buyer vs. similar jobs

Buyer related careers

Buyer related jobs

Buyer jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z