Buyer vs purchasing buyer

The differences between buyers and purchasing buyers 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 buyer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a buyer has an average salary of $54,049, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing buyer.

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

Buyer vs purchasing buyer overview

	Buyer	Purchasing Buyer
Yearly salary	$54,049	$47,471
Hourly rate	$25.99	$22.82
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	23,589	21,158
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 buyer do?

In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.

Buyer vs purchasing buyer salary

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

	Buyer	Purchasing Buyer
Average salary	$54,049	$47,471
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $76,000	Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Englewood, NJ	Goleta, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Aramco Services Company
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between buyer and purchasing buyer education

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

	Buyer	Purchasing Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Buyer vs purchasing buyer demographics

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

	Buyer	Purchasing Buyer
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1%	Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1%
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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	15%	7%

Differences between buyer and purchasing buyer 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.

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Purchasing buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the development of RFP process per departmental and legal requirements.
Create and manage requisitions, code billing statements and reconcile monthly bills in PeopleSoft.
Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
Complete request for quotation (RFQ), design reviews, and advance product quality planning (APQP).
Used MRP to track and develop orders for electronic and mechanical commodities for high volume 32,000 a day unit product.
Make purchasing decisions base on the examination and recommendations of the ERP planning system and issuing and maintaining supplier purchase orders.

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Buyer vs purchasing buyer skills

Common buyer skills

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

Common purchasing buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 29%
Logistics, 6%
Cost Savings, 5%
ERP, 4%
MRP, 4%
RFQ, 4%

Buyer vs. similar jobs

Buyer related careers

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Buyer jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

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