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Fashion buyer vs wholesale buyer

The differences between fashion buyers and wholesale buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a fashion buyer and a wholesale buyer. Additionally, a fashion buyer has an average salary of $56,120, which is higher than the $55,762 average annual salary of a wholesale buyer.

The top three skills for a fashion buyer include vendor relations, gross margin and market trends. The most important skills for a wholesale buyer are wholesale purchase, market trends, and retail sales.

Fashion buyer vs wholesale buyer overview

Fashion BuyerWholesale Buyer
Yearly salary$56,120$55,762
Hourly rate$26.98$26.81
Growth rate--
Number of jobs15,68814,580
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Fashion buyer vs wholesale buyer salary

Fashion buyers and wholesale buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fashion BuyerWholesale Buyer
Average salary$56,120$55,762
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $78,000Between $39,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Outdoor Specialty Products
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between fashion buyer and wholesale buyer education

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

Fashion BuyerWholesale Buyer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorSpecialized Sales And MerchandisingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Akron

Fashion buyer vs wholesale buyer demographics

Here are the differences between fashion buyers' and wholesale buyers' demographics:

Fashion BuyerWholesale Buyer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.5% Female, 84.5%Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between fashion buyer and wholesale buyer duties and responsibilities

Fashion buyer example responsibilities.

  • Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
  • React to update OTB, markdowns and other financial markers on a regular basis.
  • Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
  • Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Wholesale buyer example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.
  • Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
  • Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Fashion buyer vs wholesale buyer skills

Common fashion buyer skills
  • Vendor Relations, 14%
  • Gross Margin, 11%
  • Market Trends, 11%
  • Vendor Communication, 10%
  • Product Selection, 9%
  • Payment Terms, 5%
Common wholesale buyer skills
  • Wholesale Purchase, 64%
  • Market Trends, 20%
  • Retail Sales, 16%

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