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Seller vs sales associate

The differences between sellers and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales associate has an average salary of $32,167, which is higher than the $25,530 average annual salary of a seller.

The top three skills for a seller include product knowledge, customer service and POS. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.

Seller vs sales associate overview

SellerSales Associate
Yearly salary$25,530$32,167
Hourly rate$12.27$15.46
Growth rate--
Number of jobs1,064579,849
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

What does a seller do?

A seller is a sales facilitator responsible for initializing sales conversations and easing customer sales experience. A seller helps customers and then offers the best solution in regards to the products being sold. They also explain to the customers how a certain product works when necessary, as well as explain the current deals and discounts.

What does a sales associate do?

Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.

Seller vs sales associate salary

Sellers and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

SellerSales Associate
Average salary$25,530$32,167
Salary rangeBetween $9,000 And $71,000Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MANew York, NY
Highest paying stateMassachusettsNew York
Best paying companyPoint BBarclays
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between seller and sales associate education

There are a few differences between a seller and a sales associate in terms of educational background:

SellerSales Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Seller vs sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between sellers' and sales associates' demographics:

SellerSales Associate
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 50.0% Female, 50.0%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between seller and sales associate duties and responsibilities

Seller example responsibilities.

  • Require to manage time and employee hours schedule in conjunction with intake of customer PCs in need of repair.
  • Work in the music department shelving CDs and DVDs, and occasionally working the cash register.
  • Assemble PowerPoint presentations, clip books and event materials.
  • Create dozens of compelling PowerPoint presentations for brokers and clients.
  • Stock, inventory, and maintain appearance of music and DVD sales department.
  • Work as a seller/buyer of auto parts and utilize online payment services such as Paypal.
  • Show more

Sales associate example responsibilities.

  • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
  • Gain experience with credit cards, mathematics, as well as customer service.
  • Utilize forklift, order picker reach truck, electric ladder, or roll ladders to transfer merchandise to the sales floor.
  • Create Facebook page for Ohco Import/Export division.
  • Increase sales by upselling products and follow up sales calls.
  • Assist customers with the purchase of the perfect piece of jewelry
  • Show more

Seller vs sales associate skills

Common seller skills
  • Product Knowledge, 72%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • POS, 7%
  • Cash Handling, 5%
  • Ebay Store, 2%
  • Online Sales, 1%
Common sales associate skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Cash Handling, 9%
  • Retail Sales, 9%
  • Loss Prevention, 7%
  • Basic Math, 5%