Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. May negotiate contracts. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. In its May 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 projections, BLS reports this occupation together with others under the combined code 13-1020 ("Buyers and Purchasing Agents"). The wage, growth, openings and employment figures above describe that combined group, not this occupation alone. Skills, interests and other O*NET details are specific to this career.
State licensing. Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products is licensed or registered in 6 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 2 professional certifications to Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products. 1 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Retail Industry Fundamentals. Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.0 hours and sit about 7.0 hours per day. For 96.0% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (93.0%), have a consistently fast work pace (29.9%), cannot pause their work (9.3%), and are exposed to the outdoors (4.4%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $42,600 with a high school diploma or GED, $47,500 with some college or an associate's degree, $68,000 with a bachelor's degree and $86,300 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products work in Retail Trade (66%), Wholesale Trade (22%), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (2%) and Transportation and Warehousing (2%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
What workers studied. Among wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Marketing and Marketing Research (14%), General Business (7%), Business Management and Administration (6%) and Psychology (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Business operations specialists", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 12.1 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 7 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Business and financial operations", which includes this career, 4.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,564 for union members and $1,657 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Management, business, and financial", which includes this career, 91% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 94% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 97% had paid sick leave, 97% paid vacation and 96% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $89.14 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Management, business and financial" in June 2026 ($59.62 in wages and salaries and $29.52 in benefits, 33.1% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products are: e-mail (100%), contact with others (100%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (100%), freedom to make decisions (99%), importance of repeating same tasks (91%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (30% of 18 respondents) was "over 1 year, up to and including 2 years". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products in the work done and the skills used: Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products, Procurement Clerks, Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products, Purchasing Managers, Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents, Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, Sales Managers, Brokerage Clerks (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
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