What do buyers make

United States. Average Buyer Salary. Job Details. Job Listings. How should I pay? Price a Job. What am I worth? Find market worth. Base Salary. Profit Sharing. Total Pay. Is Average Buyer Salary your job title? Find out what you should be paid Use our tool to get a personalized report on your market worth.

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They should anticipate financial outcomes and select the most effective options to reach buying goals and remain within budget.

Buyers need to be able to communicate with individuals inside and outside the organization, including suppliers, inventory personnel and management. Interpersonal skills such as patience and empathy can also help with negotiations.

This task often requires the use of simple formulas and calculations, making math an essential skill for effectiveness. Buyers often need to negotiate contract terms with the supplier.

Persuasion, research and strategy enable these professionals to conduct successful negotiations. Buyers can work in several different industries, including:. As for the day-to-day environment, most buyers work in an office on a regular basis. However, travel is often necessary for buyers to visit suppliers and evaluate products.

Most buyers work in a full-time position, and overtime hours can be common in this occupation. Many buyers go through the following steps to pursue this career path:. Earn a degree in a related field such as business, finance or supply chain management.

This education helps you to learn business principles, gain a background in finance and accounting and study effective techniques and application of theoretical concepts through case studies. While in your undergraduate program, take advantage of internship or other hands-on learning opportunities to observe professionals in the field and even practice skills such as analysis, negotiation and business communication.

You can also pursue entry-level positions in the supply chain to begin your career advancement to buyer. This training can last for a few months to a year and provide you with an understanding of the basic skills and practical techniques the position requires. If a potential employer requires a certain certification, start preparing for the application by studying for the exam.

Create a clear and comprehensive resume that describes your education, experience, skills and relevant certifications. Then apply to positions of interest. Despite declining employment, about 45, openings for purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents.

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents with similar occupations. Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review the quality of products. Purchasing managers oversee the work of buyers and purchasing agents and typically handle more complex procurement tasks. In addition to these tasks, purchasing managers also plan and coordinate the work of buyers and purchasing agents and hire and train new staff.

These policies help ensure that procurement professionals are meeting ethical standards to avoid potential conflicts of interest or inappropriate supplier and customer relations. Buyers and purchasing agents buy farm products, durable and nondurable goods, and services for organizations and institutions.

They try to get the best deal for their organization: the highest quality goods and services at the lowest cost. They do this by studying sales records and inventory levels of current stock, identifying foreign and domestic suppliers, and keeping up to date with changes affecting both the supply of, and demand for, products and materials. Purchasing agents and buyers consider price, quality, availability, reliability, and technical support when choosing suppliers and merchandise. To be effective, purchasing agents and buyers must have a working technical knowledge of the goods or services they are purchasing.

Evaluating suppliers is one of the most critical functions of a buyer or purchasing agent. They ensure the supplies are ordered in time so that any delays in the supply chain does not shut down production and cause the organization to lose customers. Buyers and purchasing agents use many resources to find out all they can about potential suppliers.

They attend meetings, trade shows, and conferences to learn about new industry trends and make contacts with suppliers. They often interview prospective suppliers and visit their plants and distribution centers to assess their capabilities.

For example, they may discuss the design of products with design engineers, quality concerns with production supervisors, or shipping issues with managers in the receiving department. Buyers and purchasing agents must make certain that the supplier can deliver the desired goods or services on time, in the correct quantities, and without sacrificing quality. Buyers who purchase items to resell to customers may determine which products their organization will sell.

They need to be able to predict what will appeal to their customers. If they are wrong, they could jeopardize the profits and reputation of their organization. Buyers who work for large organizations often specialize in purchasing one or two categories of products or services.

Buyers who work for smaller businesses or government agencies may be responsible for making a greater variety of purchases. Purchasing agents and buyers of farm products buy agricultural products for further processing or resale. Examples of these products are grain, cotton, and tobacco. Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products buy items for the operation of an organization.

Examples of these items are chemicals and industrial equipment needed for a manufacturing establishment, and office supplies. Wholesale and retail buyers purchase goods for resale to consumers. Examples of these goods are clothing and electronics. Purchasing specialists who buy finished goods for resale are commonly known as buyers or merchandise managers. Buyers and purchasing agents held about , jobs in The largest employers of buyers and purchasing agents were as follows:.

Purchasing managers held about 74, jobs in The largest employers of purchasing managers were as follows:. Most purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents work in offices. Travel is sometimes necessary to visit suppliers or review products. Overtime is common in these occupations. Purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents typically need a bachelor's degree.

Programs vary but may include fields of study such as military technologies. Purchasing managers also need 5 or more years of work experience in procurement.

Educational requirements for buyers and purchasing agents usually vary with the size of the organization. Graduates often become buyers after successfully completing a retail management training scheme.

Typical employers Qualifications and training Key skills Buyers are responsible for sourcing, developing and introducing product ranges that suit their stores and customer base. Typical employers of retail buyers Retail buyers are employed by national, regional and online retailers such as department stores, fashion retailers and supermarkets.

Strengthen your job applications by reading our tips on how to write a great graduate retail CV. Find out what salary you might earn as a graduate in retail. Qualifications and training required There are routes into a retail buying career for both university graduates and school leavers, although there are generally fewer opportunities available for school leavers.

Find out which retail employers accept graduates with a 2. Use our guide to retail work experience to help you explore your options. Key skills for retail buyers commercial awareness confidence ability to make decisions ability to cope with pressure maths skills IT skills good teamworking skills interpersonal skills, particularly in negotiating effective organisational skills.

Next: search graduate jobs and internships View our graduate retail job vacancies and internships. Spotlight organisations. Credit Suisse. The Army.