What qualifications do you need to be an assistant buyer?

The qualifications you need to be an assistant buyer are a combination of relevant education and work experience. While no formal education is required for this role, without it, a candidate will need to put in significantly more work experience than someone with a bachelor's degree.

How To Become An Assistant Buyer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant buyer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An assistant buyer supports the purchasing and procurement operations of retail and wholesale businesses. They work under the supervision of a senior buyer, analyzing market trends, identifying potential suppliers, negotiating prices, and managing inventory levels. Assistant buyers may also assist with placing orders, tracking deliveries, and maintaining accurate records of purchases and inventory levels to ensure product availability for customers.

ScoreAssistant BuyerUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,586

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 6.65%

Black or African American 3.75%

Hispanic or Latino 9.86%

Unknown 3.12%

White 75.85%

Gender

female 76.53%

male 23.47%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress Level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an Assistant Buyer?

Pros

Chance to travel for buying trips
Room for growth within the company
Chance to work with a variety of brands and products
Exposure to trend forecasting and market analysis
Ability to collaborate with designers on product development

Cons

Long hours during peak seasons
High pressure and fast-paced environment
Limited decision-making power
Constantly working within budget constraints
High level of competition within the industry
High stress levels due to tight deadlines

Key steps to become an assistant buyer

Explore assistant buyer education requirements

Most common assistant buyer degrees

Bachelor's

79.0 %

Associate

12.9 %

Master's

3.5 %

Start to develop specific assistant buyer skills

Skills	Percentages
Purchase Orders	15.98%
Vendor Relations	10.47%
Customer Service	7.83%
Math	6.80%
Apparel	4.13%

Complete relevant assistant buyer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant buyers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an assistant buyer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant buyer resumes.

Research assistant buyer duties and responsibilities

Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Inspect, grade and appraise agricultural commodities, durable goods, and merchandise for sale.
Train employees on POS system to keep accurate sales, inventory levels, and employee hours.
Collaborate with DMM and GMM to complete accurate financial strategy to be sign off by CEO.

Prepare your assistant buyer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant buyer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an assistant buyer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Assistant Buyer Resume templates

Build a professional Assistant Buyer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Assistant Buyer resume.

Apply for assistant buyer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an assistant buyer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do assistant buyers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Assistant Buyer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

To be involved in negotiations

Cons

I like all in this job, because I have the choise to be in relation with a lot of persons and know what they are doing against purchasing also what the use to buy and under what coondition