Types of Wholesalers
Wholesalers fall into three major groups (see
Table 13.3): merchant wholesalers; brokers
and agents; and manufacturers’ and retailers’
branches and offices.
Merchant wholesalers are the largest single
group of wholesalers, accounting for roughly
50 percent of all wholesaling.
Brokers and agents differ from merchant
wholesalers in two ways: they do not take title
to good, and they perform only a few
functions.
The third major type of wholesaling is that
done in manufacturers’ sales branches and
offices by sellers or buyers themselves rather
than through independent wholesalers.