A distributor works closely with a manufacturer in order to sell more goods and gain better visibility on these goods. Distributors find wholesalers who will resale their products. A wholesaler works more closely with retailers to match their needs through buying products in bulk at a discount.

A wholesaler only buys goods wholesale, then sells them in smaller quantities. Wholesalers don’t have contracts with manufacturers and usually serve retailers in a limited area. On the other hand, a distributor sells both inventory and sometimes services to both businesses and consumers.

The term wholesaler is defined as a person or entity, who purchase goods in bulk and sell them in relatively smaller units. On the other hand, the distributor is one of the major links that supplies goods and services to the entire market.

The term wholesaler is known as a person or entity, buying goods in bulk, then selling them in smaller units. By contrast, the distributor is considered one of the major links supplying items, along with services to the whole market.

The distributor is the manufacture’s direct point of contact for prospective buyers of certain products. Wholesalers buy a large quantity of products directly from distributors. Retailer buy small quantities of an item from a distributor or a wholesaler.