jobber
A jobber is a person or business entity that purchases from manufacturers and resells goods to retailers; a middleman.
The term “jobber” can differ slightly based on the industry it is used in. For example, in advertising, jobbers do not ordinarily maintain inventory or physically handle stock, except for sample goods. However, they act as a middleman by relaying orders from buyers to the manufacturers, who then ship the finished product directly to the buyer. Whereas in the oil industry, jobbers purchase gasoline wholesale from refiners and store it in their own bulk plants, from which they deliver the gasoline in fleets of trucks to service stations or directly to large consumers.
[Last reviewed in June of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]
Wex