Which businesses obtain goods from manufacturers and sell to industrial users, wholesalers, and retailers?

• A. Retailers
• B. Buying
• C. Selling
• D. Wholesalers

Answer: (D)

Wholesalers are the middlemen who obtain goods from manufacturers and sell to other businesses such as industrial users, retailers, and even other wholesalers. They buy in large quantities, store the products, and then distribute them in smaller lots to different business customers, helping manufacturers reach a broader market and enabling retailers to stock their shelves without buying directly from every producer. Retailers, by contrast, mainly sell to end customers, not to industrial users. The terms “buying” and “selling” describe functions, not the specific role in the distribution channel, so they don’t identify the intermediary type as effectively as wholesalers do.