reseller

reseller — noun

1. a business or person who earns money by buying items from a producer or wholesal

1.nounB2
Definition

a business or person who earns money by buying items from a producer or wholesaler and selling them to other people instead of keeping them

Example

Hao runs a small electronics shop as an authorised reseller of Sony products.

authorised reseller of [brand name]

Online resellers buy clothes in bulk from factories and sell them on their own websites.

Common collocations
  • authorised reseller
  • software reseller
  • online reseller
  • independent reseller
  • reseller of [brand]
  • become a reseller
  • work as a reseller
Synonyms
  • dealer

    often used for cars, art, or specialised goods; implies expertise in one product type

  • distributor

    larger-scale operator who moves goods from manufacturers to retailers rather than to end customers

  • retailer

    sells directly to the public in small quantities, but may or may not buy specifically to resell

  • vendor

    broader term for any seller, from a market stall to a large company

Antonyms
  • buyer

    a person who purchases goods for their own use

  • end user

    the final consumer who uses a product rather than reselling it

Grammar Patterns

reseller + of (product type)

authorised reseller + of (brand/company)

Usage Note

Often paired with 'authorised' to indicate official approval by the original brand or manufacturer.

Common Mistakes

I bought this from a reseller' (when meaning a second-hand shop — okay but vague).
I bought this from an authorised reseller
adds clarity about official approval.

Word family

  • resell
    verbB2
  • resale
    nounB2
  • seller
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All these words describe people or businesses that sell things, but a reseller specifically buys goods with the intention of selling them again rather than using them. A dealer often focuses on a specific product category such as cars, art, or antiques and brings specialised knowledge to the sale. A distributor operates at a larger scale, moving products from manufacturers to retailers or resellers rather than directly to individual customers. A retailer sells directly to the public, often in small quantities, and may or may not be buying exclusively for resale. Vendor is the broadest term and can apply to anyone selling anything, from a market-stall seller to a global corporation. For example, a shop that buys laptops from an authorised reseller to sell to students is a retailer, while the regional company that received those laptops from the factory is a distributor. The reseller sits between them, handling logistics and regional supply.

dealer ↗distributor ↗retailer ↗vendor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • authorised reseller of
  • become a reseller for
  • reseller network

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again', from Latin via French) and 'seller' (someone who sells, from Old English 'sellan' — to give or hand over). The word emerged in commercial contexts to describe intermediaries who buy goods not for their own use but to sell them on to others.