Online Merchants
Business and Financial Operations
Run the retail side of a business that sells only online: buying stock, setting prices, and filling orders by packing them for shipment or passing them to a manufacturer or distributor. Payments arrive through electronic services; invoices are created or automated in software, and customers get email confirmations of sales and shipments. Questions and complaints about products, policies, or shipping are handled by email, phone, or other messages. Taxes, shipping costs, and the purchase of new or used goods for resale are part of the same job. Inventory, payments, and customer follow-up in the same day suit people who prefer hands-on retail over a narrow specialty.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$83'050
Median Wage Market Position
$83'050
What you might do
- Pack sold items and ship them to buyers
- Take payments through online checkout systems
- Buy new or used goods to resell online
- Set prices for products on the site
- Reply to customer questions about products and shipping
- Send email confirmations for orders and shipments
Skills that matter
- Packaging sold items for shipment
- Processing online customer payments
- Writing order and shipping confirmations
- Answering product and shipping questions
- Setting prices on listed merchandise
- Buying items to resell online
AI & the future of this role
Listing copy, pricing tests, and basic inventory tracking may increasingly be handled by software, shrinking routine storefront work. Supplier relationships, fulfillment judgment, and brand decisions still matter, but overall prospects look relatively fragile.
Does Online Merchants fit your values?
Take the free LostInCareer assessment to see personalized matches based on your core values—not just a personality label.
Related careers
Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details