A purchaser of refined products, on the open market, for resale at the wholesale and retail level.

Independent marketers are distinguished from branded marketers principally by the manner in which they purchase gasolinediesel fuel and other products for resale. The branded marketer (or oil jobber) buys most, if not all, of his product from a single major refiner.

In turn, the branded marketer usually resells the product at outlets which display the brand name of the supplying refiner. Independent marketers, on the other hand, purchase product from a variety of sources, such as oil companies or independent refiners. Independent marketers usually operate, or supply, a relatively large number of stations. The petroleum products sold through these outlets are generally sold under the marketer’s own label.