Full-Time
Senior Buyer
Multiple Teams
Posted on 8/6/2025
Fanatics
10,001+ employees
China-based licensed sports merchandise retailer
No salary listed
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship
Philadelphia, PA, USA + 1 more
More locations: New York, NY, USA
In Person
 Retail (2) |
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- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
- 4–6+ years of progressive buying experience, preferably in a digitally native or omnichannel retail environment
- Proven ability to manage a high-performing category or department with demonstrated financial results
- Advanced retail math and analytical skills; ability to interpret complex data sets into actionable insights
- Demonstrated strength in vendor management, negotiation, and relationship-building
- Strategic thinker who can toggle between high-level vision and day-to-day execution
- Strong verbal and written communication with ability to influence across all levels of the organization
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, agile environment that thrives on data and speed
- Proficient in Excel, reporting tools, and merchandising systems
- Develop and execute seasonal buying strategies grounded in consumer insights, trend analysis, and financial goals
- Lead product selection across categories, ensuring that products align with the brand's direction and strategic priorities.
- Curate assortments that reflect M&N's POV while balancing depth, breadth, and price architecture to drive revenue & sell-through
- Own OTB and forecasting processes in partnership with planning manager
- Monitor sales performance, inventory productivity, and margin performance; take action through in-season reorders, markdowns, and exit strategies
- Ensure product profitability while maintaining brand equity and merchandising integrity
- Partner closely with Product Creation, Global Merchandising, Planning, and Marketing to ensure cohesive GTM strategies, seasonal priorities, and key story moments.
- Act as a connector across teams to ensure executional excellence from product briefing through launch
- Stay deeply connected to consumers through social platforms, product reviews, competitive analysis, and cultural trend tracking
- Translate insights into product and assortment decisions that drive brand heat and sales
- Lead seasonal milestone meetings, presenting product strategies and assortment rationale to internal stakeholders
- Provide regular business recaps to inform cross-functional partners of highlighting top sellers, underperformers, category trends and product opportunities
- Mentor or oversee associate buyers, fostering growth and consistency across the buying/planning function
- Passion for sports and fan culture is a strong plus
Fanatics China is a joint venture between Fanatics Inc. and Hillhouse Capital that localizes and scales licensed sports merchandise for China. It designs, manufactures, and markets fan gear for Chinese consumers, operating a multi-channel model that includes building and running e-commerce sites for global leagues and teams, exploring online marketplaces, and developing physical retail concepts. Its product workflow combines technology, data, and on-demand manufacturing to manage the entire supply chain, enabling fast response to demand. The company differentiates itself through a China-focused approach backed by Hillhouse’s network and investments, its end-to-end vertical commerce model, and partnerships with hundreds of sports organizations, which together help it navigate China’s complex retail landscape. The goal is to satisfy a previously underserved Chinese market for licensed sports merchandise by creating localized products and channels that connect fans with official gear.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$5.2B
Headquarters
Huangpu, China
Founded
1995
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- China's underserved licensed sports merchandise market offers significant TAM expansion opportunity.
- Fanatics Betting & Gaming and Markets verticals create recurring revenue and customer lifetime value.
- 300+ global sports organization partnerships provide exclusive content and merchandise sourcing advantages.
What critics are saying
- Alibaba's Taobao/Tmall control 70% China sports e-commerce with exclusive NFL/NBA deals.
- Topsports private-label soccer jerseys undercut Fanatics' premium pricing via local manufacturing.
- US-China tariffs escalate to 50% on apparel, crippling cross-border component flows.
What makes Fanatics unique
- Vertically-integrated v-commerce platform combines real-time manufacturing, data analytics, and supply chain control.
- Hillhouse Capital partnership provides access to Topsports, JD.com ecosystem, and China retail expertise.
- Multi-vertical ecosystem integrates merchandise, betting/gaming, studios content, and prediction markets for fan engagement.
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Benefits
Work Life Balance - At Fanatics we place our focus on results and empowerment and encourage you to enjoy your time on and OFF the field with our competitive time off policies.
Recognition and Rewards Program - Fanatics values our internal fans too! Our programs are designed to thank and reward Fanatics athletes for their hard work and commitment to winning as a team.
Company Sponsored Events - From breakfast to happy hour and every hour in between – Fanatics employees can enjoy time together at one of our many company events.
Fanatics.com Employee Discount - As an employee you will receive a special discount on all of your favorite sports merchandise and memorabilia.
Give Back - Fanatics cares about the fans around us. We encourage you to partner up with your teammates in giving back and serving the communities where we work and play.
Meet & Greets - You never know who will show up to the office. You might just meet one of your all-time favorite athletes.
Invest in You - Here at Fanatics we want you to accomplish your goals. We offer tuition reimbursement.
Healthy Lifestyle - Fanatics cares about helping and supporting our teams in their busy lifestyles. Through wellness relationships with fitness and weight management partners we are here to support you in whatever your lifestyle goals.
Wellness Coverage - Your health is important to you – and it’s important to us too! We offer a number of benefit plan options for convenience and flexibility.
Financial Security - Through our plans, Fanatics offers you a way to budget for health care expenses that you’d typically pay for out of pocket.
Retirement - The sooner you begin planning for your retirement, the better. Fanatics offers generous plans to help you prepare for the future.
Network of Support - Fanatics understands that sometimes you may need someone in your corner. Through the Life Assistance Program, you and your family have access to support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Fanatics Family First - Afterall we are #OneFanatics. Put your family first with our paid maternity and paternity leave program, or take advantage of our infertility treatment reimbursement program to get the support you need while you try to grow your family.
IDEA - We invite you to join one of our Employee Resource groups, or celebrate and honor what’s most important to you through our IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equality & Advocacy) floating holiday. We recognize diversity helps foster innovation, and people perform better when they can be themselves. Gender Affirmation Treatment reimbursement is available to employees.
Company News
Scorability, a sports tech platform, raised $40 million in funding led by Bluestone Equity Partners, with participation from Fanatics and others. The startup, founded in 2023 by Brian Cruver, aims to modernize college sports recruiting. It has 1.2 million athletes and 3,000 college sports program users. Scorability is free for athletes, while colleges pay $10k-$40k annually. The platform simplifies recruitment by providing comprehensive data and AI-driven tools for coaches.
417 likes, 21 comments - blacksportsbiz on May 30, 2024: "Day one of #BlackSportsBiz launched the inaugural @BlackSportsWallStreet + @Pitch.Black.Sports, presented by @Fanatics, while also featuring @CariChampion, Eli Kumekpor, @RyanHoward_006 and @1JeremiahBrown! 🎤🛍️ Congrats to @Reel_Analytics for winning Pitch Black Sports! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Cory and his team. 📈 🎥: @travisellisonproductions @aumemedia".
Fanatics raised a new round of funding valuing the online sports-merchandise retailer at $18 billion, people familiar with the matter said, roughly tripling its valuation from a year ago.
Fanatics is launching a new events vertical, in partnership with IMG, to capitalize on the company’s growing suite of business ventures, including merchandise, memorabilia, fashion, music, trading cards and sports betting. Starting next year, Fanatics Events will create fan festivals that feature athletes and brands from across the industry, including those in the Fanatics orbit. […]
What began as a single e-commerce deal in 2002 has grown into a mobile-first, tech and data-fueled consumer brand, built to satisfy global fans who purchase gear in-the-moment when passion is burning highest. Fanatics provides the ultimate shopping experience to sports fans whether buying gear onlin