Q.Which of the following is an example of a zero-level (direct) channel of distribution?
(A) A manufacturer selling through a wholesaler
(B) A manufacturer selling directly to consumers through door-to-door selling
(C) A manufacturer selling through an agent who supplies wholesalers
(D) A manufacturer selling through both a wholesaler and a retailer

A zero-level channel has no middleman anywhere in the route. Door-to-door selling is the manufacturer's own salesperson dealing straight with the consumer, with no independent trader involved.

This question tests recognition of a real-world example of the zero-level channel, rather than just its textbook definition.

Option (A), selling through a wholesaler, involves one middleman (the wholesaler), so it is not a zero-level channel.

Option (B), door-to-door selling, correctly matches the zero-level channel — the manufacturer's own sales staff visit and sell directly to consumers, with no independent wholesaler, retailer, or agent anywhere in between.

Option (C), selling through an agent who supplies wholesalers, involves at least two middlemen (agent and wholesaler, and typically a retailer beyond that too), making it a three-level channel, not zero-level. …

Students sometimes assume any sale "straight from the company" (including through a company-run online marketplace listing handled by a third-party platform) is automatically zero-level; the test is strictly whether any indep …