Merchant
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| - | :''[[The Merchant's Tale]]'' | + | A '''merchant''' is a person who [[trade]]s in [[Commodity|commodities]] produced by other people. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in [[commerce|business]] or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry, commerce, and trade have existed. In 16th-century Europe, two different terms for merchants emerged: ''meerseniers'' referred to local traders (such as bakers and grocers) and ''koopman'' referred to merchants who operated on a global stage, importing and exporting goods over vast distances and offering added-value services such as credit and finance. |
| - | '''Merchants''' are businessmen who [[trade]] in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to earn a [[Profit (economics)|profit]]. | + | |
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| - | Merchants can be of two types: | + | |
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| - | # A '''[[wholesale]] merchant''' operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant. Some wholesale merchants only organize the movement of goods rather than move the goods themselves. | + | |
| - | # A '''[[retail]] merchant''' or '''[[retailer]]''', sells commodities to consumers (including businesses). A shop owner is a retail merchant. | + | |
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| - | A merchant [[class (social)|class]] characterizes many [[pre-modern societies]]. Its status can range from high (the members even eventually achieving titles such as that of [[merchant prince]] or [[Nawab|nabob]]) to low, as in [[Chinese culture]], owing to the presumed distastefulness of profiting from "mere" [[trade]] rather than from labor or the labor of others as in agriculture and craftsmanship. | + | |
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| - | ==Significance in law== | + | |
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| - | In the [[United States]], "merchant" is defined (under the [[Uniform Commercial Code]]) as any person while engaged in a business or profession or a seller who deals regularly in the type of goods sold. Under the [[common law]] and the [[Uniform Commercial Code]] in the [[United States]], merchants are held to a higher standard in the selling of products than those who are not engaged in the sale of goods as a profession. For example, when a merchant sells something, he or she is deemed to give an [[implied warranty of merchantability]], guaranteeing that the product is fit to be sold, even if there is nothing in writing to this effect. The UCC also contains a "merchant's confirmation" exception to the [[Statute of Frauds]]. | + | |
| + | The ''modern era'' is generally understood to refer to period that coincides with the rise of consumer culture in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. | ||
| + | As standards of living improved in the 17th century, consumers from a broad range of social backgrounds began to purchase goods that were in excess of basic necessities. An emergent middle class or [[bourgeoisie]] stimulated demand for luxury goods and the act of shopping came to be seen as a pleasurable pass-time or form of entertainment. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| - | + | :''[[The Merchant's Tale]]'' | |
| - | * [[Agricultural marketing]] | + | * [[Businessperson]] |
| * [[Capitalism]] | * [[Capitalism]] | ||
| - | * [[Commerce]] | + | * [[Chapmen]] |
| - | * [[Distribution (business)|Distribution]] | + | * [[Commerce]] |
| + | * [[Costermonger]] | ||
| + | * [[Distribution (business)|Distribution]] | ||
| + | * [[Entrepreneur]] | ||
| + | * [[Free market]] | ||
| + | * [[Free trade]] | ||
| + | * [[Guild]] | ||
| + | * [[Guildhall]] | ||
| + | * [[Hawker (trade)|Hawker]] | ||
| + | * [[History of marketing]] | ||
| + | * [[Landlord#Licensed victualler|Licensed victualler]] | ||
| + | * [[Market (place)]] | ||
| * [[Mercantilism]] | * [[Mercantilism]] | ||
| + | * [[Merchant account]] | ||
| * [[Merchant marine]] | * [[Merchant marine]] | ||
| - | * [[Merchant account]] | + | * [[Peddler]] |
| - | * [[Sales]] | + | * [[Phoenicians and wine]] |
| + | * [[Pochteca]] | ||
| + | * [[Retail]] | ||
| + | * [[Roman commerce]] | ||
| + | * [[Barker (occupation)]] | ||
| + | |||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry, commerce, and trade have existed. In 16th-century Europe, two different terms for merchants emerged: meerseniers referred to local traders (such as bakers and grocers) and koopman referred to merchants who operated on a global stage, importing and exporting goods over vast distances and offering added-value services such as credit and finance.
The modern era is generally understood to refer to period that coincides with the rise of consumer culture in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe.
As standards of living improved in the 17th century, consumers from a broad range of social backgrounds began to purchase goods that were in excess of basic necessities. An emergent middle class or bourgeoisie stimulated demand for luxury goods and the act of shopping came to be seen as a pleasurable pass-time or form of entertainment.
[edit]
See also
- Businessperson
- Capitalism
- Chapmen
- Commerce
- Costermonger
- Distribution
- Entrepreneur
- Free market
- Free trade
- Guild
- Guildhall
- Hawker
- History of marketing
- Licensed victualler
- Market (place)
- Mercantilism
- Merchant account
- Merchant marine
- Peddler
- Phoenicians and wine
- Pochteca
- Retail
- Roman commerce
- Barker (occupation)
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Merchant" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
