| This question <1003|594> overall <555|557> Zaskar: <555|557>. |
| Question 184: What is the difference between the direct barter of products and the exchange of commodities? Why does the direct barter of products usually involve surplus-products, and why does it usually take place between members of different communities? |
| [556] Zaskar: I believe the difference between the direct barter of products and the exchange of commodities lies in the established use-values of the articles being exchanged. It seems to me that Marx is saying that before a product becomes a commodity it must be created out of the need to be exchanged by its owner. The product is not yet at this stage and is something that the owner simply hopes to exchange in some haphazard and unsystematic way. Once the social need and recognition for such a product is realized it is exchanged in a more systematic way such as the labor hours necessary to produce it. |
| Hans: A “product” may even be produced without intention to exchange at all. The exchange enters only as an afterthought. Commodities, by contrast, are produced for the exchange. |
| [556] Zaskar: I would suspect that direct barter of products usually involve surplus-products to different communities because these rudimentary products may be scarce in certain area or at least hard to come by for its residents. Likewise, referring to the above paragraph, I would imagine that these bartering transactions between communities is very unsystematic and haphazard. |
| Hans: Please try again, keeping in mind what I said above. |
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