A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.

Merchants can be one of two types:

1. 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.
2. A retail merchant or retailer, sells commodities to consumers (including businesses). A shop owner is a retail merchant.

A merchant 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 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.

Contents

• 1 Significance in law
  • 1.1 Merchant confirmation rule
  • 1.2 Firm offer rule
• 2 See also
• 3 References

Noun

merchant (plural merchants)

1. A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
2. The owner or operator of a retail business.

Derived terms

• merchantable
• merchant bank
• merchant banker
• merchant flag
• merchantman
• merchant marine
• mercantile

• merchant navy
• merchant prince
• merchant seaman
• merchant ship
• merchant tailor
• wine merchant

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