<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-2-chapter-05 -->

# Wholesale Merchants

## Definition

Capitalists who employ their capital in transporting either rude or manufactured produce from places where they abound to places where they are wanted. Wholesale merchants facilitate trade by moving goods across geographical distances, creating markets where none existed and enabling the exchange of surplus produce between regions.

## Source Chapter

Book II, Chapter 5

## Context

Smith classifies wholesale merchants as the third method of employing capital, arguing that without transportation, no more goods could be produced than necessary for local consumption. He emphasizes that wholesale merchants exchange surplus produce between regions, encouraging industry and increasing the enjoyments of both producing and consuming areas.

## Economic Domain

Exchange

---
