Is it moral to trade goods?
Upvote:1
If I for example buy cheap products from china and sell them with a higher price to other people in a different country in ebay - is this really wholesome?
It depends on the intention / volition motivating the action. If the action is based in one of the unwholesome root defilements, namely Greed, then yes it is unwholesome.
If it is based in the wholesome roots of Renunciation, Good-will and Harmlessness, then no, it is not unwholesome. An example could be, that one tries to earn more money in order to donate them to charity or help beings in need.
If one just wants to earn more money for oneself, then you are right, it is not helping either oneself, other beings or society.
Another key factor is the consequences of ones action. One should ask oneself, what would happen if I payed the seller in China a larger salary? It might be more beneficial to pay them more, than to earn more money for oneself. If the seller needs the money more than oneself, then one could help that being by paying more for the goods.
If people have more money to cover their basic needs, then they will also have more time for spiritual / religious practice.
Upvote:1
A Buddhist who does only things that lead him toward nibbana, wouldn't do such things. But such a person would definitely become a monk. It is clear that there is a role for non-monks in Buddhism, and such people have somewhat relaxed rules - they aren't supposed to do only things that directly lead to nibbana.
I don't think it is possible to answer such a general question. I think most people wouldn't be able to buy some product directly from a producer in China. So I don't see anything wrong with increasing availability of some products in your country. I don't see anything wrong with selling the products at a higher price - if the customers don't buy directly from the producer and accept the higher price, it means that the intermediary service is useful for them.
But of course you need to answer some additional questions. What is your motivation? Do you want to spend the money on inflating your ego, or for the benefit of others? By buying those products, do you support exploitation of workers in developing countries, or do they have reasonable working conditions? Are the products you are selling going to be used for wholesome actions or not? By answering those questions, you will certainly see some unwholsomness or another. But as I said, while it would be out of the question for monks, non-monks have somewhat relaxed rules, and assessing whether one should go on with an activity is not easy. The laity is supposed to earn money - not least in order to give alms to monks. I don't know of any clear guidelines of how to weigh different factors against each other.
I think a good practical tip is to try to assess the wholesomeness of the activity after a long meditation retreat. You will be more likely to have a balanced and equanimous mind then, and will be more likely to assess it objectively.
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