Is buying "local" a good thing?

Many believe buying "local" helps support the local economy and should be considered. Others, especially libertarian types like myself, believe this is illogical. However, I keep feeling there's at least 1 small legitimate benefit for buying local and I'd like to test my previous conclusion.

Benefits of buying the best deal from anywhere:

  1. You increase your own prosperity
  2. You increase the seller's prosperity if they best meet your needs
  3. You increase the prosperity of buyers of goods you produce using sellers goods
  4. You reward sellers who best meet your needs
  5. You contribute to the economy in the sellers location and wherever you sell indirect goods
  6. You increase the prosperity of everyone who buys at the same location you do

Benefits of buying local:

  1. You help keep that seller in business
  2. You help keep the seller of that type of merchandise more accessible
  3. You can help keep friends in business
  4. You may have a better feel for whether store owners share values

Conclusion:

References

  1. "Buying Local" Is as Senseless as "Buying Tall"
  2. Why Buy Local
  3. The Bad Premises Behind “Buy Local”