The term Goods is the plural of the word good; they refer to anything, tangible or intangible, that is useful to man and satisfies, directly or indirectly, some individual or collective desire or need, or that contributes to the well-being of individuals.
From an economic point of view, we would be talking about goods as immaterial and material objects capable of having a value. And legally, they are all those deserving of protection by the law or legal system (life, health, family, heritage, etc.), susceptible to private appropriation.
There are different types of goods, which we can differentiate by criteria: according to their character or scarcity; there are free goods (they can be used at no cost, for example: air). And economic goods (they can be transformed through effort and human work). The latter are the object of study of the Economy, and can be classified into complementary, substitute and independent goods.
According to their nature, there are capital goods (they are used for the production of others, and do not satisfy the needs of the final consumer, for example: buildings, machinery), and consumer goods (they satisfy the needs of the final consumer that are in good condition to be used or consumed without any additional elaboration); They can be durable (long-term) or non-durable (short-term) goods.
We also have, depending on their function, intermediate goods (they require subsequent processes before being sold to consumers, for example: oil). And the final goods (they have the degree of completion necessary to deliver them to consumers, example: cell phone, car) Finally, they are based on their use or ownership, which are distinguished between private (companies) and public (government) goods.
