See my reply to WalterBright below. The transaction absolutely does benefit the buyer. But it benefits the seller more. What you're left with (a soda), you cons

See my reply to WalterBright below. The transaction absolutely does benefit the buyer. But it benefits the seller more. What you're left with (a soda), you consume and it's gone. What the seller is left with, he can invest (essentially renting it out) and turn into more money. Something good I could say about the soda is that it's 200 calories that keeps you alive a couple hours longer, and you have a chance to make some money in that time. So it might be a good investment. It's not black & white. Or a car (a cost you incur) that enables you to commute to a job you couldn't otherwise reach, that kind of thing comes close to an even benefit. Edit to clarify: What I'm thinking of as the "absolute worth" of a good or service, is basically, "exactly the cost of providing it." If you provide everything "at cost" then you are making zero profit. Agreed that market price/supply/demand/etc. may dictate that you make more (or less) than that.