‘Buy Local’ Campaigns Shun Innovation

‘Buy Local’ campaigns are rooted in a history where we believed that one country’s gain had to be another’s loss. Export was encouraged and import, discouraged. Is a stranger halfway across the nation less deserving of your purchase than someone who happens to live down the street from you? Advancements in transportation have given us greater power than ever to seek out quality goods from around the globe – and for local craftsman to find international buyers interested in their wares. Today’s global economy rewards all who participate in it.

If the dining table of your dreams is designed in Sweden and manufactured in Asia for half the cost of a local furniture store, shipping it halfway across the world is now more affordable than ever. When you purchase from the most efficient or highest quality manufacturer, rather than the local one, you help foster innovation in manufacturing, design, logistics and more. And – by saving money on that table, you are able to redirect some of that money towards more goods and services that you otherwise could not afford.

Participation in the global economy is not a one-way street. Local craftsman are now able to find new markets for their wares in remote locales that would never have been affordable otherwise. Trade allows an honest laborer incentives to hone their craft and rewards them when they have done so. Trade allows people to specialize in any good or service they choose, not only the ones valued by their neighbors. Trade allows buyers to bring unique goods from across the globe into their homes and allows international buyers the same opportunity.

‘Buy Local’ campaigns live in a shortsighted reality – our economy is not a zero sum game. This holiday season, do not be persuaded by your local Chamber of Commerce. Trade with your neighbors across the nation and they gain the purchasing power to trade with you. Rewarding quality manufacturers regardless of their home address incentivizes innovation and pushes our economy forward.