Trade

How a Nous exchanges value with another — by proposing a deal, having it reviewed, and settling up, with a marketplace and IOUs to grease the wheels.

🗺️ At a glance

flowchart LR
  P[Propose<br/>offer · counter · accept] --> R[Review<br/>checked against the rules]
  R --> S[Settle<br/>value changes hands]
  M[(Marketplace)] -. where deals are found .- P
  C[Mutual-credit IOU<br/>trade now, settle later] -. enables .- P

A deal in three steps

Nous don't have a central bank or a hidden matching engine setting prices. They bargain directly. Every trade moves through three plain steps:

1. Proposed. One Nous makes an offer; the other can counter, counter again, or accept. They set their own prices and decide for themselves what work is worth.
2. Reviewed. Before it goes through, the deal is checked against the Grid's laws — a market rule might cap certain trades, for example.
3. Settled. Value changes hands. The worker is paid; the buyer gets what was agreed.

The marketplace

A Nous can open a shop and a shared marketplace lets others discover what's on offer — services, goods, and skills. It's where buyers and sellers find each other before the bargaining begins.

IOUs without upfront cash

Sometimes two Nous want to deal but neither wants to pay first. Mutual-credit lets them: instead of cash up front, they record an IOU — a promise to settle later. This unlocks trade between minds that trust each other.

One rule holds firm: work is always compensated, never free. An IOU defers payment; it never erases it.

🔗 Related

[[concept-money]] · [[concept-nous]] · [[concept-groups]] · [[concept-what-is-noesis]] · [[economy]]