One of the most common classifications made regarding goods It has to do with the characteristic that it has with respect to its perceptibility, that is, if it is a good that exists physically or one that does not have an entity, but that nevertheless has economic value due to its characteristics.
Assets that are physically appreciable are known as tangible goods, and they can be touched and felt for their characteristics. They meet the conditions of the enconimics goods and therefore they are traded in the market, being able to be provided by private agents and exchanged within the framework of the supply and demand process. For instance: a table, a car, works of art.
Exchange of tangible goods
The process of exchange of tangible goods brings with it a simultaneous knowledge of the characteristics of the good in question.
When a tangible good is exchanged, there is a physical object that changes owner, therefore whoever acquires it recognizes it as their own in its entirety, being able to have the function of a use good, a capital good or a good acquired only for be exchanged again in order to obtain more money. It may be movable property, when the exchange includes a physical transfer, or real estate when the exchange does not change the place where the property is located.
The economy has warned about this issue that it is not the same in all cases, because when it comes to goods whose use is not limited to a single time, but is prolonged in time, there is a part of the characteristics of the product that is not You see at first glance: the introduction of guarantees complemented this information problem, typical of tangible goods.
Here are some examples of goods considered tangible:
Examples of tangible assets
| A building for private homes | A viaduct |
| A cup of coffee | A table |
| A pencil | A pool |
| A maritime platform | Trees |
| Cattle feed | A stove |
| Precious metals | Artworks |
| A train | Clothing |
| A share of a company | A land to build |
| A car | An aircraft carrier |
| A cell phone | War machinery |
Intangible goods
The Intangible goodsOn the contrary, they are those that do not have a physical entity and that can only be perceived through the mutual recognition of certain rights and obligations as valid. For instance: health insurance, franchises, a plane ticket.
For an intangible asset to be recognized, it is necessary for there to be certain entities willing to take measures if the property rights that it entails is not respected, insofar as it is something that cannot be seen and therefore cannot be mobilized.
The exchange of intangible goods
The process of exchange of intangibles It is also produced in the market, but with some peculiarities: as they are not observable, the recognition of the validity of the intangible is given precisely by the subjection to entities by common agreement for its inspection.
The price By which these exchanges are agreed, it comes out, in any case, of an iteration between the values assigned to it by the suppliers and the demanders of these goods.
Here are some examples of assets that are considered intangible:
Examples of intangible assets
| Health insurance | The company’s credit rights |
| Licenses for the use of computer services | The deeds of a vehicle |
| Franchises | The intelligence of a work team |
| Copyrights and copyright | Intellectual Property Rights |
| A plane ticket | A Web page |
| The company’s discoveries in research and development | Software rights |
| Public service concessions | The right to use a property |
| The reputation of a company | Trademarks |
| Agreements between employers and employees | Patents |
| Trade secrets | The ‘business key’, the added value of the business for being working |