Goods are physical items that people make, buy, sell, or trade. In a store, the goods are the actual products on the shelves: shoes, books, toys, groceries, and electronics. Unlike services (which are actions people do for you, like haircuts or teaching), goods are tangible objects you can touch and own.

Economists talk about goods and services as the two main things economies produce. A bakery produces goods (bread and pastries) and might also provide services (catering your birthday party). A factory manufactures goods like cars or furniture. Throughout history, people have transported goods along trade routes, from spices carried by camel caravans to container ships moving millions of products across oceans today.

The word appears in several common phrases. Stolen goods are items taken by thieves. When someone says “deliver the goods,” they mean to fulfill a promise or expectation, like a baseball player who delivers the goods by hitting a home run in a crucial moment. To have “the goods on someone” means to have evidence of their wrongdoing.