Voluntary exchange is a fundamental assumption in classical economics and neoclassical economics which forms the basis of contemporary mainstream economics. That is, when neoclassical economists theorize about the world, they assume voluntary exchange is taking place.

Exchange between two parties where each is free to refuse to trade. Under these circumstances both parties will gain, or at least not lose, from the exchange: support for a market economy rests on this point.

What is voluntary exchange? Voluntary exchange, or free exchange, is a free-trade transaction for goods and services between two parties. It's a term that neoclassical economists developed and used in describing their primary trading assumption.

Voluntary exchange is a type of transaction where two parties freely trade goods or services. This occurs in a market economy, which is a type of economy where both participants of an interaction gain a mutual benefit from it and are better off than when they started.

Voluntary exchange refers to the act of individuals or entities willingly trading goods or services with each other without coercion or force. Both parties involved in the exchange must perceive it as mutually beneficial for it to occur voluntarily.