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Originally Posted by Mansun
I did not say other means of trade and industry did not exist (such a thought is embarrassingly narrow-minded and absurd), I meant that the Shire was not economically strong beyond the obvious trades. The trades you mention were all relatively small and unimportant. The Shire was way, way behind the other countries of Middle Earth economically. Mithril may have been rare and valuable, but Gandalf rated it as far more valuable than the Shire and everything in it. I do not think he would have said such a bold statement to dismiss Loth Lorien, Rohan, Gondor, Isengard, Mordor, or even Dale. Bring forth the mail shirt before the Lords of Gondor and Rohan and receive an envious glance of wonder at this antique piece of armoury, but no more.
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They'd probably have ripped each other's throats out in order to get their mitts on it. Remember it was lust for this rare Mithril which made the Dwarves do the stupid thing that was delving too deep in Moria and releasing the Balrog. A shirt of Mithril was probably worth as much as mansion constructed entirely of diamonds.
And nations do not have to engage in much international trade to be successful. They can manage pretty well in an isolationist position providing they have the resources, which is something The Shire had in abundance - as shown by Saruman the asset-stripper coming in and selling its resources off.
The Shire was likely much, much more economically successful in the late Third Age than either Gondor or Rohan, the former existing in a state of war and the latter being in virtual chaos due to the king being under the influence of outsiders. Nations cannot run effective economies when under poor leadership or in a state of war.
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The other drawback is that Hobbits were not always suited to the trades of Men, e.g. clothing, weaponary, pottery etc due to their size and taste. A cultural hurdle existed here, and one would wonder if Hobbits could adapt to the market needs of men in other countries.
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There's no reason why size or taste of the peoples of a nation would affect the things they could manufacture - look at all the stuff China provides the West with, things they do not use, but they still make and export. The only limit is where the skills to make things don't exist and skills can always be acquired.