Trade

[Post-Something]

This is so basic, I can't believe I'm even asking this, but would trade exist in a communist society? For example, an organisation trades its steel for anothers oil or something.

[Hit The North]

It would have to, otherwise each economic commune would have to be completely self-sufficient. Trade is as old as human civilization. We certainly don't need a capitalist system of production and exchange in order to have trade.

[Yehuda Stern]

I think that's more of the anarchist conception of communism and not the Marxist one. The Marxist answer would be that there would be no need for trade, as organizations would not care if they receive commodities at exactly the values that they give to others.

[Hit The North]

Ok, but I'm employing the word 'trade' to coincide with the word 'exchange'. My point is that the maintenance of a technological society will necessitate a myriad of exchange relations. I wasn't so concerned with the distributions of values within these exchanges.

[thirdvector]

Commodity exchange and distribution would still exist, obviously. But as 'trade' is synonymous with 'commerce', I'd say it's really not the best word to use.
If you mean would goods still need to have a value attached to them to make sure an exchange is 'equal', then the answer is no: there'd be no need when goods go "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs".

[Yehuda Stern]

Bob: OK, but then it's not so much trade as it is just communication and cooperation between productive organizations.