Kautilya is said to be the first thinker in the world, who presented a detailed and planned strategy to regulate the market. He proposed the provision for appointment of five types of officials to prevent black marketing.

Control of adulteration, controlling fraud and smuggling, etc :

• Panyadhyaksha : This official monitored price determination of commodities and their quality and kept an eye on activities of traders. 
• Shulkadhyaksha : He was responsible for collecting duty and taxes from traders, branding commodities and weighing and sale of commodities. 
• Sansthadhyaksha : He penalized adultration and prevented it, punished sale of sub-standard articles and traders who weighed less. 
• Pautavadhyaksha : His main function was to issue and check weights and measures. 
• Antapala : He monitored products coming in from abroad and going out of the state. Kautilya provided for heavy penalties for preventing adulteration. According to him, only authorized persons were permitted storage and trading of commodities. Commodities can only be sold in markets and not at the place of production.

Kautilya also made provision for protection of producers and manufacturers, that is supply. Kautilya says that if traders collude to buy or sell a certain commodity at unreasonable prices, each of them should be fined 1 thousand panas. In the event that traders indulged in speculation and profiteering to make large profits, Kautilya suggested regulation of profits. His view was that not more than 5 percent profit on domestic products and not more than 10 percent profit on the cost of imported products should be earned. Making profits higher than this was made punishable by a penalty of 200 panas.