What commodities are in demand for smalltime investors? What do people need?

Silver is your go-to as a beginner investor. Even if you pay retail for silver coins, they can be acquired easily for $19 each at current spot prices. Silver is a great investment for several core reasons:

-It is widely recognized as a precious metal

-It is used in a variety of industrial applications

(Examples: batteries, dentistry, glass coatings, LED chips, medicine, nuclear reactors, photography, photovoltaic energy, RFID chips, semiconductors, touch screens, water purification)

-It maintains value as a precious metal/GAINS value as a collectors piece (American Silver Eagle)

-Silver 1 oz coins are the perfect denomination for trading/buying if the economy completely tanks

You cannot go wrong purchasing silver. You want physical silver though, not silver certificates or stocks. Most other commodities require a minimum of tens of thousands of dollars to make them worthwhile investments, making silver the clear winner for you.