IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v63y2017i5p1493-1518.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Market Information and Bidder Heterogeneity in Secondary Market Online B2B Auctions

Author

Listed:
  • Ali Pilehvar

    (Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742)

  • Wedad J. Elmaghraby

    (Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742)

  • Anandasivam Gopal

    (Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742)

Abstract

Online auction environments provide several sources of information that can be used by bidders to form their bids. The impact of this information on bidding is likely to be higher when ambiguously specified products are auctioned. The secondary market represents one such environment, where used and returned items from big-box retailers are auctioned off to other business buyers. Using a proprietary data set of secondary market auctions hosted on an online business-to-business platform, we study how market pricing information from other auctions for comparable products affects the bidding behavior of the first bidder. First bidders are shown to be influenced by two sets of pricing information: prices from their own historical bidding behavior and concurrent prices, formed from other open and just-finished auctions relative to the focal auction. We also study how the impact of this market pricing information is moderated by bidder heterogeneity, captured by bidder experience and cross-bidding activity on the platform across comparable concurrent auctions. Finally, we show that the first bid is significantly associated with the auction’s final price, contingent on the type of first bidder. Auctions are increasingly being used for the sale of ill-defined and idiosyncratic products; our work thus provides managerial implications for how auctioneers may design and manage the flow of relevant information to different classes of bidders on their sites in order to enhance their yields.

Suggested Citation

  • Ali Pilehvar & Wedad J. Elmaghraby & Anandasivam Gopal, 2017. "Market Information and Bidder Heterogeneity in Secondary Market Online B2B Auctions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(5), pages 1493-1518, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:63:y:2017:i:5:p:1493-1518
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2016.2444
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2444
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2444?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wolk, Agnieszka & Spann, Martin, 2008. "The effects of reference prices on bidding behavior in interactive pricing mechanisms," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 2-18.
    2. Tong Li & Xiaoyong Zheng, 2009. "Entry and Competition Effects in First-Price Auctions: Theory and Evidence from Procurement Auctions," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(4), pages 1397-1429.
    3. Uri Simonsohn & Dan Ariely, 2008. "When Rational Sellers Face Nonrational Buyers: Evidence from Herding on eBay," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(9), pages 1624-1637, September.
    4. Anwar, Sajid & McMillan, Robert & Zheng, Mingli, 2006. "Bidding behavior in competing auctions: Evidence from eBay," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 307-322, February.
    5. Peters, Michael & Severinov, Sergei, 2006. "Internet auctions with many traders," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 130(1), pages 220-245, September.
    6. Urbany, Joel E & Dickson, Peter R, 1991. "Consumer Normal Price Estimation: Market versus Personal Standards," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 18(1), pages 45-51, June.
    7. David Lucking‐Reiley & Doug Bryan & Naghi Prasad & Daniel Reeves, 2007. "Pennies From Ebay: The Determinants Of Price In Online Auctions," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 223-233, June.
    8. Nishtha Langer & Chris Forman & Sunder Kekre & Baohong Sun, 2012. "Ushering Buyers into Electronic Channels: An Empirical Analysis," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 1212-1231, December.
    9. Utpal M. Dholakia & Itamar Simonson, 2005. "The Effect of Explicit Reference Points on Consumer Choice and Online Bidding Behavior," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 206-217, October.
    10. Chris Fraley & Adrian E. Raftery, 1999. "MCLUST: Software for Model-Based Cluster Analysis," Journal of Classification, Springer;The Classification Society, vol. 16(2), pages 297-306, July.
    11. Matthew Shum, 2004. "Does Advertising Overcome Brand Loyalty? Evidence from the Breakfast‐Cereals Market," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(2), pages 241-272, June.
    12. Spann, Martin & Häubl, Gerald & Skiera, Bernd & Bernhardt, Martin, 2012. "Bid-Elicitation Interfaces and Bidding Behavior in Retail Interactive Pricing," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 131-144.
    13. Kamins, Michael A & Dreze, Xavier & Folkes, Valerie S, 2004. "Effects of Seller-Supplied Prices on Buyers' Product Evaluations: Reference Prices in an Internet Auction Context," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 30(4), pages 622-628, March.
    14. Gediminas Adomavicius & Shawn P. Curley & Alok Gupta & Pallab Sanyal, 2012. "Effect of Information Feedback on Bidder Behavior in Continuous Combinatorial Auctions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(4), pages 811-830, April.
    15. Milgrom, Paul R & Weber, Robert J, 1982. "A Theory of Auctions and Competitive Bidding," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(5), pages 1089-1122, September.
    16. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    17. Chrysanthos Dellarocas, 2006. "How Often Should Reputation Mechanisms Update a Trader's Reputation Profile?," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 17(3), pages 271-285, September.
    18. Adaval, Rashmi & Monroe, Kent B, 2002. "Automatic Construction and Use of Contextual Information for Product and Price Evaluations," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 28(4), pages 572-588, March.
    19. Eric T. Bradlow & Young-Hoon Park, 2007. "Bayesian Estimation of Bid Sequences in Internet Auctions Using a Generalized Record-Breaking Model," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 218-229, 03-04.
    20. Xin Wang & Ye Hu, 2009. "The effect of experience on Internet auction bidding dynamics," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 245-261, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Liu, He & Li, Xuerong & Wang, Shouyang, 2021. "A bibliometric analysis of 30 years of platform research: Developing the research agenda for platforms, the associated technologies and social impacts," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    2. Zhuang, Hejun & Popkowski Leszczyc, Peter T.L., 2022. "Optimal seller strategy in overlapping auctions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Hua, Guowei & Zhang, Yi & Cheng, T.C.E. & Wang, Shouyang & Zhang, Juliang, 2020. "The newsvendor problem with barter exchange," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wedad Elmaghraby & Anandasivam Gopal & Ali Pilehvar, 2012. "Reference Prices and Bidder Heterogeneity in Secondary Market Online B2B Auctions," Working Papers 12-06, NET Institute, revised Sep 2012.
    2. Han, Jidong & Popkowski Leszczyc, Peter T.L. & Zhang, Zelin, 2021. "Empirical Analyses of Nonlinear Effects of Reserve Prices on Ending Prices in Online Auctions," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 86-102.
    3. Holst, Gesa Sophie & Hermann, Daniel & Musshoff, Oliver, 2015. "Anchoring effects in an experimental auction – Are farmers anchored?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 106-117.
    4. Dass, Mayukh & Reddy, Srinivas K. & Iacobucci, Dawn, 2014. "A Network Bidder Behavior Model in Online Auctions: A Case of Fine Art Auctions," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 90(4), pages 445-462.
    5. Podwol, Joseph Uri & Schneider, Henry S., 2016. "Nonstandard bidder behavior in real-world auctions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 198-212.
    6. Ernan Haruvy & Peter T. L. Popkowski Leszczyc, 2010. "Search and Choice in Online Consumer Auctions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1152-1164, 11-12.
    7. Kevin Hasker & Robin Sickles, 2010. "eBay in the Economic Literature: Analysis of an Auction Marketplace," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 37(1), pages 3-42, August.
    8. Genti Kostandini & Elton Mykerezi & Eftila Tanellari & Nour Dib, 2011. "Does Buyer Experience Pay Off? Evidence from eBay," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 39(3), pages 253-265, November.
    9. Amar Cheema & Dipankar Chakravarti & Atanu R. Sinha, 2012. "Bidding Behavior in Descending and Ascending Auctions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(5), pages 779-800, September.
    10. Ernan Haruvy & Peter Popkowski Leszczyc & Octavian Carare & James Cox & Eric Greenleaf & Wolfgang Jank & Sandy Jap & Young-Hoon Park & Michael Rothkopf, 2008. "Competition between auctions," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 431-448, December.
    11. Marie BLUM & Régis BLAZY, 2021. "The three stages of an auction: how do the bid dynamics influence auction prices? Evidence from live art auctions," Working Papers of LaRGE Research Center 2021-10, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie (LaRGE), Université de Strasbourg.
    12. Chen, Kong-Pin & Lai, Hung-pin & Yu, Ya-Ting, 2018. "The seller's listing strategy in online auctions: Evidence from eBay," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 107-144.
    13. Jason Kuruzovich & Hila Etzion, 2018. "Online Auctions and Multichannel Retailing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(6), pages 2734-2753, June.
    14. Reynolds, Kristy E. & Gilkeson, James H. & Niedrich, Ronald W., 2009. "The influence of seller strategy on the winning price in online auctions: A moderated mediation model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 22-30, January.
    15. Wei Lim & Joo Lee-Partridge & Soo Tan, 2008. "Revenue implication of auction value in k-price sealed-bid auctions: An experimental study," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 25-38, March.
    16. Robert Zeithammer & Christopher Adams, 2010. "The Sealed-Bid Abstraction in Online Auctions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 964-987, 11-12.
    17. Emma von Essen & Jonas Karlsson, 2019. "The effect of competition on discrimination in online markets—Anonymity and selection," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, August.
    18. Patrick Bajari & Ali Hortacsu, 2002. "Cyberspace Auctions and Pricing Issues: A Review of Empirical Findings," Working Papers 02005, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
    19. Liu, Kang Ernest & Shiu, Ji-Liang & Sun, Chia-Hung, 2013. "How different are consumers in Internet auction markets? Evidence from Japan and Taiwan," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-12.
    20. Caputo, Vincenzina & Lusk, Jayson L. & Nayga, Rodolfo M., 2018. "Choice experiments are not conducted in a vacuum: The effects of external price information on choice behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 335-351.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:63:y:2017:i:5:p:1493-1518. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.