IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/proeco/v280y2025ics0925527324003281.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of online platform selling mode in recycling channel selection: A game-theoretic analysis of profit and environmental impact

Author

Listed:
  • Miao, Zhaowei
  • Peng, Hengming
  • Lan, Yongquan

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a game theoretical model to investigate the effects of an online platform’s choice between selling modes (reselling and agency selling) on the manufacturer’s recycling channel selection when the online platform not only acts as a marketplace provider but also serves as a recycler. We find that the manufacturer should adopt agency selling (reselling) when the agency fee is low (high) and recycle used products directly from consumers under agency selling. When the agency fee is moderate, there is a Pareto improvement zone in the supply chain system. Our study also indicates that, surprisingly, as recycling cost decreases or consumers become less price-sensitive, the online platform may be induced to offer agency selling rather than reselling. The increased total profit further expands the “win-win” region, especially when compared to a scenario without remanufacturing. This implies that the induction effect becomes more pronounced, and that a Boxed Pig Game equilibrium (either the manufacturer or the online platform) may arise under agency selling. Furthermore, from an environmental impact perspective, we find that a higher return rate does not necessarily result in better environmental outcomes. Reselling always presents a conflict between economic and environmental goals, but agency selling allows for their coordination. More interestingly, it is insightful to show that the improvement of the triple bottom line outcome is achievable under agency selling when recycling costs, agency fees, and remanufacturing emissions are low as compared to reselling.

Suggested Citation

  • Miao, Zhaowei & Peng, Hengming & Lan, Yongquan, 2025. "The role of online platform selling mode in recycling channel selection: A game-theoretic analysis of profit and environmental impact," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:280:y:2025:i:c:s0925527324003281
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2024.109471
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925527324003281
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijpe.2024.109471?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zennyo, Yusuke, 2020. "Strategic contracting and hybrid use of agency and wholesale contracts in e-commerce platforms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 281(1), pages 231-239.
    2. Lin Tian & Asoo J. Vakharia & Yinliang (Ricky) Tan & Yifan Xu, 2018. "Marketplace, Reseller, or Hybrid: Strategic Analysis of an Emerging E‐Commerce Model," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(8), pages 1595-1610, August.
    3. He, Qidong & Wang, Nengmin & Yang, Zhen & He, Zhengwen & Jiang, Bin, 2019. "Competitive collection under channel inconvenience in closed-loop supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(1), pages 155-166.
    4. Xianjun Geng & Yinliang (Ricky) Tan & Lai Wei, 2018. "How Add†on Pricing Interacts with Distribution Contracts," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(4), pages 605-623, April.
    5. Yenipazarli, Arda, 2016. "Managing new and remanufactured products to mitigate environmental damage under emissions regulation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(1), pages 117-130.
    6. Yong Zha & Quan Li & Tingliang Huang & Yugang Yu, 2023. "Strategic Information Sharing of Online Platforms as Resellers or Marketplaces," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(4), pages 659-678, July.
    7. Wu, Xiaole & Zhou, Yu, 2017. "The optimal reverse channel choice under supply chain competition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 259(1), pages 63-66.
    8. Albert Y. Ha & Huajiang Luo & Weixin Shang, 2022. "Supplier Encroachment, Information Sharing, and Channel Structure in Online Retail Platforms," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(3), pages 1235-1251, March.
    9. Vibhanshu Abhishek & Kinshuk Jerath & Z. John Zhang, 2016. "Agency Selling or Reselling? Channel Structures in Electronic Retailing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(8), pages 2259-2280, August.
    10. Zhang, Xiuyi & Hou, Wenhua, 2022. "The impacts of e-tailer's private label on the sales mode selection: From the perspectives of economic and environmental sustainability," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 296(2), pages 601-614.
    11. Taleizadeh, Ata Allah & Sadeghi, Razieh, 2019. "Pricing strategies in the competitive reverse supply chains with traditional and e-channels: A game theoretic approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 48-60.
    12. Zhen, Xueping & Xu, Shuangshuang & Li, Yongjian & Shi, Dan, 2022. "When and how should a retailer use third-party platform channels? The Impact of spillover effects," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 301(2), pages 624-637.
    13. Ma, Deqing & Hu, Jinsong, 2022. "The optimal combination between blockchain and sales format in an internet platform-based closed-loop supply chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    14. Yushi Tsunoda & Yusuke Zennyo, 2021. "Platform Information Transparency and Effects on Third‐Party Suppliers and Offline Retailers," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(11), pages 4219-4235, November.
    15. Andrei Hagiu & Julian Wright, 2015. "Marketplace or Reseller?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(1), pages 184-203, January.
    16. Matsui, Kenji, 2024. "Should competing suppliers with dual-channel supply chains adopt agency selling in an e-commerce platform?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(2), pages 587-604.
    17. Huang, Min & Song, Min & Lee, Loo Hay & Ching, Wai Ki, 2013. "Analysis for strategy of closed-loop supply chain with dual recycling channel," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(2), pages 510-520.
    18. Yang, Y. & Lin, J. & Hedenstierna, C.P.T. & Zhou, L., 2023. "The more the better? The impact of the number and location of product recovery options on the system dynamics in a closed-loop supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    19. Panda, Shibaji & Modak, Nikunja Mohan & Cárdenas-Barrón, Leopoldo Eduardo, 2017. "Coordinating a socially responsible closed-loop supply chain with product recycling," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 11-21.
    20. Wang, Junbin & Zhang, Ting & Fan, Xiaojun, 2020. "Reverse channel design with a dominant retailer and upstream competition in emerging markets: Retailer- or manufacturer- collection?," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    21. Zhang, Shichen & Zhang, Jianxiong, 2020. "Agency selling or reselling: E-tailer information sharing with supplier offline entry," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 280(1), pages 134-151.
    22. Wei, Yuansheng & Dong, Yuxuan, 2022. "Product distribution strategy in response to the platform retailer's marketplace introduction," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(2), pages 986-996.
    23. Miao, Zhaowei & Fu, Ke & Xia, Zhiqiang & Wang, Yu, 2017. "Models for closed-loop supply chain with trade-ins," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 66(PB), pages 308-326.
    24. Chun-lai Shi & Wei Geng & Jiuh-Biing Sheu, 2021. "Integrating dual-channel closed-loop supply chains: Forward, reverse or neither?," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(8), pages 1844-1862, August.
    25. Honggang Hu & Quan Zheng & Xiajun Amy Pan, 2022. "Agency or Wholesale? The Role of Retail Pass-Through," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(10), pages 7538-7554, October.
    26. He, Qidong & Wang, Nengmin & Browning, Tyson R. & Jiang, Bin, 2022. "Competitive collection with convenience-perceived customers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(1), pages 239-254.
    27. Choi, Tsan-Ming & Li, Yongjian & Xu, Lei, 2013. "Channel leadership, performance and coordination in closed loop supply chains," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(1), pages 371-380.
    28. Wang, Jian & He, Shulin, 2023. "Government interventions in closed-loop supply chains with modularity design," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    29. R. Canan Savaskan & Shantanu Bhattacharya & Luk N. Van Wassenhove, 2004. "Closed-Loop Supply Chain Models with Product Remanufacturing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(2), pages 239-252, February.
    30. Raj, Alok & Modak, Nikunja Mohan & Kelle, Peter & Singh, Bharati, 2021. "Analysis of a dyadic sustainable supply chain under asymmetric information," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 289(2), pages 582-594.
    31. Cheng, Fei & Chen, Tong & Shen, Yuting & Jing, Xiaodong, 2022. "Impact of green technology improvement and store brand introduction on the sales mode selection," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    32. Han, Xiaohua & Wu, Haiyan & Yang, Qianxia & Shang, Jennifer, 2016. "Reverse channel selection under remanufacturing risks: Balancing profitability and robustness," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 63-72.
    33. Wang, Qifei & Hong, Xianpei & Gong, Yeming (Yale) & Chen, Wanying (Amanda), 2020. "Collusion or Not: The optimal choice of competing retailers in a closed-loop supply chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    34. Wang, Yuyan & Yu, Zhaoqing & Shen, Liang & Jin, Mingzhou, 2022. "Operational modes of E-closed loop supply chain considering platforms’ services," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    35. Yang, Lei & Hu, Yijuan & Huang, Lijuan, 2020. "Collecting mode selection in a remanufacturing supply chain under cap-and-trade regulation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(2), pages 480-496.
    36. Ji, Guojun & Fu, Tianyu & Li, Shuhao, 2023. "Optimal selling format considering price discount strategy in live-streaming commerce," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(2), pages 529-544.
    37. Gökçe Esenduran & Yen-Ting Lin & Wenli Xiao & Minyue Jin, 2020. "Choice of Electronic Waste Recycling Standard Under Recovery Channel Competition," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 495-512, May.
    38. Jin, Minyue & Li, Gendao & Reimann, Marc, 2022. "Team of rivals: How should original equipment manufacturers cooperate with independent remanufacturers via authorisation?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 296(3), pages 837-845.
    39. R. Canan Savaskan & Luk N. Van Wassenhove, 2006. "Reverse Channel Design: The Case of Competing Retailers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 1-14, January.
    40. Zheng, Yanyan & Zhao, Yingxue & Wang, Nengmin & Meng, Xiaoge & Yang, Honglin, 2022. "Financing decision for a remanufacturing supply chain with a capital constrained retailer: A study from the perspective of market uncertainty," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    41. Matsui, Kenji, 2022. "Optimal timing of acquisition price announcement for used products in a dual-recycling channel reverse supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 300(2), pages 615-632.
    42. Zhen, Xueping & Shi, Dan & Li, Yongjian & Zhang, Chu, 2020. "Manufacturer’s financing strategy in a dual-channel supply chain: Third-party platform, bank, and retailer credit financing," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    43. Ahmed Timoumi & Narendra Singh & Subodha Kumar, 2021. "Is Your Retailer a Friend or Foe: When Should the Manufacturer Allow Its Retailer to Refurbish?," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(9), pages 2814-2839, September.
    44. Matsui, Kenji, 2023. "Dual-recycling channel reverse supply chain design of recycling platforms under acquisition price competition," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    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. Wentao Xu & Wei Yan & Wen Pang, 2025. "Navigating Green Trade Barriers: Strategic Decisions in Cross-Border E-Commerce Green Packaging and Self-Logistics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-32, April.

    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. Zhang, Zhichao & Xu, Haiyan & Chen, Kebing & Zhao, Yingxue & Liu, Zhi, 2023. "Channel mode selection for an e-platform supply chain in the presence of a secondary marketplace," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(3), pages 1215-1235.
    2. Matsui, Kenji, 2023. "Dual-recycling channel reverse supply chain design of recycling platforms under acquisition price competition," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    3. Zhou, Xiaoyang & Liu, He & Li, Jialu & Zhang, Kai & Lev, Benjamin, 2023. "Channel strategies when digital platforms emerge: A systematic literature review," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    4. Tan, Yinliang (Ricky) & Yu, Chuanbin & Liu, Yang & Zheng, Quan, 2024. "Agency models in online platforms: A review of recent developments and future prospects," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 319(3), pages 679-695.
    5. Gong, Canran & Ignatius, Joshua & Song, Huaming & Chai, Junwu & Day, Steven James, 2024. "The Impact of Platform’s Information Sharing on Manufacturer Encroachment and Selling Format Decision," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 317(1), pages 141-155.
    6. Zhang, Xinxin & Zhang, Xiuyi & Huang, Junran, 2025. "Socially responsible e-commerce supply chains: Sales mode preference and store brand introduction," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    7. Mao, Zhaofang & Yuan, Ruiying & Shen, Zuo-Jun Max, 2025. "Strategic interactions between manufacturer channel choice and platform entry in a dual-market system," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    8. Fang, Chang & Chi, Mingxiang & Fan, Shuyi & Choi, Tsan-Ming, 2024. "Who should invest in blockchain technology under different pricing models in supply chains?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 319(3), pages 777-792.
    9. Wei, Lin & Zheng, Shengming & Du, Shaofu & Zhang, Baofeng, 2025. "Agency selling or reselling: The role of cause marketing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 320(2), pages 343-357.
    10. Liang, Lunhai & Ye, Fei, 2024. "Information transparency and business mode selection in online platforms under manufacturer competition," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    11. Suvadarshini, Pinakhi & Biswas, Indranil & Srivastava, Samir K., 2023. "Impact of reverse channel competition, individual rationality, and information asymmetry on multi-channel closed-loop supply chain design," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    12. Qin, Xuelian & Liu, Zhixue & Tian, Lin, 2021. "The optimal combination between selling mode and logistics service strategy in an e-commerce market," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 289(2), pages 639-651.
    13. Matsui, Kenji, 2024. "Should competing suppliers with dual-channel supply chains adopt agency selling in an e-commerce platform?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(2), pages 587-604.
    14. Wang, Yuyan & Yu, Zhaoqing & Shen, Liang & Jin, Mingzhou, 2022. "Operational modes of E-closed loop supply chain considering platforms’ services," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    15. Qiao, Haike & Su, Qin, 2021. "Distribution channel and licensing strategy choice considering consumer online reviews in a closed-loop supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Li, Jin & Wang, Haoyu & Shi, Victor & Sun, Qi, 2024. "Manufacturer's choice of online selling format in a dual-channel supply chain with green products," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 318(1), pages 131-142.
    17. Huang, Zongsheng & Zhao, Yingxue & Edwin Cheng, T.C. & Sethi, Suresh P., 2024. "Reverse channel selection in a dynamic stochastic closed-loop supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    18. Kittaka, Yuta & Matsushima, Noriaki & Saruta, Fuyuki, 2022. "Negative effect of price-matching policy on traditional retailers in a dual-channel supply chain with different content formats," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    19. Li, Gang & Zheng, Zhijun & Cheng, T.C.E. & Wang, Wei & Wu, Feng, 2025. "Agency selling or reselling: The impact of logistics service on selling mode choice," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    20. Ehsan Shekarian & Simme Douwe Flapper, 2021. "Analyzing the Structure of Closed-Loop Supply Chains: A Game Theory Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-32, January.

    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:eee:proeco:v:280:y:2025:i:c:s0925527324003281. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpe .

    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.