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How to Win Twice at an Auction: On the Incidence of Commissions in Auction Markets

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  • Ginsburgh, Victor
  • Sahuguet, Nicolas

Abstract

We analyse the welfare consequences of an increase in the commissions charged by intermediaries in auction markets. We argue that while commissions are similar to taxes imposed on buyers and sellers the question of incidence deserves a new treatment in auction markets. We show that an increase in commissions makes sellers worse off, but buyers may strictly gain. The results are therefore strikingly different from the standard result that all consumers weakly lose after a tax or a commission increase. Our results are useful for evaluating compensation in price fixing conspiracies; in particular they suggest that the method used to distribute compensations in the class action against auction houses Christie?s and Sotheby?s was misguided.

Suggested Citation

  • Ginsburgh, Victor & Sahuguet, Nicolas, 2005. "How to Win Twice at an Auction: On the Incidence of Commissions in Auction Markets," CEPR Discussion Papers 4876, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:4876
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    1. Glenn Ellison & Drew Fudenberg, 2003. "Knife-Edge or Plateau: When Do Market Models Tip?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(4), pages 1249-1278.
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    Cited by:

    1. Grigory Franguridi, 2014. "Higher order conditional moment dynamics and forecasting value-at-risk (in Russian)," Quantile, Quantile, issue 12, pages 69-82, February.
    2. Orley Ashenfelter & Kathryn Graddy, 2005. "Anatomy of the Rise and Fall of a Price-Fixing Conspiracy: Auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 3-20.
    3. repec:pri:cepsud:102ashenfelter is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Orley Ashenfelter & Kathryn Graddy, 2005. "Anatomy of the Rise and Fall of a Price-Fixing Conspiracy: Auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 3-20.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Auctions; Intermediation; Commissions; Welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • L12 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Monopoly; Monopolization Strategies
    • L40 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - General

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