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Buying Reputation as a Signal of Quality: Evidence from an Online Marketplace

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  • Lingfang (Ivy) Li
  • Steven Tadelis
  • Xiaolan Zhou

Abstract

Reputation is critical to foster trust in online marketplaces, yet leaving feedback is a public good that can be under-provided unless buyers are rewarded for it. Signaling theory implies that only high quality sellers would reward buyers for truthful feedback. We explore this scope for signaling using Taobao's "reward-for-feedback" mechanism and find that items with rewards generate sales that are nearly 30% higher and are sold by higher quality sellers. The market design implication is that marketplaces can benefit from allowing sellers to use rewards to build reputations and signal their high quality in the process.

Suggested Citation

  • Lingfang (Ivy) Li & Steven Tadelis & Xiaolan Zhou, 2016. "Buying Reputation as a Signal of Quality: Evidence from an Online Marketplace," NBER Working Papers 22584, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22584
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D47 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Market Design
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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