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Dynamic price competition with capacity constraints and strategic buyers

Author

Listed:
  • Gary Biglaiser

    (University of North Carolina)

  • Nikolaos Vettas

    (Athens University of Economics and Business)

Abstract

We analyze a dynamic durable good oligopoly model where sellers are capacity constrained over the length of the game. Buyers act strategically in the market, knowing that their purchases may affect future prices. The model is examined when there is one and multiple buyers. Sellers choose their capacities at the start of the game. We find that there are only mixed strategy equilibria. Buyers may split orders, preferring to buy a unit from both high and low price sellers to buying all units from the low price seller. Sellers enjoy a rent above the amount needed to satisfy the market demand that the other seller cannot meet. Buyers would like to commit not to buy in the future or hire agents with instructions to always buy from the lowest priced seller. Further, sellers’ market shares tend to be asymmetric with high probability, even though they are ex ante identical.

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Biglaiser & Nikolaos Vettas, 2007. "Dynamic price competition with capacity constraints and strategic buyers," Working Papers 24, Portuguese Competition Authority.
    • Handle: RePEc:pca:wpaper:24
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    Cited by:

    1. Vettas, Nikolaos & Kotseva, Rossitsa & Christou, Charalambos, 2007. "Pricing, Investments and Mergers with Intertemporal Capacity Constraints," CEPR Discussion Papers 6433, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Fabian Bergès & Claire Chambolle, 2009. "Threat of Exit as a Source of Bargaining Power," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 75(3), pages 353-368.
    3. Berk, Istemi, 2015. "Two-Period Resource Duopoly with Endogenous Intertemporal Capacity Constraints," EWI Working Papers 2014-13, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    4. Liski, Matti & Montero, Juan-Pablo, 2014. "Forward trading in exhaustible-resource oligopoly," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 122-146.
    5. van den Berg, A.H.J. & Herings, P.J.J. & Peters, H.J.M., 2009. "Dynamic duopoly with intertemporal capacity constraints," Research Memorandum 018, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    6. Vettas, Nikolaos & Biglaiser, Gary, 2004. "Dynamic Price Competition with Capacity Constraints and Strategic Buyers," CEPR Discussion Papers 4315, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. E. Bacchiega & O. Bonroy, 2012. "Vertical relations and number of channels in quality-differentiated markets," Working Papers wp823, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    8. Sakellaris, Kostis, 2010. "Modeling Electricity Markets as Two-Stage Capacity Constrained Price Competition Games under Uncertainty," MPRA Paper 23317, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Kalyan Talluri & Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz, 2010. "Dynamic Price Competition with Fixed Capacities," Working Papers 425, Barcelona School of Economics.
    10. van den Berg, Anita & Bos, Iwan & Herings, P. Jean-Jacques & Peters, Hans, 2012. "Dynamic Cournot duopoly with intertemporal capacity constraints," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 174-192.
    11. Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz & Kalyan Talluri, 2011. "Dynamic Price Competition with Fixed Capacities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(6), pages 1078-1093, June.
    12. Kalyan Talluri & Víctor Martínez de Albéniz, 2010. "Dynamic price competition with fixed capacities," Economics Working Papers 1205, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    13. Niloofar Fadavi, 2022. "Subgame perfect Nash equilibrium for dynamic pricing competition with finite planning horizon," Papers 2208.02842, arXiv.org.
    14. James J. Anton & Gary Biglaiser & Nikolaos Vettas, 2014. "Dynamic Price Competition With Capacity Constraints And A Strategic Buyer," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 55(3), pages 943-958, August.
    15. Bhaskar, Venkataraman, 2013. "Dynamic Countervailing Power under Public and Private Monitoring," CEPR Discussion Papers 9526, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Strategic buyers; capacity constraints; bilateral oligopoly; dynamic competition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance

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