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The complexity of optimal multidimensional pricing for a unit-demand buyer

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  • Chen, Xi
  • Diakonikolas, Ilias
  • Paparas, Dimitris
  • Sun, Xiaorui
  • Yannakakis, Mihalis

Abstract

We resolve the complexity of revenue-optimal deterministic auctions in the unit-demand single-buyer Bayesian setting, i.e., the optimal item pricing problem, when the buyer's values for the items are independent. We show that the problem of computing a revenue-optimal pricing can be solved in polynomial time for distributions of support size 2, and its decision version is NP-complete for distributions of support size 3. We also show that the problem remains NP-complete for the case of identical distributions.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Xi & Diakonikolas, Ilias & Paparas, Dimitris & Sun, Xiaorui & Yannakakis, Mihalis, 2018. "The complexity of optimal multidimensional pricing for a unit-demand buyer," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 139-164.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:110:y:2018:i:c:p:139-164
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2018.03.016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sergiu Hart & Noam Nisan, 2013. "The Menu-Size Complexity of Auctions," Discussion Paper Series dp637, The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
    2. Hart, Sergiu & Nisan, Noam, 2017. "Approximate revenue maximization with multiple items," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 313-347.
    3. Chawla, Shuchi & Malec, David & Sivan, Balasubramanian, 2015. "The power of randomness in Bayesian optimal mechanism design," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 297-317.
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    7. Roger B. Myerson, 1981. "Optimal Auction Design," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 58-73, February.
    8. Tang, Pingzhong & Wang, Zihe, 2017. "Optimal mechanisms with simple menus," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 54-70.
    9. Thanassoulis, John, 2004. "Haggling over substitutes," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 217-245, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Moshe Babaioff & Michal Feldman & Yannai A. Gonczarowski & Brendan Lucier & Inbal Talgam-Cohen, 2020. "Escaping Cannibalization? Correlation-Robust Pricing for a Unit-Demand Buyer," Papers 2003.05913, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2020.
    2. Adam N. Elmachtoub & Michael L. Hamilton, 2021. "The Power of Opaque Products in Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(8), pages 4686-4702, August.
    3. Zhenzhen Yan & Karthik Natarajan & Chung Piaw Teo & Cong Cheng, 2022. "A Representative Consumer Model in Data-Driven Multiproduct Pricing Optimization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(8), pages 5798-5827, August.

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