IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/indorg/v28y2010i5p423-433.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the pricing rule in electronic auctions

Author

Listed:
  • Hickman, Brent

Abstract

Researchers and experts have typically viewed electronic auctions (such as those implemented by eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo!) as either oral, ascending-price (English) auctions or second-price, sealed-bid (Vickrey) auctions. I show that important theoretical differences exist between English and Vickrey pricing rules and those used in electronic auctions, due to the presence of bid increments. I also show, using data on eBay laptop sales, that these differences have practical significance. I explore the implications of bid increments for strategic bid selection in a static model within the symmetric independent private-value paradigm. I derive the unique symmetric equilibrium bid function, showing that the presence of bid increments can significantly alter bidder behavior. Using numerical methods, I also illustrate that these result in a highly non-linear bid function, in contrast to that predicted under either the English or the Vickrey formats.

Suggested Citation

  • Hickman, Brent, 2010. "On the pricing rule in electronic auctions," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 423-433, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:28:y:2010:i:5:p:423-433
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167-7187(09)00107-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    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. Matthew O. Jackson & Jeroen M. Swinkels, 2005. "Existence of Equilibrium in Single and Double Private Value Auctions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 73(1), pages 93-139, January.
    2. Matthew O. Jackson & Leo K. Simon & Jeroen M. Swinkels & William R. Zame, 2002. "Communication and Equilibrium in Discontinuous Games of Incomplete Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(5), pages 1711-1740, September.
    3. Lizzeri, Alessandro & Persico, Nicola, 2000. "Uniqueness and Existence of Equilibrium in Auctions with a Reserve Price," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 83-114, January.
    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. Peter Csoka & P. Jean-Jacques Herings, 2022. "Centralized clearing mechanisms: A programming approach," The Journal of Mechanism and Institution Design, Society for the Promotion of Mechanism and Institution Design, University of York, vol. 7(1), pages 45-69, December.
    2. Aaron Bodoh-Creed & Jörn Boehnke & Brent R. Hickman, 2013. "Optimal Design of Two-Sided Market Platforms: An Empirical Case Study of eBay," Working Papers 13-22, NET Institute.
    3. Chen, Kebing, 2012. "Procurement strategies and coordination mechanism of the supply chain with one manufacturer and multiple suppliers," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 125-135.
    4. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/5kht5rc22p99sq5tol4efe4ssb is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Bernard Lebrun, 2015. "Revenue-superior variants of the second-price auction," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 59(2), pages 245-275, June.
    6. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5kht5rc22p99sq5tol4efe4ssb is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Ola Andersson & Tommy Andersson, 2017. "Timing and presentation effects in sequential auctions," The Journal of Mechanism and Institution Design, Society for the Promotion of Mechanism and Institution Design, University of York, vol. 2(1), pages 39-55, December.
    8. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/5kht5rc22p99sq5tol4efe4ssb is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Marleen Marra, 2024. "Estimating and Auction Platform Game with Two-Sided Entry," Working Papers hal-03393068, HAL.
    10. Platt, Brennan C., 2017. "Inferring ascending auction participation from observed bidders," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 65-88.
    11. Janne Tukiainen, 2017. "Effects of Minimum Bid Increments in Internet Auctions: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 597-622, September.
    12. Philippe Jehiel & Laurent Lamy, 2011. "Absolute auctions and secret reserve prices: Why are they used?," Levine's Working Paper Archive 786969000000000316, David K. Levine.
    13. Olena Myrna, 2022. "Lower price increases, the bounded rationality of bidders, and underbidding concerns in online agricultural land auctions: The Ukrainian case," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(3), pages 826-844, September.
    14. Myrna, Olena, 2023. "Competition in online land lease auctions in Ukraine: Reduced-form estimation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    15. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/5kht5rc22p99sq5tol4efe4ssb is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Ghosh, Gagan, 2021. "Simultaneous auctions with budgets: Equilibrium existence and characterization," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 75-93.

    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. Luciano De Castro, 2012. "Correlation of Types in Bayesian Games," Discussion Papers 1556, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    2. Dirk Bergemann & Benjamin Brooks & Stephen Morris, 2017. "First‐Price Auctions With General Information Structures: Implications for Bidding and Revenue," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85, pages 107-143, January.
    3. Pycia, Marek & Woodward, Kyle, 2021. "Auctions of Homogeneous Goods: A Case for Pay-as-Bid," CEPR Discussion Papers 15656, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Araujo, Aloisio & de Castro, Luciano I., 2009. "Pure strategy equilibria of single and double auctions with interdependent values," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 25-48, January.
    5. Hickman Brent R. & Hubbard Timothy P. & Sağlam Yiğit, 2012. "Structural Econometric Methods in Auctions: A Guide to the Literature," Journal of Econometric Methods, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 67-106, August.
    6. Oriol Carbonell-Nicolau & Richard P. McLean, 2018. "On the Existence of Nash Equilibrium in Bayesian Games," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 100-129, February.
    7. Michal Bresky, 2008. "Pure Equilibrium Strategies in Multi-unit Auctions with Private Value Bidders," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp376, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    8. Aloisio Araujo & Luciano Castro & Humberto Moreira, 2008. "Non-monotoniticies and the all-pay auction tie-breaking rule," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 35(3), pages 407-440, June.
    9. He, Wei & Yannelis, Nicholas C., 2015. "Discontinuous games with asymmetric information: An extension of Reny's existence theorem," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 26-35.
    10. Philippe Bich & Rida Laraki, 2012. "A Unified Approach to Equilibrium Existence in Discontinuous Strategic Games," Post-Print halshs-00717135, HAL.
    11. Michal Bresky, 2008. "Properties of Equilibrium Strategies in Multiple-Unit, Uniform-Price Auctions," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp354, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    12. Stinchcombe, Maxwell B., 2011. "Correlated equilibrium existence for infinite games with type-dependent strategies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 638-655, March.
    13. repec:vuw:vuwscr:19224 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Carrasco, Diego & Takayama, Shino & Tamura, Yuki & Yeo, Terence, 2024. "Policy polarization, primaries, and strategic voters," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 19-35.
    15. Carmona, Guilherme & Podczeck, Konrad, 2018. "Invariance of the equilibrium set of games with an endogenous sharing rule," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 1-33.
    16. Kastl, Jakub, 2012. "On the properties of equilibria in private value divisible good auctions with constrained bidding," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(6), pages 339-352.
    17. Moreira, Humberto Ataíde & Araújo, Aloísio Pessoa de & Castro Filho, Luciano I. de, 2004. "Pure strategy equilibria of multidimensional and non-monotonic auctions," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 571, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).
    18. Kaplan, Todd R. & Zamir, Shmuel, 2015. "Advances in Auctions," Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications,, Elsevier.
    19. Bresky, Michal, 2013. "Revenue and efficiency in multi-unit uniform-price auctions," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 205-217.
    20. Sağlam, Yiğit, 2012. "Structural Econometric Methods in Auctions: A Guide to the Literature," Working Paper Series 19224, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    21. Luciano I. de Castro, 2008. "Equilibria Existence in Regular Discontinuous Games," Discussion Papers 1463, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.

    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:indorg:v:28:y:2010:i:5:p:423-433. 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/inca/505551 .

    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.