Comparing bidding and pricing between in‐person and online auctions

Abstract

Examines the phenomenon of online auctions. Begins by developing a theoretical base for understanding how online and in‐person auctions should differ in terms of consumer risk. Online auctions with seller reserve prices are compared to in‐person auctions without seller reserve prices using data from 60 paired sales of collectible figurines. Online auctions are found to exceed in‐person auctions in both mean initial bid prices and mean final sales prices.