When Should Sellers Use Auctions?

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2013
Volume: 103
Issue: 5
Pages: 1830-61

Authors (2)

James W. Roberts (not in RePEc) Andrew Sweeting (University of Maryland)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

A bidding process can be organized so that offers are submitted simultaneously or sequentially. In the latter case, potential buyers can condition their behavior on previous entrants' decisions. The relative performance of these mechanisms is investigated when entry is costly and selective, meaning that potential buyers with higher values are more likely to participate. A simple sequential mechanism can give both buyers and sellers significantly higher payoffs than the commonly used simultaneous bid auction. The findings are illustrated with parameters estimated from simultaneous entry USFS timber auctions where our estimates predict that the sequential mechanism would increase revenue and efficiency.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:103:y:2013:i:5:p:1830-61
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29