Inferring ascending auction participation from observed bidders
Keywords
Unobserved auction participation, Estimation of number of bidders, Ascending auctions
Abstract
Participation in internet auctions goes well beyond those who place a bid. Participants arrive in random order, and if the auction’s standing price has already exceeded a participant’s valuation, she will not bid. Even so, her unreported valuation is a relevant part of demand for the item, and in an alternate random order, her bid would have been registered. I provide a method to estimate the average number of participants from the average number of bidders per auction. This enables estimation of the distribution of participant valuations from either the distribution of closing prices or the distribution of all observed bids.
Original Publication Citation
“Inferring Ascending Auction Participation from Observed Bidders,” by Brennan Platt. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 54:65-88, September 2017.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Platt, Brennan C., "Inferring ascending auction participation from observed bidders" (2017). Faculty Publications. 5783.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5783
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2017-9
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8513
Publisher
Elsevier B.V.
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Economics
Copyright Status
© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Copyright Use Information
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/