Reverse Auction Types[Top]
See our new Reverse Auction features: Reverse Auctions
English Auctions[Top]
English auctions are probably the most common type. Users bid the highest price they are willing to pay for an item and bidding activity stops when the auction duration is complete. The item is sold to the highest bidder at their bid price. English auctions also allow the seller to specify a reserve price below which the item will not be sold.
Vickrey Auctions [Top]
The Vickrey auction allows for selling single items as does the English Auction. The difference is that the highest bidder obtains the item at the price offered by the second highest bidder. This is a good format because bidders have the incentive to bid what they think the item is worth AND NOT worry about what others will bid.
Dutch Auctions [Top]
Dutch auctions are special type of auction designed to handle the case where a seller has a number of identical items to sell. The seller should specify the minimum price (starting bid) and the exact number of items that are available at that price. The bidders bid at or above that minimum price for the number of items that they are interested in buying. At the end of the auction, the highest bidders earn the right to purchase those items at the minimum successful bid. Here is an example, say there are twenty-five widgets being sold at $75.00 and forty-five bidders bid for one widget each, at $75.00. In this case, only the first twenty-five people will be the bidders who get their product successfully. Since the bid amounts are the same, the earlier bids will take merchandise. Now, let's say that one of those people bids $100 for one widget. Since his bid is higher than all the others, he will certainly be one of the bidders to get the merchandise. If bidders continue to bid higher than the starting price enough times, then the final bidding price will increase as well. In another instance, if less than twenty-five people bid in our example "widget" auction, only that number of widgets will be sold at the opening price of $75.00. For the selling price to increase past the opening price specified by the seller there must be a higher or equal level of demand than the supply indicated. In our example, the selling price would only increase if twenty-four or more widgets were bid on, no matter what the amount of each bid. In a case where a bidder bids for multiple quantities, the bidder who bid the lowest will not always get the merchandise that he/she bid on. If the bidder who made the lowest bid requested a quantity of four widgets, he/she may not even be entitled to one widget. For instance, if 12 other higher bidders each bought two widgets, there would only 1 widget left. In this case, the original bidder would only be entitled to one widget, even though he originally bid for four. The way around this problem is to ensure that you are not the lowest successful bidder. Note: A bid's value in the auction is determined by the total number of items bid on, multiplied by the bid price.
Yankee Auctions [Top]
A Yankee Auction is a variation of the Dutch Auction where successful bidders pay what they bid as opposed to paying the price determined by the lowest qualified bidder (as in a Dutch Auction).
Reverse Auction Types [Top]
Reverse Auctions are a specialized auction format that allows individuals/organizations to procure goods and services at the lowest possible price. Featuring decreasing incremental bidding, the format lets potential suppliers submit a bid and the supplier with the lowest price will win. In other words, prospective buyers can list any items that they wish to buy, and then sellers bid to provide the best price. The consumer decides the exact specifications of each item, instead of the specifications being dictated by the seller.
Reverse English Auctions [Top]
English auctions are probably the most common type. Sellers bid the lowest price they are willing to sell an item for and bidding activity stops when the auction duration is complete. The item is bought FROM the lowest bidder at their bid price. English auctions also allow the buyer to specify a reserve price above which the item will not be bought.
Reverse Vickrey Auctions [Top]
The Vickrey auction allows for selling single items as does the English Auction. The difference is that the lowest bidder sells the item at the price offered by the second lowest bidder. This is a good format because sellers have the incentive to bid what they think the item is worth AND NOT worry about what other sellers will bid.
Reverse Dutch Auctions [Top]
Dutch auctions are special type of auction designed to handle the case where a buyer has a number of identical items they wish to buy. The buyer should specify the maximum price (starting bid) and the exact number of items that are they wish to buy at that price. The sellers bid at or below that maximum price for the number of items that they are interested in selling. At the end of the auction, the lowest bidders earn the right to sell those items at the minimum successful bid. Here is an example, say a buyer wishes to purchase twenty-five widgets at maximum starting bid of $75.00 and forty-five sellers place bids for one widget each, at $75.00. In this case, only the first twenty-five sellers will be the bidders who will sell their product successfully. Since the bid amounts are the same, the earlier bids will sell merchandise. Now, let's say that one of the sellers bids $50 for one widget. Since his bid is lower than all the others, he will certainly be one of the bidders to sell his/her merchandise. If sellers continue to bid lower than the starting price enough times, then the final bidding price will decrease as well. In another instance, if less than twenty-five people bid in our example "widget" auction, only that number of widgets will be sold at the opening price of $75.00. For the selling price to decrease past the opening price specified by the buyer there must be a higher or equal level of sellers than the supply indicated. In our example, the buying price would only decrease if twenty-five or more widgets were bid on, no matter what the amount of each bid. In a case where a seller bids to sell multiple quantities, the seller who bid the lowest will not always sell the merchandise that he/she bid on. If the seller who made the lowest bid made available a quantity of four widgets, he/she may not even be entitled to sell one widget. For instance, if 12 other lower bidder/sellers each sold two widgets, there would only 1 widget left. In this case, the original bidder/seller would only be entitled to sell one widget, even though he originally bid for four. The way around this problem is to ensure that you are not the highest successful bidder. Note: A bid's value in the auction is determined by the total number of items bid on, multiplied by the bid price.
Reverse Yankee Auctions [Top]
A Yankee Auction is a variation of the Dutch Auction where successful bidders sell what they bid as opposed to selling at the price determined by the lowest qualified bidder (as in a Dutch Auction).
