Bidding Strategies in Internet Parallel Auctions

This paper proposes a simple model for multiple second-price auctions which run parallel to each other, in the sense that though they might not begin or end at the same time, they have certain periods of overlap. We characterize the equilibrium bidding strategy of the buyers and the equilibrium price of each auction. Last-minute bids arise naturally in the equilibrium. We show that, except for the last auction, the maximum price a buyer is willing to pay is less than his valuation, and that the ex ante expected transaction prices are identical for all auctions. A simple empirical test is also performed to verify the theoretical implication of the model