This paper studies the role of communication and reputation in market interactions using data from online procurement auctions. Not only positive reputation ratings but also engaging in communication increases a bidder’s probability of winning the auction. Messages are primarily used to reduce...

External reference points, such as outside options or budget constraints, are common in bidding environments. We experimentally investigate the impact of external reference points for bidding in first-price auctions with independent private values. We find that the presence of a reference point...