Research Details

Abstract

The existing literature on channel coordination typically models markets where used goods are not sold, or are sold outside the standard channel. However, retailers routinely sell used goods for a profit in markets like textbooks, compact discs, and DVDs. We model key characteristics of these markets and show that the optimal contract form resembles those seen in the marketplace (and differs from contracts derived in prior research). Furthermore, we show conditions under which the manufacturer would choose to sell no new goods in the second period, ceding the market to the used-goods retailer. We also examine how consumer and firm characteristics affect the size of the used-good market.

Type

Article

Author(s)

Jeffrey D. Shulman, Anne Coughlan

Date Published

2007

Citations

Shulman, Jeffrey D., and Anne Coughlan. 2007. Used Goods, Not Used Bads: Profitable Secondary Market Sales for a Durable Goods Channel. Quantitative Marketing and Economics. 5(2): 191-210.