Abstract:

This paper discusses the effectiveness of sharing information concerning the reputations of buyers and sellers making online transactions in a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) market. We developed a computer simulation model that describes online transactions with a reputation management system that shares information concerning the reputations of consumers. The model takes an agent-based approach in which agentsf actions are based on the iterated prisonerfs dilemma. No model exists to analyze C2C markets even though there are many case studies concerning the effectiveness of sharing reputation information among participants in a market. The simulation results revealed that a positive reputation system can be more effective than a negative reputation system for an online transaction, even though the negative one can work for a traditional transaction. The result should be an important consideration when designing practical reputation management systems for online transactions.

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