How interpersonal trust manifests 19
of bidders who are attracted to an auction in France. Auctions with higher seller
ratings procure an average 244% higher participation in France.
Likewise, German auctions from modestly rated sellers (10-99) attracted an
average 2.61 bidders (or between 6-15 bidders) while more highly rated sellers
(100-499) received an average 6.04 bidders (or between 26-30 bidders). This
difference was statistically significant (t= -4.41, p < .05). Explicitly answering
research question 2a, seller ratings do have a significant effect of the number of
bidders attracted to an auction in Germany. Increased seller ratings results in an
average 130% increase in the number of bidders attracted to the auction.
Lastly, auctions in Canada with lower seller ratings (10-99) attracted an average
2.82 bidders (or between 11-15) while seller ratings of 100-400 attracted an
average 3.69 bidders (16-20 bidders). The t-test comparing the between group
difference in the number of bidders attracted to a Canadian auction for the two
seller rating levels failed to reach a traditional level of statistical significance (t = -
1.44, p = 2.61). Increased seller ratings results in a modest 23% increase in the
number of bidders attracted to the auction. Explicitly answering research question
2a, seller ratings has a modest impact on the number of bidders attracted to an
auction in Canada.
Discussion
Explicitly answering research question 1 and 2, seller ratings does seem to
significantly influence the number of bidders attracted to an auction both within
and across cultures. However the extent of the effect seems to vary. One
explanation could be the varying levels of interpersonal trust levels within each of
Convention