How Online Descriptions of Used Goods Affect Quality Assessment and Product Preferences: A Conjoint Study

Abstract

Online sellers need to provide information about used products. This study answers two important related questions: (1) what kinds of product information should online sellers provide, and (2) how do different kinds of used product information affect online buyers’ preference and perception of quality? We find that when a used product is a high-involvement one, buyers’ preference of the product is more influenced by its physical condition than by price; however, when the product is a low-involvement product, its price is more important than the physical condition. Other information cues have a less significant impact on buyers’ preference.