The Geography of Trade in Online Transactions: Evidence from eBay and MercadoLibre
利用eBay和MercadoLibre的交易数据，发现距离仍阻碍个人在线交易，但程度弱于传统商业；同城交易偏好显著，可能源于本地化商品、文化因素及违约直接执行。
We analyze geographic patterns of trade between individuals using transactions data from eBay and MercadoLibre, two large online auction sites. We find that distance continues to be an important deterrent to trade between geographically separated buyers and sellers, though to a lesser extent than has been observed in studies of non-Internet commerce between business counterparties. We also find a strong “home bias” for trading with counterparties located in the same city. Further analyses suggest that location-specific goods such as opera tickets, cultural factors, and the possibility of direct contract enforcement in case of breach may be the main reasons behind the same-city bias.