Why Users Disintermediate Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the prevalence of and possible reasons for peer-to-peer transaction marketplace (P2PM) users turning to out-of-market (OOM) transactions after finding transaction partners within a P2P system. We surveyed 97 P2PM users and interviewed 22 of 58 who reported going OOM. We did not find any evidence of predisposing personality factors for OOM activity; instead, it seems to be a rational response to circumstances, with a variety of situationally rational motivations at play, such as liking the transaction partner and trusting that good quality repeat transactions will occur in the future.