Online retailers struggle with consumers' information asymmetry and perceived uncertainty due to the virtual nature of shopping that lacks the tangibility of the in-person experience. This issue is especially true for credence/experience goods, such as second-hand luxury items, where the buyers find it difficult to ascertain the authenticity of a seller's offering and claims. The study uses signaling and principal-agent theories to explore strategies luxury re-commerce e-tailers can utilize to address customer uncertainty issues. Data was obtained from 313 Indian consumers and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results establish that perceived product certainty followed by website quality (in that order) positively impacts the purchase intention of online second-hand luxury buyers. Further, website quality positively impacts perceived product and seller certainty. In addition, the study finds that perceived seller certainty indirectly influences purchase intention via perceived product certainty. By encompassing website quality factors such as website aesthetics, authentication process, and return/exchange policy, online e-tailers can leverage the signaling potential of their websites to enhance consumer trust and confidence, resulting in increased purchase intention. Further, perceived seller and buyer certainty should be considered as distinct constructs. The study's implications for the retailers of luxury re-commerce are discussed.

中文翻译：

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通过卖家信号解决奢侈品电子商务的消费者信息不对称和感知不确定性

由于购物的虚拟性质缺乏面对面体验的有形性，在线零售商面临着消费者信息不对称和感知不确定性的问题。这个问题对于信用/体验商品尤其如此，例如二手奢侈品，买家发现很难确定卖家提供和声称的真实性。该研究使用信号和委托代理理论来探索奢侈品电子商务电子零售商可以用来解决客户不确定性问题的策略。数据来自 313 名印度消费者，并使用偏最小二乘结构方程模型进行分析。结果表明，感知的产品确定性和网站质量（按顺序）对在线二手奢侈品买家的购买意愿产生积极影响。此外，网站质量会对产品感知和卖家确定性产生积极影响。此外，研究发现，感知卖家确定性通过感知产品确定性间接影响购买意愿。通过涵盖网站美观、认证流程和退货/换货政策等网站质量因素，在线电子零售商可以利用其网站的信号潜力来增强消费者的信任和信心，从而增加购买意愿。此外，卖方和买方的感知确定性应被视为不同的结构。讨论了该研究对奢侈品再电子商务零售商的影​​响。