A New Decision-Making Approach for C2C Electronic Trade

In this paper, we propose a new decision-making approach for C2C electronic trade based on economic theory and relevant trust mechanisms in which we incorporate the element of trust and risk into a single model. During buying, an agent learns to select its partners based on the evaluation of trust on potential partners as well as on its own personal risk attitude. During selling, in order to increase the chance of winning a deal, an agent learns to attract customers by adjusting its profit rate, which is related to both risk and trust. The unique feature of our approach is that it provides a flexible decision-making model for trading agents. The approach aims at helping traders seek more profits and, at the same time, preventing themselves from frauds and deceptions during the trade. It is also a good starting point for exploring tradeoffs among risk, reputation and utility.