A Study on the Development of Agricultural E-Marketplaces

This paper acknowledges the importance of developing the agricultural e-marketplaces, and analyzes the types, players and especially price mechanisms of it. Then, we focus on valuating the transaction costs of the agricultural e-marketplace. It is widely accepted that agricultural e-markets take a dynamic role in the products value chains. Due to the special characteristics of agricultural products, the marketplace outside the virtual space is also important during the transaction. The problems of transaction costs through e-markets and the diminishing numbers of online agricultural e-markets are discussed in details. The results of the study should be of great academic and practical importance. Not only does it provide a mechanistic understanditig of agricultural e-marketplace, it also gives a guideline of strategic promotion for its further development.