# Strategy-Proof and Non-Wasteful Multi-Unit Auction via Social Network

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.08809 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.08809/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 Nov 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Emerging Methods of Auction Design in Social Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.00381/) (2021)
- [Social Sourcing: Incorporating Social Networks Into Crowdsourcing Contest Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.02884/) (2021)
- [Sybil-Proof Diffusion Auction in Social Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.01984/) (2022)
- [Multi-Unit Diffusion Auctions with Intermediaries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.07796/) (2022)
- [Strategyproofness and Monotone Allocation of Auction in Social Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.14472/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Auctions via social network, pioneered by Li et al. (2017), have been attracting considerable attention in the literature of mechanism design for auctions. However, no known mechanism has satisfied strategy-proofness, non-deficit, non-wastefulness, and individual rationality for the multi-unit unit-demand auction, except for some naive ones. In this paper, we first propose a mechanism that satisfies all the above properties. We then make a comprehensive comparison with two naive mechanisms, showing that the proposed mechanism dominates them in social surplus, seller's revenue, and incentive of buyers for truth-telling. We also analyze the characteristics of the social surplus and the revenue achieved by the proposed mechanism, including the constant approximability of the worst-case efficiency loss and the complexity of optimizing revenue from the seller's perspective.