In the laboratory, it has been shown that the English auction and the Vickrey auction do not always result in the same final price. Oftentimes, people overbid in the Vickrey auction. One possible behavioral explanation for this difference is anchoring: subjects anchor on the induced value and then adjust upwards.

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In Vickrey auctions, bidders submit sealed bids and the highest bidder wins but pays the second-highest bid. This mechanism can lead to overbidding due to anchoring, where bidders anchor on the item's value and adjust their bids upwards, fearing they might lose the item if they bid too low. This contrasts with English auctions, where the price is openly bid up until no higher bids are made, making the final prices between the two auction types potentially different due to different bidding behaviors.

In the Laboratory, It Has Been Shown That the English