The article discusses how sellers can decide the best way to allocate an object in a bidding process. It shows that in auctions where buyers have similar values, the object goes to the buyer with the highest value. But in auctions with different buyer values, the type of auction affects efficiency and payments. If a buyer can benefit more by not participating due to high payments, they may choose not to bid. An English auction with one extra bidder and no reserve price is better for the seller than an auction followed by negotiation with the winner.