This is especially true for women and minorities. Because the Internet is a virtually anonymous way to conduct research and make a purchase decision, people whose socio-economic status might be a factor during negotiations can obtain the kind of pricing that people from wealthier and more educated backgrounds tend to receive. The study showed that minorities who used the Internet to shop for cars paid the same prices as non-minorities, regardless of their level of education, income, and search costs. The study did not reveal any evidence of statistical race discrimination. In the study using 1999 data, researchers found that off-line minority buyers pay about 2.0 percent more than white customers. The study posits that the difference (about $420 on the average car) is due to differing income, education, and search costs which may impact the price. The data indicated that people who come from neighborhoods with a higher percentage of college-educated residents paid lower prices at the dealership that the average consumer.

"We wanted to make sure that the 1999 findings were not a result of behavior during the Internet boom," said Zettelmeyer. "The 2002 survey, conducted after the initial boom days had subsided, showed that the 1999 data mirrored the 2002 survey. We found that pricing effects were in line with the previous estimate." In the 1999 study, price effects were estimated at around 2.2%. In the 2002 follow up, estimates were placed at 1.5% to 2.5%.