How simple points bidding works
In simple points bidding, each participant assigns points to items. A disputed item may go to the person who assigned it the highest score.
This is easy to understand, but it can create uneven overall outcomes if one person wins many high-value disputes and another person receives little of what they cared about.
How maximum Nash welfare works
Maximum Nash welfare considers the full allocation at once. It searches for a distribution that gives each participant a strong bundle according to their own submitted scores.
For additive preferences over goods, maximum Nash welfare is known to produce allocations with strong fairness properties, including envy-free up to one good.
Why Estate Divvy uses MNW
Estate items are indivisible: a ring, chair, photo album, or tool set usually goes to one person. MNW is a better fit than a pure highest-bidder rule because it balances outcomes across participants.
Why the calculation can take longer
Maximum Nash welfare is computationally hard, especially as the number of items and participants grows. Estate Divvy runs final calculation in the background and emails participants when results are ready.