There could be a buyer who is willing to pay a price higher than some seller’s lowest acceptable price, but if the two cannot find one another, there will be no transaction, resulting in a deadweight loss. The costs of matching buyers with sellers are generally referred to as search costs , and they arise because of frictions inherent in the matching process. When these costs are significant, an opportunity may arise for a third party to provide a valuable service by reducing those costs. This role is played by brokers.