System and method for providing logistics for a sale of goods

• US 20030061147A1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: StubHub, Inc.
• Inventors: Kernes, Shawn, Fluhr, Jeff, Lawson, Jeff, Levenson, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system 10 for providing logistics for a sale of goods. The system 10 may be implemented over a global computer network 20, and is effective to provide financial logistics for a sale of goods between a seller and a remote buyer, in a manner that does not require interaction between the seller and buyer. The system 10 further implements a geography-based and time-based strategy for executing the logistics of shipping time-sensitive goods from the seller to the buyer.

Claims

1. ) A system for providing logistics for a sale goods, said system being adapted to receive information from at least one remote seller and at least one remote buyer, and to provide financial logistics and shipping logistics for completing said sale of goods without requiring interaction between said buyer and said seller.

2. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said system is adapted to receive said information over a communications network.

3. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said system is adapted to provide said shipping logistics by use of at least one geography-based and time-based strategy.

4. ) The system of claim 3 wherein said goods are time-sensitive.

5. ) The system of claim 4 wherein said goods are event tickets.

6. ) The system of claim 5 wherein said shipping logistics include electronically transferring said event tickets from said seller to said buyer.

7. ) The system of claim 3 wherein said shipping logistics include arranging for a courier to receive said goods from said seller and to deliver said goods to said buyer.

8. ) The system of claim 4 wherein said system utilizes said at least one geography-based and time-based strategy to provide said seller with a latest possible time for said sale to end.

9. ) The system of claim 8 wherein said system is adapted to receive a sale price for said goods from a seller and to present said goods for sale at said sale price, said system being further adapted to selectively reduce said sale price by a predetermined amount upon expiration of a predetermined time period.

10. ) The system of claim 8 wherein said system further utilizes said at least one geography-based and time-based strategy to provide said buyer with at least one option for shipping said goods with at least one courier.

11. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said financial logistics include authorizing an amount of sale on a credit card of said buyer, charging said credit card for said amount of sale, receiving said amount of sale, and transferring at least a portion of said amount of sale to said seller.

12. ) A system for providing logistics for a sale of goods comprising:

a first portion adapted to receive information from a seller, including a location, desired sale price and description of certain goods;

a second portion adapted to present said desired sale price and description of said certain goods to a prospective buyer;

a third portion adapted to receive a purchase request and credit card information from said buyer;

a fourth portion adapted to provide financial logistics, including authorizing and charging said credit card, and providing funds to said seller; and

a fifth portion adapted to provide shipping logistics, including arranging for shipping said goods from said seller to said buyer.

13. ) The system of claim 12 wherein said first, second and third portions each comprise at least one interactive Web page.

14. ) The system of claim 13 wherein said first portion is adapted to determine a last sale time, based upon said location of said goods, a point of last delivery, and an expiration time of said goods.

15. ) The system of claim 14 wherein said fourth portion is further adapted to receive confirmation from a seller, and to charge said credit card only after receiving said confirmation.

16. ) The system of claim 15 wherein said fifth portion is further adapted to determine at least one shipping option based upon said point of last delivery and said expiration time of said goods.

17. ) The system of claim 16 wherein said fifth portion is further adapted to present said at least one shipping option for selection by said buyer.

18. ) The system of claim 17 wherein said fifth portion is integrated with at least one computer system of a shipping courier.

19. ) The system of claim 18 wherein said second portion is further adapted to selectively reduce said desired sale price by a predetermined amount upon expiration of a predetermined time period.

20. ) The system of claim 18 wherein said second portion is further adapted to selectively vary said desired sale price based upon market conditions.

21. ) The system of claim 18 wherein said goods are time-sensitive.

22. ) The system of claim 21 wherein said goods are event tickets.

23. ) The system of claim 22 wherein said fifth portion is further adapted to electronically transfer said event tickets from said seller to said buyer.

24. ) The system of claim 22 wherein said point of last delivery is a venue location of said event and said expiration time is a time of said event.

25. ) A method for providing logistics for a sale of goods without requiring interaction between a seller and a buyer, comprising the steps of:

receiving information from a seller regarding certain goods that said seller desires to sell;

providing said information to at least one prospective buyer regarding said certain goods;

receiving a purchase request for said certain goods from a buyer;

confirming said buyer'"'"'s ability to pay for said goods;

arranging for said certain goods to be transferred from said seller to said buyer;

receiving payment from said buyer;

confirming that said certain goods have been received by said buyer; and

providing at least a portion of said received payment to said seller.

30. ) The method of claim 25 wherein said step of confirming said buyer'"'"'s ability to pay for said goods includes authorizing a credit card of said buyer.

31. ) The method of claim 30 wherein said step of receiving payment from said buyer includes charging said credit card.

32. ) The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of:

confirming said seller'"'"'s ability to provide said certain goods prior to charging said credit card.

33. ) The method of claim 32 wherein said step of providing said information to at least one prospective buyer is performed by use of a Web site.

34. ) The method of claim 25 wherein said step of arranging for said certain goods to be transferred from said seller to said buyer includes determining a plurality of shipping options by use of a geography and time-based strategy, and providing said plurality of shipping options to said buyer.

35. ) The method of claim 25 wherein each of said steps is performed without disclosing the identities of said buyer and said seller to one another.

26. ) The method of claim 26 wherein said certain goods are time-sensitive.

27. ) The method of claim 26 wherein said certain goods are event tickets.

28. ) The method of claim 27 wherein said event tickets are electronically transferred from said buyer to said seller.

29. ) The method of claim 27 wherein said event tickets are physically transferred from said buyer to said seller.

36. ) A method of providing logistics for a sale of event tickets, comprising the steps of:

providing a Web site for receiving information from and presenting information to prospective sellers and buyers of event tickets;

receiving information from a seller, including attributes of at least one event ticket that said seller desires to sell, and a location of said at least one event ticket;

determining a last sale time based upon said location of said at least one event ticket, a point of last delivery, and a time when said associated event will occur;

presenting said at least one event ticket for sale to prospective buyers by use of said Web site, until said at least one event ticket is sold or said last sale time passes;

receiving a purchase request for said at least one event ticket from a buyer;

providing at least one shipping option for selection by said buyer, and receiving an associated selected shipping option from said buyer;

querying said buyer for information regarding a credit card to pay for said at least one event ticket;

authorizing the credit card of said buyer for an amount of sale;

arranging for a courier to receive said at least one event ticket from said seller and deliver said at least one event ticket to said buyer, according to said selected shipping option;

charging said credit card of said buyer for said amount of sale;

receiving said amount of sale; and

providing at least a portion of said amount of sale to said seller upon delivery of said at least one event ticket to said buyer.

37. ) The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

receiving confirmation that said seller can provide said at least one event ticket prior to charging said credit card of said buyer.

38. ) The method of claim 36 wherein said point of last delivery is determined to be the venue location of said event.

39. ) The method of claim 38 wherein said location of said at least one event ticket is determined to be the location of said seller.

40. ) The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

providing a seller an option for selling event tickets within a season ticket package;

providing an interactive page on said Web site which automatically displays all events remaining in said season ticket package to said seller;

allowing said seller to select any of said displayed events to place for sale, to enter sales information including a number of tickets for sale for each event, and a price per ticket for each event; and

presenting said sales information to prospective buyers by use of said Web site.

41. ) The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a desired sale price for said at least one event ticket from said seller;

receiving a minimum sale price for said at least one event ticket from said seller; and

displaying a purchase price for said at least one event ticket to prospective buyers, said purchase price being initially equal to said desired sales sale price; and

selectively reducing said displayed purchase price by a predetermined amount each time a predetermined time period expires until said at least one event ticket is sold or until said purchase price equals said minimum sale price.

42. ) The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a desired sale price for said at least one event ticket from said seller; and

displaying a purchase price for said at least one event ticket to prospective buyers, said purchase price being initially equal to said desired sale price; and

selectively varying said displayed purchase price based upon market conditions.

43. ) The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

determining a time remaining before said event tickets expire upon receiving said purchase request from said buyer; and

determining said at least one shipping option based upon said time remaining before said event, and said location of said at least one event ticket.