Method and apparatus for measuring and monitoring post-sales conditions within a network trading platform

• US 20050150951A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jason, Larizadeh, Avid, Liang, George, Sacco, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US10/877,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050150951A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method and a system to measure and monitor post-sales conditions within a network-based trading platform including a post-sales management module automatically to monitor post-sales parameters pertaining to an inventory of sold items and an alert module automatically to generate an alert when at least one post-sales parameter transgresses a threshold.

Claims

1. A system for managing post-sales parameters within a network-based trading environment, the system including:

a post-sales management module automatically to monitor post-sales parameters pertaining to an inventory of sold items; and

an alert module automatically to generate an alert when at least one post-sales parameter transgresses a threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a synchronization module to synchronize inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the post-sales parameter is an inventory level parameter, and a replenish alert is automatically generated when a value for the inventory level parameter drops below the threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the post-sales parameter is shipping, and the alert module is to automatically generate a ship alert when an item of the inventory of sold items has not been shipped.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the post-sales parameter is receipt of payments, and the alert module is to automatically generate a payment due alert when payment has not been received for an item of the inventory of sold items within a predetermined time period.

6. The system of claim 1, further including notifier logic to automatically notify a seller that the alert is pending within the system.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a non-paying bidder module that provides information about a buyer that has not paid for an item of the inventory of sold items.

8. The system of claim 1, further including a final value fee module that provides information about transaction fees owed to a provider by a seller for a plurality of buyers.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a user interface module that receives input regarding starting inventory and tracks metrics from at least one of a group including profit, loss, revenue, and on-hand inventory.

10. A system for managing post-sales parameters within a network-based trading environment, the system including:

means for automatically monitoring post-sales parameters pertaining to an inventory of sold items; and

means for generating an alert when at least one post-sales parameter transgresses a threshold.

11. The system of claim 10, further including means for synchronizing inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the post-sales parameter is an inventory level parameter, and a replenish alert is automatically generated when a value for the inventory level parameter drops below the threshold.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the post-sales parameter is shipping, and the alert module is to automatically generate a ship alert when an item of the inventory of sold items has not been shipped.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the post-sales parameter is receipt of payments, and the alert module is to automatically generate a payment due alert when payment has not been received for an item of the inventory of sold items within a predetermined time period.

15. The system of claim 10, further including means for automatically notifying a seller that the alert is pending within the system.

16. The system of claim 10, further including means for providing information about a buyer that has not paid for an item of the inventory of sold items.

17. The system of claim 10, further including means for providing information about transaction fees owed to a provider by a seller for a plurality of buyers.

18. The system of claim 10, further including means for receiving input regarding starting inventory and tracing metrics from at least one of a group including profit, loss, revenue, and on-hand inventory.

19. A method to monitor and automatically manage post-sales activity, including:

automatically monitoring post-sales parameters pertaining to an inventory of sold items within a network-based trading system; and

automatically generating an alert when at least one post-sale parameter transgresses a threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, further including synchronizing inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the post-sales parameter is an inventory level parameter, and a replenish alert is automatically generated when a value for the inventory level parameter drops below the threshold.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the post-sales parameter is shipping, and a ship alert is automatically generated when an item of the inventory of sold item has not been shipped.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the post-sales parameter is receipt of payments, and a payment due alert is automatically generated when payment has not been received for an item of the inventory of sold items within a predetermined time period.

24. The method of claim 19, further including:

automatically notifying sellers that the alert is pending within the system.

25. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform a method to monitor and automatically manage post-sales activity, including:

automatically monitoring post-sales parameters pertaining to an inventory of sold items within a network-based trading system; and

automatically generating an alert when at least one post-sale parameter transgresses a threshold.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further including synchronizing inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the post-sales parameter is an inventory level parameter, and a replenish alert is automatically generated when a value for the inventory level parameter drops below the threshold.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the post-sales parameter is shipping, and a ship alert is automatically generated when an item of the inventory of sold item has not been shipped.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the post-sales parameter is receipt of payments, and a payment due alert is automatically generated when payment has not been received for an item of the inventory of sold items within a predetermined time period.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further including:

automatically notifying sellers that the alert is pending within the system.

31. A method of tracking performance of a plurality of sellers, including:

consolidating sales and inventory information pertaining to the plurality of sellers in a single database;

organizing the sales and inventory information into categories; and

generating reports based on the categories, and providing the reports to the sellers through a dashboard view customizable for different service levels offered to the sellers.

32. The method of claim 31, further including synchronizing inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the reports include an average selling price report and an average time to sell report for the plurality of sellers.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the categories include geographical and time phased markers.

35. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform a method of tracking performance of a plurality of sellers, including:

consolidating sales and inventory information pertaining to the plurality of sellers in a single database;

organizing the sales and inventory information into categories; and

generating reports based on the categories, and providing the reports to the sellers through a dashboard view customizable for different service levels offered to the sellers.

36. The machine-readable medium of claim 35, further including synchronizing inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the reports include an average selling price report and an average time to sell report for the plurality of sellers.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the categories include geographical and time phased markers.

39. An apparatus in a network-based trading platform, the apparatus including:

pre-sales management logic having a set of one or more templates that include information included in a first listing; and

post-sales management logic having a post-sales management module that receives input regarding starting inventory and tracks metrics pertaining to post-sales activity.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the post-sales management logic is to synchronize inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the metrics are selected from a group including at least one of profit, loss, revenue, and on-hand inventory.

42. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein information in the first listing is selected for use in the template.

43. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the templates are grouped into products having their own set of auction parameters.

44. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the input is at least one of listing title, starting price, payment options, shipping options, and payment options.

45. An apparatus in a network-based trading platform, the apparatus including:

means for a generating a set of one or more templates that include information included in a first listing; and

means for receiving input regarding starting inventory and tracks metrics pertaining to post-sales activity.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for receiving input is to synchronize inventory associated to a plurality of databases across a plurality of network-based trading environments.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the metrics are selected from a group including at least one of profit, loss, revenue, and on-hand inventory.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein information in the first listing is selected for use in the template.

49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the templates are grouped into products having their own set of auction parameters.

50. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the input is at least one of listing title, starting price, payment options, shipping options, and payment options.

51. A method for managing post-sales conditions, including:

aggregating a set of external inventory tables into a multiplexed table based on indexed time identifiers applied to each of the set of external inventory tables;

separating the multiplexed table into individual products;

receiving input of current state inventory from an inventory module; and

comparing current state inventory to individual products by applying a time phasing logic.

52. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform a method for managing post-sales conditions, including:

aggregating a set of external inventory tables into a multiplexed table based on indexed time identifiers applied to each of the set of external inventory tables;

separating the multiplexed table into individual products;

receiving input of current state inventory from an inventory module; and

comparing current state inventory to individual products by applying a time phasing logic.