Method and system of listing an item in a fixed-price section

• US 20060143109A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Goel, Amit
• Application Number:
  US11/021,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143109A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method and system includes listing an item for sale in a first section of an electronic system and listing the item in a second section of the electronic system. In an example, the first section may offer the item for sale from a time A to a time B, and the second section may offer the item for sale from the time B to a time C. In an additional example, the first section may offer the item for sale via an auction process and a first fixed-price process, and the second section may offer the item for sale via a second fixed-price process.

Claims

1. An electronic publishing system to offer an item for sale, over a network, the system comprising:

a first section to offer a first item for sale via an auction process and a first fixed-price process; and

a second section to offer the first item for sale via a second fixed-price process.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the second section is a clearance section.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first section lists the first item from a time A to a time B, and the second section lists the first item from the time B to a time C.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is to associate a fee with offering the first item for sale in at least one of the first and second sections.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first section lists the first item and the second section lists a second item, the system further comprising a search application to search for the first and second items offered for sale.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a search result set including the first and second items.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the search result set distinguishes the second section from the first section.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the search result set includes an icon associated with the second section.

9. An electronic publishing system comprising:

an auction section to offer an item for sale via an auction process from a time A to a time B; and

a clearance section to offer the item for sale via a fixed-price process from the time B to a time C, wherein at the time B the item transfers from the auction section to the clearance section.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the auction section includes the auction process and a simultaneous fixed-price process.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of a price associated with the fixed-price process, the time A, the time B, and the time C is seller-defined.

12. A method to offer an item for sale via an electronic marketplace system, over a network, the method including:

selecting between listing an item in an auction section of the electronic marketplace system via an auction process and listing the item in a clearance section of the electronic marketplace system via a fixed-price process; and

transitioning the item between the auction section and the clearance section upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined event includes a termination of the auction process within the auction section.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined event includes receipt of a seller input instructing the transition of the item from at least one of the auction section to the clearance section and from the clearance section to the auction section.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined event includes listing the item for sale in the auction process a selected number of times.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

assessing a first fee associated with offering the item for sale in the auction section and assessing a second fee associated with offering the item for sale in the clearance section; and

waiving the second fee when the first fee is assessed.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising reducing a price of the item in the clearance section over time.

18. A method comprising:

transferring an item offered for sale in an auction section of an electronic publishing system over a network via an auction process from a time A to a time B to a fixed-price section of the electronic publishing system from the time B to a time C.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising searching with a search application for items offered for sale in at least one of the auction section and the fixed-price section.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising listing, in a search result set, the items for sale in at least one of the auction section and the fixed-price section.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising distinguishing the items of the fixed-price section listed in the search result set from the items listed in the auction section.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein a fixed price associated with the fixed-price section is less than at least one of an auction-listing price associated with the auction process and a reserve price associated with the auction process.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

listing a plurality of items in the auction section; and

transferring unsold items of the plurality of items to the fixed-price section.

24. A system comprising:

means for listing an item offered for sale via an auction process in a first section of an electronic system over a network from a time A to a time B; and

means for listing the item offered for sale via a fixed price process in a second section of the electronic system from the time B to a time C.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising means for automatically transferring the item for sale from the first section to the second section when a designated condition is met.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the designated condition includes a termination of the auction process.

27. A computer-readable medium having program instructions to perform a method including:

listing an item for sale in an auction section of an electronic system via an auction process from a time A to a time B;

transferring the item from the auction section to a clearance section of the electronic system; and

listing the item in the clearance section at a fixed-price from the time B to a time C.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the auction section includes the auction process and a simultaneous fixed-price process.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein the method includes listing the item in the auction process at least twice before transferring the item to the clearance section.