Network-based commerce facility offer management methods and systems

• US 20060167756A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Randall, Maura K., VonBergen, Renee Gentry, Liang, George, Raccah, David, Rannala, Erik, Kozenski, Jennifer
• Granted Patent: US 8,160,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

Various embodiments include systems, methods, and software to manage offers in a network-based commerce system. One embodiment includes providing sellers an option when listing an item for sale to receive best offers for the item from buyers. This embodiment further includes receiving best offers submitted by offerees via the network-based commerce system and notifying sellers of received best offers. Some embodiments further include providing sellers an option to accept, reject, or ignore the individual best offers received. In some such embodiments, ignored best offers expire after a period, such as 48 hours. Yet further embodiments include notifying offerees of acceptance or rejection of their submitted best offers.

Claims

1. A network-based commerce system including:

a presentation server to present a listing of an item for sale to a buying-user via the network-based commerce system, wherein the listing is to solicit a best offer from the user for the item for sale;

an offer server to receive a best offer submitted by the buying-user as a pending best offer; and

wherein the presentation server is to communicate the pending best offer via the network-based commerce system to a selling-user, and to present a plurality of pending best offers received by the offer server from a plurality of buying-users to the selling-user.

2. The network-based commerce system of claim 1, wherein the presentation server includes any one or more of a web server, an e-mail server, an instant message server, an RSS server, a voice server and a fax server.

3. The network-based commerce system of claim 2, wherein the interface provided by the presentation server to the selling-user is to enable the selling user to simultaneously reject two or more of the plurality of pending best offers.

4. The network-based commerce system of claim 2, wherein the interface provided by the presentation server to the selling-user includes a text field to receive text from the selling user to be included with a notice to the buying-user that the pending best offer is rejected or accepted.

5. The network-based commerce system of claim 2, wherein the presentation server communicates a notice to the buying-user that the pending best offer is rejected or accepted.

6. The network-based commerce system of claim 5, wherein the notice to the buying-user of the pending best offer rejection or acceptance is based either on input received by the presentation server from the selling-user or an expiration of the best offer.

7. The network-based commerce system of claim 1, wherein the pending best offer expires 48 hours after receipt by the presentation server if the best offer is not accepted or rejected by the selling-user.

8. The network-based commerce system of claim 1, further including a payment server that processes payments for an accepted best offer upon the presentation server receiving a best offer acceptance from a selling-user.

9. A method for electronic listing within a commerce system, the method including:

creating a seller listing for a quantity of an item for sale, the listing including an offer option for a buyer to make an offer for the item;

posting the seller listing on the commerce system, the seller listing being accessible via a network to which the commerce system is coupled;

receiving, at the commerce system and via the network, an offer from each of one or more potential buyers for the item;

receiving, at the commerce system and via the network, from the seller, an acceptance of one or more of the offers; and

automatically ending the item offered for sale if the number of accepted offers is equal to the quantity of the item for sale.

10. The method of claim 9, including preventing a potential buyer from making more than a specified number of offers for the seller listing.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the specified number of offers is one (1).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein an offer received from a day buyer includes additional terms, wherein acceptance of the offer binds the seller and the buyer to the additional terms.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating an electronic communication to the seller upon posting of the seller listing on the commerce system, the electronic communication confirming the posting was successful;

generating an electronic communication to a buyer upon receipt of an offer from the buyer, the electronic communication confirming the offer was successfully received by the commerce system;

generating an electronic communication to the seller upon receipt of the offer from the buyer, the electronic communication notifying the seller of the offer; and

generating an electronic communication to the buyer upon acceptance or rejection of the buyer'"'"'s offer, the electronic communication notifying the buyer of the acceptance or rejection of the buyer'"'"'s offer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the electronic communications comprises automated generation and sending of email.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the offers received from each of the one or more buyers expire after a period of time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the period of time is 48 hours.

17. A system for providing seller listings within an ecommerce system, the system comprising:

means for posting a seller listing for an item for sale on the ecommerce system;

means for receiving an offer for the item for sale from a buyer;

means for receiving a response to the offer for the item for sale, wherein a response includes either an acceptance or rejection of the offer for the item for sale; and

means for ending the listing upon receiving a response specifying an acceptance of the offer for the item for sale.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the seller listing includes:

a title;

a description of the item for sale.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the seller listing further includes a picture of the item for sale.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for receiving an offer for the item for sale from the buyer limits the buyer to making a single offer for the item for sale.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for generating a message the seller upon receiving the offer for the item for sale, wherein the message includes a notification to the seller of the offer; and

means for generating a notification message to the buyer upon receiving the response to the offer for the item for sale, wherein the message includes a notification to the buyer of the acceptance or rejection of the offer for the item for sale.

22. An electronic marketplace system including:

an electronic listing of a finite number of substantially similar items for sale by a seller, wherein the listing provides buyers an ability to make a best offer for an item for sale, further wherein the electronic listing, at the seller'"'"'s discretion, includes a limit on the number of best offers individual buyers can make, and wherein a listing is ended if the remaining finite number of substantially identical items for sale equals zero (0).

23. The electronic marketplace system of claim 22, wherein the finite number of substantially identical items for sale is more than one (1).

24. The electronic marketplace system of claim 22, wherein the limit on the number of best offers individual buyers can make is one (1).

25. The electronic marketplace system of claim 22, wherein the limit on the number of best offers individual buyers can make is specified by the seller.

26. A graphical user interface to receive offers within a network-based commerce system, the graphical user interface comprising:

an input field to enter a monetary offer amount for an item for sale;

a text input field to enter additional terms of the offer; and

a submission item, the selection of which causes the offer to be electronically submitted over a network.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 26, wherein the graphical user interface prevents an offeree from making a further offer for the item for sale following receipt of an initial offer.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 27, wherein the offeree is prevented by the graphical user interface from submitting the further offer for the item for sale while the initial offer from the offeree is still pending.

29. The graphical user interface of claim 26, wherein the selection of the submission item causes a confirmation query requiring an affirmative response prior to causing the offer to be electronically submitted over the network.

30. The graphical user interface of claim 26, wherein the network in the Internet.

31. A method of receiving a listing of an item for sale within an electronic marketplace, the method including:

receiving descriptive information about an item from a seller;

receiving an amount for which the seller is willing to sell the item;

receiving an indication that the seller is willing to accept best offers for the item from potential buyers; and

posting the item for sale within the electronic marketplace.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

receiving from a buyer, an offer including a highest amount for which the buyer is willing to purchase the item.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the offer further includes text of an additional binding term, further wherein acceptance of the offer by the seller binds the seller and buyer to the additional binding term.

34. A computer readable medium, with instructions thereon for operation of a network-based commerce system, the instructions causing the network-based commerce system to:

provide sellers an option when listing an item for sale to receive best offers for the item from buyers;

receive best offers submitted by offerees over the network-based commerce system;

notify sellers of received best offers over the network-based commerce system;

provide sellers an option to accept, reject, or ignore the individual best offers received, wherein ignored best offers expire after a period; and

notify offerees of acceptance or rejection of their submitted best offers.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the period after which offers expire is 48 hours.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

generate an electronic communication to a seller upon posting a listing on the network-based commerce system, the electronic communication confirming the posting was successful;

generate an electronic communication to an offeree upon receipt of an offer, the communication confirming the offeree'"'"'s offer was successfully received;

generate an electronic communication to the seller upon receipt of the offeree'"'"'s offer for the seller'"'"'s listing, the electronic communication notifying the seller of the offer; and

generate an electronic communications to the offeree upon acceptance or rejection of the offer, the electronic communication notifying the offeree of the acceptance or rejection.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

prevent an offeree from making another offer for item the offeree has an offer pending on.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

prevent an offeree from making another offer for item the offeree has made a best offer for.