User interfaces and methods for facilitating user-to-user sales

• US 7,472,077 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Roseman, Neil C., Kotas, Paul, Bezos, Jeffrey P., Blackburn, Jeffrey M., Dalzell, Richard L., Moore, Bruce C.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US10/142,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 235/385, 235/383, 235/375
• US Class Current: 705/26.44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An electronic marketplace system embodies various inventions for assisting users in listing products for sale, locating the listings for a product, and performing related actions. A user wishing to sell a product can browse to an existing description of the product in an electronic catalog and then select an option to create a corresponding listing. If the user previously purchased the product via the system, the user may alternatively select the product from a personal purchase history. To create the listing for the selected product, the user preferably specifies the product'"'"'s condition and a selling price. The pending listings for a product are preferably displayed or summarized on the product'"'"'s detail page in the catalog. When no such listings exist, an option to preorder the product from an unspecified seller may be provided. In one embodiment, the electronic catalog also serves as a retail sales catalog of a merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that supports user-to-user sales, the system comprising:

a database containing descriptions of a plurality of products that are sellable within a marketplace; and

a server system that provides user access to a browsable electronic catalog of the products represented in the database, wherein each of the plurality of products is represented in the electronic catalog by at least one corresponding product detail page that specifies the product and provides an option to sell a unit of that product within the marketplace, wherein selection of said option by a user initiates a process in which the user creates a listing in the marketplace for selling a unit of the product;

wherein the server system is operative to include in a product detail page an indication of whether a unit of the corresponding product is currently listed for sale within the marketplace.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the server system stores the listing in association with a unique product identifier.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein, in response to a seller selecting said option, the server system prompts the seller to select a condition descriptor that describes a condition of the product unit, and wherein the server system suggests a selling price for the product unit to the seller based at least in-part on the condition descriptor selected by the seller.

4. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a transaction processing system that collects payments from buyers, and transfers sales proceeds to sellers, to facilitate sales of products listed in the marketplace.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the product detail pages further provide an option to purchase new units of the corresponding products from a retail merchant associated with the computer-implemented system, whereby the electronic catalog serves as both a retail sales catalog and a forum for user-to-user sales.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the server system is operative to generate, for a first product of said plurality of products, a product detail page that (1) provides an option to list a unit of the first product for sale in the marketplace, and (2) includes information regarding pending marketplace listings for units of said first product.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein the product detail page for the first product additionally provides, separately from said information regarding pending marketplace listings for the first product, an option to select the first product for purchase from a retail entity.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the product detail pages additionally provide functionality for users to select corresponding products for purchase.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the server system is responsive to a seller creating a listing for selling a used unit of a first product, via said option provided on a product detail page for the first product, by incorporating information regarding said listing into the product detail page for the first product.

10. The system as in claim 1, wherein the server system is operative to generate, for a first product of said plurality of products, a product detail page that (1) provides an option to initiate a purchase of the first product from a retail entity, and (2) includes, separately from said option to initiate a purchase from the retail entity, an option to view pending sales listings for used units of the first product.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the product detail pages provide an option for users to submit reviews of corresponding products, and the system is operative to include said reviews in the corresponding product detail pages.

12. The system as in claim 1, wherein the server system is operative to incorporate aggregated information regarding a plurality of pending marketplace listings for a first product into a product detail page for the first product, and to provide a link, on said product detail page for the first product, to a page that includes descriptions of said plurality of pending marketplace listings.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing user access via a server system to an electronic catalog of products, said electronic catalog comprising, for each of a plurality of products, a corresponding product detail page that provides a selectable option for a user to initiate creation of a listing for selling the corresponding product;

receiving a submission from a seller of a marketplace listing for selling at least one unit of a first product represented in the electronic catalog, said marketplace listing created by said seller via a listing creation process initiated by selecting, on a product detail page for the first product, said selectable option to initiate creation of a listing; and

automatically incorporating information regarding said marketplace listing into the product detail page for the first product such that users of the electronic catalog can locate the marketplace listing by accessing the product detail page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the submission of the marketplace listing from the seller comprises, in response to the seller selecting said option to initiate creation of a listing, prompting the seller to specify a condition of a product unit to be listed for sale, and providing price information to the seller to assist the seller in selecting a selling price for listing the product unit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises providing, on said product detail page for the first product, (1) an option to select the first product for purchase from a retail merchant, and (2) an option to view pending marketplace listings for said first product created by sellers other than said retail merchant.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the product detail page for the first product includes functionality for users to select the first product for purchase.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the marketplace listing is for a used unit of the first product, and the product detail page additionally provides an option to purchase a new unit of the first product from a retail entity.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the information regarding said marketplace listing includes an indication of how many pending marketplace listings exist for the first product.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises incorporating into the product detail page for the first product information regarding a plurality of marketplace listings that exist for the first product.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information regarding the plurality of marketplace listings comprises an indication how many marketplace listings exists for a used unit of the first product, and an indication of a lowest price at which a used unit of the first product is available, and wherein the product detail page for the first product additionally includes a link for accessing a separate page that displays detailed information about the plurality of marketplace listings.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to the seller selecting said option on the product detail page for the first product, prompting the seller, via a web form, to specify at least a condition of the unit of the first product.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving user submissions of product reviews for particular products via the server system, and incorporating said product reviews into corresponding product detail pages of the electronic catalog.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the marketplace listing is for a seller-specified number of units of the first product, said number being greater than one, and the method further comprises automatically removing the marketplace listing from the product detail page once the seller-specified number of units have been sold.