Marketplace system in which users generate preorder listings via a definitive product catalog
First Claim
1. An electronic marketplace system that supports user-to-user sales of products, the system comprising:
- a server system that provides user access to a browsable electronic catalog, said browsable electronic catalog including descriptions of products that can be listed by users for sale to other users; and
a preordering component that provides functionality for a buyer to preorder a product from an unspecified seller by browsing the electronic catalog to a description of the product to be preordered and selecting a preordering option to initiate creation of a preorder listing, whereby buyers can create preorder listings for selected products;
wherein the server system is configured to incorporate viewable information regarding the preorder listings into pages of the electronic catalog in conjunction with catalog descriptions of corresponding products, whereby potential sellers are notified via the electronic catalog of marketplace demand levels for specific products.
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Abstract
An electronic marketplace system provides various features 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. 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, and information regarding the resulting preorders may be displayed on the associated product detail pages to entice potential sellers. In one embodiment, the electronic catalog also serves as a retail sales catalog of a merchant.
77 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electronic marketplace system that supports user-to-user sales of products, the system comprising:
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a server system that provides user access to a browsable electronic catalog, said browsable electronic catalog including descriptions of products that can be listed by users for sale to other users; and a preordering component that provides functionality for a buyer to preorder a product from an unspecified seller by browsing the electronic catalog to a description of the product to be preordered and selecting a preordering option to initiate creation of a preorder listing, whereby buyers can create preorder listings for selected products; wherein the server system is configured to incorporate viewable information regarding the preorder listings into pages of the electronic catalog in conjunction with catalog descriptions of corresponding products, whereby potential sellers are notified via the electronic catalog of marketplace demand levels for specific products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification