System and method for providing combination packages

• US 8,719,115 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Sinha, Ayon, Gong, Shaocheng
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US13/177,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

In various exemplary embodiments, a system and method to provide customized combination packages is disclosed. The method includes receiving a selection of a plurality of items from a potential buyer, the selection of the plurality of items creating a customized combination package. Available transaction history for past transactions of similar items to the items of the customized combination package is provided to the potential buyer. An offer from the potential buyer is then received and provided to a seller selling the plurality of items for consideration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a potential buyer, a selection of a plurality of items offered for sale by a single seller, the selection of the plurality of items creating a customized combination package, the creating the customized combination package performed by a hardware processor;

providing a transaction history for past transactions of similar items to the items of the customized combination package to the potential buyer;

receiving an offer for the customized combination package from the potential buyer; and

providing the offer to the single seller selling the plurality of items for consideration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the potential buyer is a qualified buyer allowed to make the offer for the customized combination package; and

preventing the potential buyer from making the offer based on the potential buyer not being a qualified buyer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a transaction history for the potential buyer to the single seller.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing identity and feedback information of the single seller to the potential buyer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the transaction history comprises providing a price history associated with the similar items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the transaction history comprises:

determining whether a further combination package of similar items identical to the customized combination package has been previously sold by the single seller;

based on the further combination package having been previously sold by the single seller, providing a transaction history for the further combination package to the potential buyer;

based on the determination that no further combination package of similar items identical to the customized combination package has been previously sold, determining if a smaller combination package comprising less similar items than all of the items in the customized combination package has been previously sold by the single seller; and

based on the smaller combination having been previously sold by the single seller, providing a transaction history for the smaller combination to the potential buyer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a listing for a combination package identical to the customized combination package based on the single seller accepting the offer for the customized combination package.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

an offer processing module, implemented by the at least one processor, to receive, from the potential buyer, a selection of a plurality of items offered for sale by a single seller, the selection of the plurality of items creating a customized combination package, the offer processing module further to receive an offer for the customized combination package from the potential buyer, and to provide the offer to the single seller selling the plurality of items for consideration; and

a history module to provide a transaction history for past transactions of similar items to the items of the customized combination package to the potential buyer.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a buyer qualification module to determine whether the potential buyer is a qualified buyer allowed to make the offer for the customized combination package, and to prevent the potential buyer from making the offer based on the potential buyer not being a qualified buyer.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a seller qualification module to prescreen the single seller prior to allowing the single seller to offer items for selection in generating the customized combination package.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a reputation engine to manage feedback data associated with the potential buyer and the single seller.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the history module is further to provide a price history associated with the similar items.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium in communication with at least one processor, the machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a potential buyer, a selection of a plurality of items offered for sale by a single seller, the selection of the plurality of items creating a customized combination package;

providing a transaction history for past transactions of similar items to the items of the customized combination package to the potential buyer;

receiving an offer for the customized combination package from the potential buyer; and

providing the offer to the single seller selling the plurality of items for consideration.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the potential buyer is a qualified buyer allowed to make the offer for the customized combination package; and

preventing the potential buyer from making the offer based on the potential buyer not being a qualified buyer.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the providing of the transaction history comprises providing a price history associated with the similar items.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the providing of the price history comprises:

determining whether a further combination package of similar items identical to the customized combination package has been previously sold by the single seller;

based on the further combination package having been previously sold by the single seller, providing a transaction history for the further combination package to the potential buyer;

based on the determination that no further combination package identical to the customized combination package has been previously sold, determining if a smaller combination comprising less similar items than all of the items in the customized combination package has been previously sold by the single seller; and

based on the smaller combination having been previously sold by the single seller, providing a transaction history for the smaller combination to the potential buyer.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise creating a listing for a combination package identical to the customized combination package based on the single seller accepting the offer for the customized combination package.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise limiting a number of times the potential buyer may make an offer on the customized combination package.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprises preventing the potential buyer from submitting an offer that is less than a predetermined amount of a recommended price.