Method and apparatus for facilitating sales of goods by independent parties

• US 20040138966A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Balijepalli, Srinivas, Kopelman, Joshua M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A method for facilitating sales of goods by independent parties. An independent seller is presented with a menu including selectable options for deriving a sale price for the independent seller'"'"'s good. Each of the options corresponds to a respective predetermined method for determining the sale price. The sale price for the independent seller'"'"'s good is derived using the predetermined method corresponding to a seller-selected option. Goods in addition to those registered for sale at a website of the marketeer may be presented in an electronic marketplace. Information concerning such additional goods may be retrieved from a database accessible to the marketeer controller. If a buyer wishes to purchase a certain good from the electronic marketplace, and the certain good has not been registered for sale at the website of the marketeer, the marketeer may refer the buyer to a third party vendor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for pricing goods of independent sellers using a marketeer controller capable of communicating via a communications network, the marketeer controller including a CPU and a memory operatively connected to the CPU, the method comprising the marketeer controller:

receiving from an independent seller, via the communications network, data identifying the independent seller'"'"'s good;

presenting to the independent seller a menu including plurality of selectable options, each of the options corresponding to a respective predetermined method for deriving a sale price for the independent seller'"'"'s good; and

deriving the sale price for the independent seller'"'"'s good using the predetermined method corresponding to a seller-selected option.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sale price is determined proximate a time of sale of the good to the buyer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined method comprises a discounting a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the marketeer controller stores a database of suggested retail prices.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a price for a certain good in new condition when the independent seller'"'"'s good is the certain good in used condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller agrees, before the sale, to sell the good at a sale price determined by the marketeer proximate a time of sale of the good to the buyer, the sale price being determined in accordance with the predetermined method corresponding to the seller-selected option.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the marketeer controller stores a database of suggested retail prices.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a price for a certain good in new condition when the independent seller'"'"'s good is the certain good in used condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sale price is determined proximate to a time the buyer wishes to buy the good.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a price for a certain good in new condition when the independent seller'"'"'s good is the certain good in used condition.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting from a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting a price for a certain good in new condition when the independent seller'"'"'s good is the certain good in used condition.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein referring the buyer to the third party vendor comprises presenting a link to the third party vendor'"'"'s website.

15. A computer-implemented method for facilitating sales of goods of independent sellers using a marketeer controller capable of communicating via a communications network, the marketeer controller including a CPU and a memory operatively connected to the CPU, the method comprising the marketeer controller:

presenting in an electronic marketplace goods registered for sale at a marketeer'"'"'s website, the goods having been registered by a plurality of independent sellers;

presenting in the electronic marketplace additional goods, information concerning such additional goods being retrieved from a database accessible to the marketeer controller; and

if a buyer wishes to purchase via the electronic marketplace a certain good selected from among the registered goods and the additional goods, and the certain good has not been registered for sale at the website of the marketeer, referring the buyer to a third party vendor.