Introducing a fixed-price transaction mechanism in conjunction with an auction transaction mechanism

• US 8,751,326 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Grove, Brian Alan, Edson, Zak James, Grove, Steve, Sandler, Andrew Leigh
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US12/495,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.3, 705/26.4
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method and systems for auction price-setting for a listing using a fixed price-setting process are disclosed. A seller is provided with an option to offer the listing in the fixed price-setting process or the auction price-setting process. A fixed price offer for the listing is published based on a criterion. Additional embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a network-based commerce system,

facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing using a fixed price-setting process executed from memory by a processor;

providing, via an interface device, a seller with an option to offer the listing in at least one of the fixed price-setting process and the auction price-setting process;

receiving from the seller a fixed price offer for publication in the listing;

publishing, via a server, the fixed price offer for the listing;

receiving from the seller an adjustment to the fixed price offer to generate an adjusted fixed price offer based on the received adjustment; and

identifying whether the adjusted fixed price offer is less than a proxy bid that has been received from a bidder for the listing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the seller has selected to offer the listing in the fixed price-setting process.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a buyer a bid and an opt-in that indicates the bid is binding regardless of an adjustment to the fixed price offer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusted fixed price offer is lower than a high proxy bid.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

automatically designating a buyer associated with the high proxy bid as the winner of the auctioned item.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

automatically notifying a buyer associated with the high proxy bid upon the publication of the adjustment to the fixed price offer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the seller an adjustment to the reserve price.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a buyer with an option to purchase the listing using the fixed price-setting process.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

automatically closing the auction process for the listing when the buyer opts to purchase the listing using the fixed price-setting process.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a seller invitation, over a network from a network-based auction facility, to a first seller, the seller invitation inviting the first seller to exchange reserve price information that is associated with a first listing for proxy bid information of a first buyer that is further associated with the first listing;

communicating a buyer invitation, over a network from a network-based auction facility, to the first buyer, the buyer invitation inviting the first buyer to exchange proxy bid information that is associated with the first listing for reserve price information of the first seller that is further associated with the first listing;

receiving from the first seller, over the network, an indication that the first seller is willing to disclose the reserve price information to the first buyer;

receiving from the first buyer, over the network, an indication that the first buyer is willing to disclose the proxy bid information to the first seller;

communicating, over the network, the proxy bid information associated with the first listing to the first seller; and

communicating, over the network, the reserve price information associated with the first listing to the first buyer.

11. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving from a buyer a bid and an opt-out indicating the bid is not binding based on an adjustment to the fixed price offer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein publishing the fixed price offer based on the criterion includes publishing the fixed price offer when a bid to buy has reached a value during the auction.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform, at a network-based commerce system, a method comprising:

facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing using a fixed price-setting process executed from memory by a processor;

providing, via an interface device, a seller with an option to offer the listing utilizing at least on of the fixed price-setting process and the auction price-setting process;

receiving from the seller a fixed price offer for publication in the listing;

publishing, via a server, the fixed price offer for the listing;

receiving from the seller an adjustment to the fixed price offer to generate an adjusted fixed price offer based on the received adjustment; and

identifying whether the adjusted fixed price offer is less than a proxy bid that has been received from a bidder for the listing.

14. A network-based commerce system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

the processor to execute from the memory a fixed price-setting process to facilitate the operation of a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing, the fixed price-setting process to provide a fixed price offer for the listing;

an interface device to provide a seller with an option to offer the listing in at least one of the fixed price-setting process and the auction price-setting process, the interface device is to receive from the seller a fixed price offer for publication in the listing and an adjustment to the fixed price offer to generate an adjusted fixed price offer based on the received adjustment; and

a server to identify whether the adjusted fixed price offer is less than a proxy bid that has been received from a bidder for the listing.

15. The network-based commerce system of claim 14, wherein the processor is to determine that the seller has opted to offer the listing in the fixed price-setting process.

16. The network-based commerce system of claim 14, wherein the interface device is to receive from a buyer a bid and an opt-in that indicates the bid is binding regardless of an adjustment to the fixed price offer.

17. The network-based commerce system of claim 14, wherein the interface device is to receive from the seller an adjustment to at least one of the pre-auction price or the reserve price.

18. The network-based commerce system of claim 14, wherein the interface device is to provide the buyer with an option to purchase the listing using the fixed price-setting process.

19. The network-based commerce system of claim 14 wherein the processor is to automatically close the auction process for the listing when the buyer options to purchase the listing using the fixed price-setting process.

20. A system comprising:

means for facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing using a fixed price-setting process executed from a memory by a processor;

means for providing, via an interface device, a seller with an option to offer the listing in at least one of the fixed price-setting process and the auction price-setting process; and

means for publishing, via a server, the fixed price offer for the listing;

means for receiving from the seller an adjustment to the pre auction price an adjustment to the fixed price offer to generate an adjusted fixed price offer based on the received adjustment; and

means for identifying whether the adjusted fixed price offer is less than a proxy bid that has been received from a bidder for the listing.