Ebay, Incorporated

Half.com, Inc.

Srinivas Balijepalli

Joshua M Kopelman

Christopher D Fralic

Vadim Geshel

Michael Schwankl

Pete Borowsky

Christopher D Fralie

Joshua R Kopelman

A method and system facilitate a transaction via a network-based transaction facility. For example, a pre-order relating to an item is recorded in a database; a plurality of offers to sell the item is received; and a matching operation to detect a correspondence between the pre-order and the plurality of offers is automatically performed using processor-implemented logic. The pre-order is set to a reserve state in the database based on at least one offer of the plurality of offers matching the preorder, in which the reserve state reserves the at least one offer pending establishment of a transaction for the at least one offer.

Method and system of facilitating a transaction

A method and apparatus to present information relating to a good. A product identification code is received via a cellular telephone, the product identification code identifying the good. The information relating to the good is presented via a network and using the product identification code.

Method and apparatus for presenting information relating to a good

A method for pricing independent sellers' goods. A marketeer exploits the nature of readily identifiable, fungible, durable goods by determining a price for a good, such as a used good, by using a price of a comparable good, such as a new good, as an index price and deriving a discounted sale price for the good from the price of the comparable good having essentially the same value due to its fungible, durable nature. A best price for the good is ensured by using as the index price a lowest price among a group of vendors for the comparable good. A shopping agent program may be used to query one or more vendors to determine a best price for the comparable good, and a pricing agent program may be used to derive a discounted sale price for the good from the best price for the comparable good.

Method and apparatus for facilitating sales of goods by independent parties

A method and apparatus to present a good of a seller. A product identification code is received via a cellular telephone, the product identification code identifying the good. The good is then presented for sale via a network and using the product identification code.

Method and apparatus for listing goods for sale

A method to facilitate pre-ordering of an offering via a network-based transaction facility includes, responsive to user identification of an offering, communicating offering information to the user regarding the offering. In conjunction with the offering information, a selectable option is communicated to the user to pre-order the offering by specifying pre-order attribute information. Following selection the pre-order option by a user and provision of the pre-order attribute information, a pre-order relating to an item is recorded at the transaction facility. The pre-order specifies a plurality of pre-order attributes. An offer to sell the item is received at the transaction facility, the offer specifying a plurality of offer attributes. A matching operation is automatically performed to detect a correspondence between the pre-order and the offer. The matching operation utilizes at least one pre-order attribute of the pre-order attributes and at least one offer attribute of the offer attributes to detect the correspondence. Responsive to a detection of the correspondence by the matching operation, a transaction facilitating operation is automatically performed to facilitate establishment of a transaction whereby the pre-order is satisfied by the offer to sell the item.

Method and system to facilitate pre-ordering via an electronic commerce facility, and to automatically facilitate satisfying of a pre-order upon listing of an appropriate offer via the electronic commerce facility

A method for using a telephone to list a seller's good for sale on a website including the steps of receiving good-identifying information from a seller via a telephone and presenting the good for sale on a website. The good-identifying information may be received as a series of tones generated by depression of keys of a telephone. The tones may optionally be used to navigate through a voice prompt system or to provide information about the good, such as the good's UPC code, ISBN number and/or characteristics of the good. The seller's provision of a standard identification code allows the marketeer to retrieve information relating to the good from a database and to use such information to present the good for sale. Such information, and/or the characteristics provided by the seller that are specific to the good may optionally be used to set or recommend a price for the good.

A method for selecting a seller in a multi-seller environment in which multiple sellers are offering for sale one or more goods desired by the buyer. A criterion for selecting a seller may be specified by the buyer or an intermediary. After identifying a seller offering the desired good(s) for sale, a seller is selected which best satisfies the criterion. More than one criterion may be specified. If the buyer desires to purchase multiple goods, a seller offering one or more of the multiple goods may be selected or a seller solution including a combination of sellers may be selected. A computer-implemented method and an apparatus for carrying out the computer-implemented method is also provided.

Method and apparatus for optimizing seller selection in a multi-seller environment

A method for facilitating sales of goods of independent sellers. The method involves receiving a standard identification code, such as a UPC or ISBN code, of readily identifiable goods. The standard identification code is transmitted by a seller to a third-party marketeer who adds the good to its virtual inventory of goods for sale. The marketeer then presents the independent sellers' goods for sale to buyers shopping in the marketeer's marketplace. The marketeer need not take actual possession of the goods, yet the marketeer may properly present the goods for sale because the characteristics of the good identified by the standard identification code are known. The marketeer may set a price for the goods, e.g. as a function of a competing vendor's price for a comparable good having the same standard identification code.

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.

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Devon, PA, United States of America

Srinivas Balijepalli