U.S. patent application number 12/100106 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-16 for method and apparatus for facilitating sales of goods by independent parties.
This patent application is currently assigned to EBAY. Invention is credited to Srinivas Balijepalli, Joshua M. Kopelman.
Application Number | 20080255966 12/100106 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23697005 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080255966 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kopelman; Joshua M. ; et
al. |
October 16, 2008 |
Method and Apparatus For Facilitating Sales of Goods By Independent
Parties
Abstract
A method for facilitating sales and pricing of independent
parties' goods. The method removes price control from buyers and
sellers by deriving a sale price from an index price using a method
set by either the seller or a third party. The index price is
provided by a party other than the buyer or seller. The sale price
may be derived at a time of sale or at a time of registering the
good for sale. The standard ID code of readily identifiable,
fungible, durable goods is used by sellers to identify used goods
to the marketeer. The marketeer exploits the nature of such goods
by choosing the price of a comparable new good as an index price
and deriving a discounted sale price for the used good from the
price of a new good having essentially the same value due to its
fungible, durable nature. A best price for a good is ensured by
using as the index price a lowest price among a group of vendors
for a comparable good. In a computer-implemented version of the
method, a shopping agent program is used to query one or more
vendors to determine a best price for a comparable good and a
pricing agent program is used to derive a discounted sale price for
the good from the best price for the new good. An apparatus for
performing a computer-implemented version of the inventive method
is also provided.
Inventors: |
Kopelman; Joshua M.;
(Wynnewood, PA) ; Balijepalli; Srinivas; (Devon,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Saul Ewing LLP (Philadelphia)
Attn: Patent Docket Clerk, 2 North Second St.
Harrisburg
PA
17101
US
|
Assignee: |
EBAY
San Jose
CA
|
Family ID: |
23697005 |
Appl. No.: |
12/100106 |
Filed: |
April 9, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09427958 |
Oct 27, 1999 |
7373317 |
|
|
12100106 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.43 ;
705/26.62; 705/26.64; 705/27.1; 705/400 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0629 20130101;
G06Q 30/0623 20130101; G06Q 30/0625 20130101; G06Q 30/0641
20130101; G06Q 30/0207 20130101; G06Q 30/0619 20130101; G06Q
30/0283 20130101; G06Q 30/0643 20130101; G06Q 30/0601 20130101;
G06Q 30/0613 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0617
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/27 ;
705/400 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00; G06Q 20/00 20060101 G06Q020/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for pricing an independent
seller's good using a marketeer controller capable of communicating
with a buyer interface and a seller interface via a communications
network, the marketeer controller including a CPU and a memory
operatively connected to the CPU and containing a program stored in
the memory and executable by said CPU for deriving a sale price of
the good, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving from
the seller, via the communications network, an expression of
interest in selling the good; (b) querying a vendor's controller to
determine the vendor's price of a comparable good; and (c)
executing the program to derive the sale price for the good from
the vendor's price using a predetermined method.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the step of:
(d) equating an index price to the vendor's price of the comparable
good.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller's good is a used,
fungible, durable good and the comparable good is a similar new
good.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein step (b) is performed responsive
to step (a).
5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: (e)
receiving from the buyer, via the communications network, an
expression of interest in purchasing the good, step (b) being
performed responsive to step (e).
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the expression of interest
received in step (a) is a standard identification code identifying
the good, the method further comprising the step of: (f) storing
the identification code in the memory to register the good with a
marketeer as an item for sale by the seller, step (f) being
performed before step (b).
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification code comprises
a universal product code (UPC).
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the identification code comprises
an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of: (g)
presenting the good in a marketplace as an item for sale at an
unidentified price, the marketplace being accessible by a buyer
using a buyer interface via the communications network, step (g)
being performed before step (e); and (h) presenting the good for
sale in the marketplace at the sale price, step (h) being performed
after step (c).
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the marketplace is a
website.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communications network is a
publicly accessible communications network.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: (i)
receiving from the seller data specifying the predetermined method,
step (i) being performed before step (c).
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined method
comprises discounting the index price for a comparable good by
approximately fifty percent to determine the sale price for the
seller's good.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein: step (b) comprises querying
multiple third parties to determine multiple third party prices of
the comparable good; and step (d) comprises equating the index
price to the lowest of the multiple third party prices determined
in step (b).
15. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined method is set
by the marketeer.
16. A marketeer controller for processing data for pricing an
independent seller's good, comprising: a central processing unit
(CPU) for executing programs; a memory operatively connected to the
CPU; a network interface device operatively connected to the CPU
for communicating with a seller interface and a vendor's controller
via a communications network; a first program stored in the memory
for receiving and storing data from the seller to identify a good;
a shopping agent program stored in the memory for querying a
vendor's controller to determine the vendor's price of a comparable
good similar to the seller's good and for determining an index
price based on the vendor's price; and a pricing agent program
stored in the memory for deriving a sale price of the good from the
index price using a predetermined method.
17. The marketeer controller of claim 16, further comprising a
second program stored in the memory for receiving data from a buyer
representing the buyer's interest in purchasing the good, wherein
the shopping agent program is executed responsive to receipt of
data representing the buyer's interest in purchasing the good.
18. The marketeer controller of claim 17, wherein the shopping
agent program is configured to use the standard identification code
to query the vendor's controller.
19. The marketeer controller of claim 18, wherein the shopping
agent program is configured to query multiple vendor controllers to
determine multiple vendor prices for the comparable good and to
equate the index price to the lowest of the multiple vendor
prices.
20. The marketeer controller of claim 19, wherein the predetermined
method used by the pricing agent program is specified by the
marketeer controller.
21. The marketeer controller of claim 19, wherein the seller
specifies the predetermined method used by the pricing agent
program and the first program receives and stores in the memory
data indicating the predetermined method.
22. The marketeer controller of claim 21, wherein the predetermined
method comprises discounting the index price for a comparable good
by approximately fifty percent to determine the sale price for the
seller's good.
23. The marketeer controller of claim 22, further comprising a
third program for presenting the good for sale at the sale
price.
24. A method for pricing an independent seller's used good
comprising the steps of: (a) receiving an expression of a seller's
interest in selling the good; (b) querying a vendor to determine
the vendor's price for a comparable new good; and (c) deriving a
sale price for the used good from the vendor's price for the new
good, using a predetermined method.
25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of: (d)
receiving from a seller a standard identification code identifying
a good.
26. A method for facilitating sale of an independent seller's used
good by a marketeer comprising the steps of: (a) receiving from a
seller a standard identification code identifying a good; (b)
obtaining the seller's agreement to sell the good at a price
determined by a marketeer using a predetermined method; (c)
receiving from the buyer an expression of interest in purchasing
the good; (d) determining an index price equal to a vendor's price
for a comparable new good; (e) deriving a sale price for the used
good from the index price using the predetermined method; and (f)
presenting the good for sale at the sale price.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of: (g)
receiving an indication that the buyer wishes to buy the good at
the sale price; (h) identifying the seller to the buyer and the
buyer to the seller so that the seller may sell the good to the
buyer.
28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of: (i)
receiving an indication that the buyer wishes to buy the good at
the sale price; (j) aiding sale of the good by acting as a
clearinghouse by receiving the good from the seller, receiving
payment in the amount of the sale price from the buyer, and then
shipping the good to the buyer and providing compensation to the
seller.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the marketeer retains a portion
of the sale price.
30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of: (k)
receiving an indication that the buyer wishes to buy the good at
the sale price; (l) aiding sale of the good by referring the buyer
and the seller to an intermediary acting as a clearinghouse.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the marketeer acts as a
clearinghouse by receiving the good from the seller, receiving
payment in the amount of the sale price from the buyer, and then
shipping the good to the buyer and proving compensation to the
seller.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the marketeer receives a
portion of the sale price.
33. The method of claim 26, wherein the method is a computer
implemented method and steps (a) through (f) are performed by
computer programs communicating via a communications network.
34. The method of claim 26, wherein step (d) is performed
responsive to step (a).
35. The method of claim 26, wherein step (d) is performed
responsive to step (b).
36. The method of claim 26, wherein step (d) is performed
responsive to step (c).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of pricing
goods for sale and particularly to a method and apparatus for
pricing and selling goods in electronic commerce applications using
communications networks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The industrial age has given rise to a global economy of
factories engaged in mass production of various goods. An enormous
amount of commerce is transacted in the buying and selling of such
goods. While some such goods lose their value with use, e.g., food
products, many such goods retain a substantial portion of their
value even after use or ownership by another. Such goods are
referred to herein as "durable". A considerable amount of commerce
is transacted in the buying and selling of durable goods,
particularly used durable goods.
[0003] Almost all durable goods are readily identifiable by a
standard unique identification code ("ID code"), particularly those
that are mass produced. In the case of computer software, music
cassettes or compact discs, videocassettes and digital video discs,
the ID code may be a human readable Universal Product Code ("UPC"),
a thirteen digit ID code that readily identifies the good. In the
case of books, magazines or other publications, the ID code may be
a ten-digit International Standard Book Number ("ISBN"). Other
items are more readily identified by a manufacturer or brand name
and a model number, as for baseball cards and consumer electronics,
e.g., a Sony.RTM. KV-3620 television. Some goods may be identified
by more than one type of ID code.
[0004] Many durable and readily identifiable goods are fungible
items that derive their value substantially from their common
characteristics. For example, a single signed copy of Michael
Jackson's album titled "Thriller" and recorded on a compact disc
("CD") derives much of its value because it is signed by the
performance artist. Such a CD is unique and therefore is not a
fungible good. In contrast, an unsigned copy of Michael Jackson's
"Thriller" CD derives substantially all of its value because of the
songs recorded thereon. Therefore, all such CD's have substantially
the same value to consumers. Such CD's are therefore fungible.
[0005] Auctions provide one type of marketplace for selling goods.
Used goods sold at auction are sold at prices set by interested
buyers. An auctioneer facilitates sale transactions without the
need to maintain goods in inventory. Auctions are particularly good
for sellers to insure a highest possible sale price, especially for
unique, non-fungible items. However, determining and ensuring a
fair price is difficult for buyers. Buyers must have a high degree
of knowledge to determine whether a price for a certain good is
fair.
[0006] Retail selling also provides a marketplace for sale of
goods. Used goods sold at retail are sold at prices set by a
seller. Retail selling is advantageous to the seller because it
allows the seller to control the price of the good. However, it
requires the seller to maintain a large inventory of goods, which
is expensive and disadvantageous. Competition, particularly for
fungible goods, drives prices downward which is advantageous to the
buyer. The seller must have a high degree of knowledge to ensure
that his price is competitive. In addition, a price for a good may
be fair to the buyer when set by the seller, but may no longer be
fair if market conditions change after the price is set and before
the buyer purchases the good.
[0007] Electronic commerce, or Internet-based sales are common and
have problems similar to retail. Numerous online auctions may be
found. An example of such an online auction is held by eBay Inc. of
San Jose, Calif., at www.ebay.com. Such auctions are better suited
to unique goods but are also used for fungible goods. However,
"bidding wars" between buyers can lead to high prices for such
goods, whether new or used.
[0008] Retail type sales are also conducted at numerous online
websites, such as www.amazon.com. Online retail selling is also
disadvantageous because it requires the seller to maintain a
substantial inventory of goods. A reverse-auction system, where a
seller may accept a price set by a buyer is provided on the
worldwide web at www.priceline.com by priceline.com Inc. of
Stamford, Conn. U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,127 to Walker et al. discloses
a reverse auction method, apparatus and program for pricing,
selling and exercising options to purchase airline tickets.
[0009] For electronic commerce applications, software-implemented
shopping agents are well known. Using a shopping agent, a buyer can
identify vendors and prices for a good. One type of shopping agent
queries multiple vendor's websites to determine a best price or
list of prices. For example Cendant Corp. of New York, N.Y. is a
retail seller of new books which provides access to such a shopping
agent on the worldwide web at www.books.com. Books.com uses a
pricing agent ("Price Compare") to price items it sells and holds
in its inventory. It uses the shopping agent to query several
competitors and, if its price for a new book is not less than its
competitors' prices, the pricing agent sets the price for its new
book at less than the lowest competitor's price for the same new
book. However, the seller still controls the price since it
determines the method used by its pricing agent to set the price.
In addition, the seller is required to maintain a substantial
inventory of books.
[0010] Until now, there has been no acceptable way to facilitate
sales of goods which ensures fair pricing while eliminating the
need for inventory and minimizing pricing burdens on the buyer and
the seller. In addition there is no acceptable way to exploit the
fungible nature of durable goods.
[0011] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a method for facilitating pricing and sales of goods.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
method which does not require maintenance of an inventory of
goods.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a method for pricing goods for sale by independent sellers.
[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to ensure
lowest pricing of goods which exploits the fungible nature of
goods.
[0015] It is yet a further object of the present invention to
exploit the fungible nature of used durable goods to price
goods.
[0016] It is yet a further object of the present invention to
derive a price for an independent seller's good as a function of a
third party's price for a similar good.
[0017] It is yet a further object of the present invention to
provide an apparatus for facilitating sales and pricing of
goods.
[0018] It is yet a further object of the present invention to
provide a computer-implemented method for facilitating sales and
pricing of goods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The invention provides a method for facilitating sales and
pricing of goods by removing direct price control from the buyer
and the seller. The invention automates the pricing process by
deriving a sale price from a third party's index price using a
method set by either the seller or an intermediary, referred to
herein as the "marketeer". A current index price is determined by
reference to a party other than the buyer or seller at a time of
listing the good for sale or at a time of the sale. An appealing
price for an item may be ensured by using a lowest price of a group
of vendors for a comparable good as the index price and deriving a
discounted sale price from the index price. The readily
identifiable, fungible nature of durable goods is exploited by the
sellers to identify used goods to the marketeer using a standard ID
code. The good is never received for sale by the marketeer yet its
characteristics are known. The marketeer exploits the nature of
such goods when determining the index price for a new good and when
pricing a used good by deriving from the index price a sale price
representing a discount to the buyer for a used good having
essentially the same value as a new good.
[0020] A computer-implemented method for pricing an independent
seller's good using a marketeer controller is also provided. The
marketeer controller is capable of communicating with a buyer
interface and a seller interface via a communications network, the
marketeer controller including a CPU and a memory operatively
connected to the CPU. The marketeer controller stores in its memory
a program executable by the CPU for deriving a sale price of the
good. The computer-implemented method comprises the steps of:
receiving from the buyer via the communications network, an
expression of interest in purchasing the good; querying a vendor's
controller to determine the vendor's price of a comparable good;
and executing the program to derive the sale price of the good
using a predetermined method.
[0021] A marketeer controller for processing data for pricing an
independent seller's good in accordance with the present invention
is also provided. The marketeer controller comprises: a central
processing unit (CPU) for executing programs; a memory operatively
connected to the CPU; a network interface device operatively
connected to the CPU for communicating with a seller interface and
a vendor's controller via a communications network; a first program
stored in the memory for receiving identification code data from
the seller to identify a good and for storing the data; a second
program stored in the memory for receiving data from a buyer
representing the buyer's interest in purchasing the good; a
shopping agent program stored in the memory for querying a vendor's
controller to determine the vendor's price of a comparable good
similar to the seller's good and for determining an index price as
a function of the vendor's price and a pricing agent program stored
in the memory for deriving a sale price of the good from the index
price using a predetermined method.
[0022] A non-computer-implemented method for pricing an independent
seller's good also is provided.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram providing an example of a
transaction in accordance with the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a marketeer controller in
accordance with the present invention; and
[0025] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram providing an example of a
computer-implemented method for pricing and facilitating sale of an
independent seller's good in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for
facilitating sales between buyers and sellers and pricing goods for
sale. A marketeer facilitates sales and pricing of the sellers'
goods. In one embodiment an index price is obtained from a third
party at a time proximate to the time the buyer wishes to buy the
good. In the preferred embodiment, the index price is obtained from
a third party at a time proximate to the time the seller registers
the good with the marketeer as a good for sale by the seller. The
seller agrees, before the sale, to sell his good at a sale price
determined by the marketeer using an index price as a reference.
The seller may specify a method for deriving the sale price as a
function of the index price. Alternatively, the marketeer may
specify the method. In alternate embodiments, the seller is
presented with additional alternative options for pricing the
seller's good, e.g., to specify a fixed price, or to specify a
discount from a suggested retail price, i.e., a "list" or "cover"
price instead of deriving a price from an index price. The
marketeer may optionally store a database of suggested retail
prices.
[0027] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram providing an example of a
transaction in accordance with the present invention in which the
index price is determined at or near the time of the sale. By way
of example, the invention will be discussed below in the contexts
of sale of a used paperback copy of Sue Grafton's book titled "A is
for Alibi". First, a seller identifies ("registers") his book for
sale with the marketeer as shown at step 20. The marketeer does not
take possession of the book for inventory purposes but rather
registers the book as an item for sale. The marketeer presents the
book in a marketplace as an item for sale by an undisclosed seller,
as shown at step 22. If the method is computer-implemented, the
marketplace may be a website and the book may be presented using
images and/or text retrieved from an existing database--such
information need not be provided by the seller. To a buyer, it may
appear that the book is being offered for sale by the marketeer. In
an alternate embodiment, the marketplace could be a conventional
type storefront including a booth or kiosk presenting a printed
catalog or brochure depicting goods, and/or product samples
representing goods for sale.
[0028] The buyer may browse the marketplace and the goods presented
for sale by the marketeer. When the buyer expresses an interest in
a the book, the marketeer determines an index price for the book,
as shown at steps 24 and 26. In one embodiment, the index price is
an independent third party's price for a comparable good,
preferably a new book, if the seller is offering a used book. In an
alternate embodiment, the index price is the lowest price among a
group of independent third parties' prices for the comparable good.
If the method is computer-implemented, the index price may be
determined by querying a third party vendor's computer or web
server, e.g., using a standard product identification code such as
a universal product code ("UPC") or International Standard Book
Number ("ISBN"). For example, the marketeer could query amazon.com
to determine that amazon.com is selling a new paperback copy of "A
is for Alibi" for $10 and set the index price to $10. Determining
an index price proximate the time of sale to the buyer ensures a
fair or lowest price for the good relative to other vendors'
prices.
[0029] The marketeer then derives a sale price from the index
price, as shown at step 28. In one embodiment, the method for
deriving the price is determined by the marketeer. In another
embodiment, the method for deriving the price is specified by the
seller at the time the seller presents the good to the marketeer
for sale. For example, the method may represent a discount from the
index price, e.g., a 50% discount from the index price. In this
example, the marketeer derives a sale price of $5 for the seller's
used book by applying a 50% discount to amazon.com's price of $10
for a new paperback copy of "A is for Alibi". This ensures that the
sale price is fair, in one embodiment, or the lowest price, in
another embodiment. The marketeer then presents the book for sale
to the buyer at the sale price. If the buyer decides to buy the
book at the sale price, the marketeer facilitates the purchase/sale
transaction between the buyer and the seller, as shown at step 30
and 32. The marketeer may facilitate the sale, for example, by
identifying the buyer to the seller and the seller to the buyer and
permitting the buyer and seller to complete the transaction.
Alternatively, the marketeer may facilitate the same by referring
the parties to a third party intermediary acting as a clearinghouse
for the transaction, or by acting as the clearinghouse itself. When
the marketeer acts as the clearinghouse, it receives only sold
goods and therefore has no inventory in the traditional sense. In
the preferred embodiment, the marketeer is compensated for
facilitating the transaction.
[0030] It should be appreciated that such a transaction may be
implemented in a variety of ways. For example, all communications
between the buyer, seller, marketeer, and vendors could be made
between humans by telephone. However, in the preferred embodiment,
the inventive method is software-implemented in an electronic
commerce application and all communications are transmitted
electronically between computers communicating via a communications
network.
[0031] In the preferred embodiment, the marketeer provides an
electronic marketplace, e.g., a website, wherein sellers of goods
can register their goods with the marketeer for sale. The website
is accessible to buyers and sellers via a communications network,
such as the Internet. Buyers and sellers can communicate with the
marketeer, or its marketeer controller, e.g., a web server, using
an interface and interface software. For example, the buyer and
seller interface may each comprise a personal computer running
standard web browser software and having network access capability,
as is known in the art.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a marketeer controller 70 in
accordance with the present invention. The marketeer controller
also includes a central processing unit ("CPU") 72, random access
memory ("RAM") 74, read only memory ("ROM") 76, and a
communications port ("COMM PORT") 78 connected to a network
interface device 80 for communicating over a communications
network. The marketeer controller 70 also includes a storage memory
including a storage device 82 for storing data including a first
program for receiving identification code data from a seller to
identify a good presented for sale by a seller, a second program
for receiving data representing a buyer's interest in purchasing a
good, a shopping agent program for identifying an index price, a
pricing agent program for deriving a sale price and other data
required to complete sale transactions, e.g. buyer's and sellers
identity or contact information, information representing seller's
selection of a method for deriving a price, etc.
[0033] The marketeer controller is interconnected with or
interconnectable to buyer and seller interfaces (i.e., computers
running standard web browser software) via a communications network
such that information can be transmitted back and forth between the
buyer and seller interfaces and the marketeer controller and such
that the marketeer controller can transmit information back and
forth between third party vendors' computers (not shown).
[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing flow of an example of a
computer-implemented method for pricing and facilitating sale of an
independent seller's good in which the index price is determined
near a time of registering the good for sale. A seller first
reaches the marketeer's website, as shown at step 100. In effect,
the seller is entering the marketeer's virtual marketplace. A
seller may do so by visiting the marketeer's website using his
buyer interface, i.e., personal computer, to access the marketeer
controller via the communications network. The seller then
identifies to the marketeer a good he wishes to sell, in effect,
registering the good for sale with the marketeer. To do so, the
seller submits a standard identification code to the marketeer, as
shown at step 110. This may be achieved by the seller using his
keyboard to enter the code into a field provided by the marketeer's
website, as is known in the art. The standard identification code
may be a universal product code (UPC) or an International Standard
Book Number (ISBN), for example. The use of a standard
identification code identifies the good in a manner readily
identifiable by the marketeer and/or buyers. The marketeer
controller stores the identification code in its memory to register
the good as an item for sale by the seller, as shown at step 120.
The marketeer controller may also store in its memory data provided
by the seller to identify the seller as the owner of the good.
[0035] In accordance with the method, the seller does not specify a
price but rather specifies a method for determining a sale price
from an index price, as shown at step 130. As discussed above, the
method could include a discount from a manufacturer's list price.
In the preferred embodiment, the seller specifies a method
including a discount from a price of a comparable new good by a
certain percentage. This may be achieved, for example, by the
seller's selection of an option from a menu presented by the
marketeer, e.g., by selecting a button or check-box using his
mouse, as is well known in the art. For example, the marketeer may
present a menu of options for a 70% discount from a manufacturer's
suggested retail price, a 70% discount from a price for a
comparable new good, a 50% discount from a manufacturer's suggested
retail price, or a 50% discount from a price for a comparable new
good. The marketeer controller also stores in its memory data
indicating the method specified by the seller for pricing the good,
as shown at step 140. In one embodiment, the seller is also
presented with an option for specifying a fixed price for the
good.
[0036] The marketeer determines an index price for the good, as
shown at step 150. In the preferred embodiment, determination of
the index price is performed by the marketeer controller. To do so,
the monitor controller queries multiple third party vendors of
comparable goods to determine their respective prices and to equate
the index price to the lowest price of a group of third party
vendors for a new good similar to the used good offered for sale by
the seller. The querying step is performed by a shopping agent
program stored in the memory of the marketeer controller. It is
advantageous to use a standard product identification code, such as
the UPC, to perform the query.
[0037] The marketeer then derives a sale price of the good from the
index price using the method specified by the seller, as shown at
step 160. This is performed by a pricing agent program stored in
the memory of the marketeer controller. Preferably, the method
includes a discount of the index price by approximately fifty
percent to determine the sale price of the seller's good. In one
embodiment, the seller is presented with the sale price and asked
to confirm his desire to offer the good for sale at the sale price.
After the marketeer controller has derived the sale price, it
stores in its memory the sale price of the good.
[0038] At this point, the good is registered with the marketeer for
sale by the seller. The marketeer has not taken possession of the
good. After a period of time, a buyer enters the marketeer's
marketplace by reaching the marketeer's website, as shown at step
170, using his personal computer to communicate with the marketeer
controller via the communications network. The buyer may browse the
marketeer's website to shop for a good. Presentation of electronic
storefronts, including browsing and searching abilities is well
known in the art. For example, books, music, and videos may be
categorized by content or genre. Alternatively, for example, a
buyer interested in a particular book may search by subject, author
or title, and view an image of the cover of the book, read a
description or review of the book, etc. In another embodiment, a
buyer could search for an item using its standard unique ID code.
Any method of categorizing, cataloging or searching may be used
which enables a buyer or potential buyer to find a good for which
he is looking or in which he may be interested.
[0039] If the buyer is interested in the possibility of purchasing
a good, the buyer expresses interest in buying the good, as shown
at step 180. The buyer may do so using any suitable method, as are
well known in the art. For example, a buyer may use his mouse to
select a button or click a checkbox displayed on a web page and
appearing on his video monitor.
[0040] The marketeer then presents the good to the buyer for sale
at the sale price, as shown at step 190. This may be achieved by
transmitting to the buyer data for displaying the sale price and a
description of the good on the video monitor of the buyer's
personal computer.
[0041] If the buyer decides to buy the good at the sale price, as
shown at step 200, he may indicate his intent to do so in a manner
similar to that described above with reference to expression of his
interest in purchasing the good. The marketeer then facilitates the
sale transaction between the buyer and the seller, as shown at step
210. This may be achieved in a variety of ways. For example, the
marketeer may refer the parties to an intermediary clearinghouse or
escrow agent or may itself act as the intermediary. In the
preferred embodiment, the buyer transmits identification
information to the marketeer controller which the marketeer
controller stores in its memory and the marketeer controller then
identifies the seller to the buyer and the buyer to the seller so
that they may complete the sale transaction.
[0042] This arrangement works particularly well for readily
identifiable, fungible, durable goods which have been pre-owned or
used since the goods are readily identified by both the buyer and
the seller, all goods, offer similar value to the consumer, and the
fact that the good has been used does not significantly deplete the
value of the good to the consumer.
[0043] In this manner, fair prices are ensured to buyers and
sellers by allowing a price to be set as a function of an
independent, third party vendor's price. Advantageously, the
marketeer is not required to maintain an expensive inventory of
goods, buyers do not have to shop tirelessly to get good values,
and sellers don't have to monitor prices of similar goods.
Additionally, in one embodiment, the buyer is ensured a lowest
price for a good since the sale price is set using the
seller-determined method at a discount from the lowest price of a
seller or group of sellers of a comparable new good at the time of
the sale, particularly when the index price is for a new good and
the sale price is for a used good.
[0044] In one embodiment, goods in addition to those listed or
registered for sale by sellers at the marketeer's website are
presented by the marketeer for browsing by a buyer. Information
concerning such additional goods may be retrieved from a database
accessible to the marketeer controller. In one embodiment, the
marketeer refers the buyer to a third party vendor if the buyer
wishes to purchase the good and the good sought by the buyer is not
listed for sale with the marketeer, e.g., by presenting a link to
the vendor's website. In another embodiment, the seller is
presented with opportunities to select a different pricing option
and to thereby change the sale price or to remove the good from the
marketeer's list of registered goods after registering the good for
sale.
[0045] Having thus described particular embodiments of the
invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements
will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,
modifications and improvements as are made obvious by this
disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not
expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit
and scope of the invention.
[0046] Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example
only, and not limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in
the following claims and equivalents thereto.
* * * * *
References