Method and apparatus for facilitating sales of goods by independent parties

Abstract

Systems and computer-implemented methods are provided for pricing a good offered for sale by a seller. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises receiving from a seller, via a communications network, data identifying a good offered for sale by the seller at an unspecified fixed price to be determined by a marketeer controller as a function of a third party's price for a comparable good. The method further includes querying a third party to determine a price for a comparable good and receiving, via the communications network, the third party's price for the comparable good. The marketeer controller is used to establishing a sale price for the good based on the third party price for the comparable good.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving from a seller, via a communications network, data identifying a good offered for sale by the seller at an unspecified fixed price to be determined by a marketeer controller as a function of a third party's price for a comparable good;   querying a third party to determine a price for a comparable good;   receiving, via the communications network, the price for the comparable good; and   using the marketeer controller, establishing a sale price for the good based on the price for the comparable good.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 presenting the good in a marketplace as an item for sale at the unspecified fixed price, the   
       marketplace being accessible to a buyer via the communications network; and
 presenting the good for sale in the market place at the sale price, the querying and establishing steps being performed responsive to receiving from the buyer, via the communications network, an expression of interest in purchasing the good, whereby the sale price is derived proximate a time of sale of the good to the buyer. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the seller agrees, before the sale, to sell the good at a sale price determined by the marketeer controller proximate a time of sale of the good to the buyer, the sale price being determined using a predetermined pricing method. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein using the predetermined pricing method to derive the sale price comprises equating an index price to the vendor's price of the comparable good. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the seller's good is used and has a certain universal product code (UPC) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN) code, and the comparable good is new and has an identical UPC or ISBN. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the querying is performed responsive to the receiving of the identifying data. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined pricing method is set by the marketeer controller. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined pricing method is set by the seller. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data identifying the seller's good comprises a universal product code (UPC). 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data identifying the seller's good comprises an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting the index price for the comparable good to determine the sale price for the seller's good. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined method comprises discounting the index price by approximately fifty percent. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the querying is performed responsive to receiving from a buyer, via the communications network, an expression of interest in purchasing the good. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the expression of interest is a standard identification code identifying the good. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the standard identification code comprises a universal product code (UPC). 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the standard identification code comprises an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving from a seller, via a communications network, data identifying a good offered for sale by the seller at an unspecified fixed price to be determined by a marketeer controller as a function of the price of comparable goods offered by various third parties;   querying a plurality of third parties for a price for a comparable good;   receiving, via the communications network, a set of third party prices for comparable goods; and   using the marketeer controller, establishing a sale price for the good based on the set of received third party prices for the comparable good.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising setting a predetermined method for deriving the sale price of the seller's good. 
     
     
         19 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving from a seller, via a communications network, data identifying a good offered for sale by the seller at an unspecified fixed price to be determined by a marketeer controller as a function of a third party's price for a comparable good, the seller's good being a certain good in used condition and the data representing the seller's agreement to sell the good in accordance with a predetermined method;   querying a third party to determine a price for a comparable good, the comparable good being a certain good in new condition; and   receiving, via the communications network, the price for the comparable good; and   using the marketeer controller, establishing a sale price for the good based on the received price for the comparable good, the predetermined method comprising discounting the received third party's price for the comparable good to determine the sale price for the independent seller's good.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the querying is performed proximate a time that the buyer wishes to buy the seller's good. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the querying is performed proximate a time that the seller registers the good with the marketeer controller as a good offered for sale by the seller. 
     
     
         22 . A marketeer controller for processing data for pricing a seller's good, the controller comprising:
 a network interface device for communicating with a seller's device and a third party's controller via a communications network;   software operable to receive from the seller's device data identifying the seller's good offered for sale at an unspecified fixed price to be determined by the marketeer controller as a function of a third party's price for a comparable good;   a shopping agent for querying the third party's controller to determine the third party's price for a good comparable to the seller's good, and for determining an index price based on the third party's price; and   a pricing agent for deriving a sale price for the seller's good, the pricing agent to derive the sale price for the seller's good from the index price.   
     
     
         23 . The marketeer controller of  claim 22 , wherein the shopping agent is to use a standard identification code to query the third party's controller. 
     
     
         24 . The marketeer controller of  claim 22 , wherein the seller's good is used and has a certain universal product code (UPC) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and the comparable good is new and has an identical UPC or ISBN. 
     
     
         25 . The marketeer controller of  claim 22 , wherein the price determined by the marketeer controller comprises discounting the index price to determine the sale price for the seller's good.