Methods and Systems for Supporting Asset Exchange

Abstract

In typical two-way trading systems, bidders cannot trade directly with other bidders, and sellers cannot trade directly with other sellers, resulting in possible missed trading opportunities. Methods, systems, devices, and networks for enabling two-way trading systems to perform multi-party exchanges are disclosed. Example embodiments allow multiple bidders (buyers), multiple sellers, or a seller and bidder of separate marketplaces to trade among themselves. Embodiments may discover, for bidders and sellers, opportunities to trade with other sellers or bidders, or both, without a time-consuming and limited process of searching and discovering relevant opportunities. Bidders and sellers may not find such opportunities on their own in typical two-way trading systems. The embodiments may be implemented as stand-alone systems or as add-ons that may be used to augment or enhance existing two-way trading systems.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of operating an auction, the method comprising:
 offering a bidder's bidding asset, in the form of a representation of the bidding asset, to a seller of an auction asset in exchange for the seller's auction asset, the bidder already bidding on a bid-on auction asset that is different from the seller's auction asset.