Methods and systems to adjust a reserve price in a network-based commerce system

Abstract

Systems and methods to adjust a reserve price in a network-based commerce system are described. The system receives a proxy bid and an opt-in confirming the proxy bid is binding as an opt-in bid regardless of an adjustment to the reserve price by a seller. The system further receives an adjustment to the reserve price to generate an adjusted reserve price based on the received adjustment. Next, the system identifies whether the adjusted reserve price is less than the proxy bid. Next, the system identifies the proxy bid as an opt-in bid as a high proxy bid and the adjusted reserve price as lower than the high proxy bid. Finally, the system automatically designates the bidder associated with the high proxy bid as the current highest bidder of the item that is being auctioned and increases the proxy bid to the adjusted reserve price.

1 . A system comprising:
 at least one processor and executable instructions accessible on a computer-readable medium that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:   facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing, the network-based auction price-setting process being executed from memory by a processor to facilitate an auction for an item described by the listing at a network-based commerce system, the listing including a reserve price that is identified by a seller;   receiving from a bidder, over the network at the network-based commerce system, a proxy bid via a buyer interface;   communicating, over the network, a bid confirmation page to the bidder, the communicating of the bid confirmation page being responsive to receiving the proxy bid from the bidder and identifying the reserve price is adjustable;   receiving from the bidder, via the bid confirmation page, an opt-in confirming the proxy bid is binding as an opt-in bid regardless of an adjustment to the reserve price by the seller;   receiving, over a network at the network-based commerce system, from the seller, an adjustment to the reserve price to generate an adjusted reserve price based on the received adjustment;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system, whether the adjusted reserve price is less than the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid and automatically submitted to the network-based auction price-setting process for the bidder by the network-based commerce system;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system, the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid as a high proxy bid and the adjusted reserve price as lower than the high proxy bid; and   automatically designating, at the network-based commerce system, the bidder associated with the high proxy bid as the current highest bidder of the item that is being auctioned and increasing the proxy bid to the adjusted reserve price.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing, via an interface device, the seller with an option to offer the listing in at least one of a network-based fixed price-setting process and the network-based 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; and   determining that the seller has selected to offer the listing in the network-based fixed price-setting process.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising receiving from the seller an adjustment to the fixed price offer. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising providing the buyer with an option to purchase the item described by the listing using the network-based fixed price-setting process. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising automatically closing the auction process for the listing responsive to identifying the buyer opting to purchase the item described by the listing using the network-based fixed price-setting process. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 communicating a seller invitation, over a network from the network-based commerce system, to the seller, the seller invitation inviting the seller to exchange reserve price information that is associated with the listing for proxy bid information of a buyer that is further associated with the listing;   communicating a buyer invitation, over a network from the network-based commerce system, to the buyer, the buyer invitation inviting the buyer to exchange proxy bid information that is associated with the listing for reserve price information of the seller that is further associated with the listing;   receiving from the seller, over the network, an indication that the seller is willing to disclose the reserve price information to the buyer; and   receiving from the buyer, over the network, an indication that the buyer is willing to disclose the proxy bid information to the seller.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 communicating, over the network, the proxy bid information associated with the listing to the seller; and   communicating, over the network, the reserve price information associated with the listing to the buyer.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further including receiving from a buyer a bid and an opt-out indicating the bid is not binding. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising automatically notifying the buyer associated with the high proxy bid of the adjustment to the reserve price. 
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 at least one processor and executable instructions accessible on a computer-readable medium that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:   facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing, the network-based auction price-setting process being executed from memory by a processor to facilitate an auction for an item described by the listing at the network-based commerce system, the listing including a reserve price that is identified by a seller;   receiving from a bidder, over the network at the network-based commerce system, a proxy bid via a buyer interface;   communicating, over the network, a bid confirmation page to the bidder, the communicating of the bid confirmation page being responsive to receiving the proxy bid from the bidder and identifying the reserve price is adjustable;   receiving from the bidder, via the bid confirmation page, an opt-in confirming the proxy bid is binding as an opt-in bid regardless of an adjustment to the reserve price by the seller;   receiving, over a network at the network-based commerce system, from the seller, an adjustment to the reserve price to generate an adjusted reserve price based on the received adjustment;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system whether the adjusted reserve price is less than the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid and automatically submitted to the network-based auction price-setting process for the bidder by the network-based commerce system;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system, the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid as a high proxy bid and the adjusted reserve price as lower than the high proxy bid; and   automatically designating, at the network-based commerce system, the bidder associated with the high proxy bid as the current highest bidder of the item that is being auctioned and increasing the proxy bid to the adjusted reserve price.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 providing, via an interface device, the seller with an option to offer the listing in at least one of a network-based fixed price-setting process and the network-based 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; and   determining that the seller has selected to offer the listing in the network-based fixed price-setting process.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising receiving from the seller an adjustment to the fixed price offer. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising providing the buyer with an option to purchase the item described by the listing using the network-based fixed price-setting process. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising automatically closing the auction process for the listing responsive to identifying the buyer opting to purchase the item described by the listing using the network-based fixed price-setting process. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 communicating a seller invitation, over a network from the network-based commerce system, to the seller, the seller invitation inviting the seller to exchange reserve price information that is associated with the listing for proxy bid information of a buyer that is further associated with the listing;   communicating a buyer invitation, over a network from the network-based commerce system, to the buyer, the buyer invitation inviting the buyer to exchange proxy bid information that is associated with the listing for reserve price information of the seller that is further associated with the listing;   receiving from the seller, over the network, an indication that the seller is willing to disclose the reserve price information to the buyer; and   receiving from the buyer, over the network, an indication that the buyer is willing to disclose the proxy bid information to the seller.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 communicating, over the network, the proxy bid information associated with the listing to the seller; and   communicating, over the network, the reserve price information associated with the listing to the buyer.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further including receiving from a buyer a bid and an opt-out indicating the bid is not binding. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising automatically notifying the buyer associated with the high proxy bid of the adjustment to the reserve price. 
     
     
         20 . 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, operations comprising:
 facilitating a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing, the network-based auction price-setting process being executed from memory by a processor to facilitate an auction for an item described by the listing at the network-based commerce system, the listing including a reserve price that is identified by a seller;   receiving from a bidder, over the network at the network-based commerce system, a proxy bid via a buyer interface;   communicating, over the network, a bid confirmation page to the bidder, the communicating of the bid confirmation page being responsive to receiving the proxy bid from the bidder and identifying the reserve price is adjustable;   receiving from the bidder, via the bid confirmation page, an opt-in confirming the proxy bid is binding as an opt-in bid regardless of an adjustment to the reserve price by the seller;   receiving, over a network at the network-based commerce system, from the seller, an adjustment to the reserve price to generate an adjusted reserve price based on the received adjustment;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system, whether the adjusted reserve price is less than the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid and automatically submitted to the network-based auction price-setting process for the bidder by the network-based commerce system;   identifying, at the network-based commerce system, the proxy bid that has been received from the bidder for the listing as an opt-in bid as a high proxy bid and the adjusted reserve price as lower than the high proxy bid; and   automatically designating, at the network-based commerce system the bidder associated with the high proxy bid as the current highest bidder of the item that is being auctioned and increasing the proxy bid to the adjusted reserve price.