System and method for providing logistics for a sale of goods

Abstract

A system for providing logistics for a sale of goods. The system may be implemented over a global computer network, and is effective to provide financial logistics for a sale of goods between a seller and a remote buyer, in a manner that does not require interaction between the seller and buyer. The system further implements a geography-based and time-based strategy for executing the logistics of shipping time-sensitive goods from the seller to the buyer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for providing logistics for a sale of one or more goods between a remote seller and a remote buyer, said system:
 receiving, electronically by a processor of said system, information about said one or more goods, a price of said one or more goods, and a geographic location of said one or more goods;   obtaining an expiration time associated with said one or more goods and a point of last delivery; and   providing, electronically to said remote buyer on a computing device display, financial logistics and shipping logistics for completing said sale of said one or more goods without requiring interaction between said remote buyer and said remote seller;   wherein said shipping logistics include automated variation of shipping options that permit said one or more goods to reach said remote buyer from the geographic location of said one or more goods prior to the expiration time and that are presented by said system to said remote buyer as a function of the expiration time associated with said one or more goods and a geography-based consideration determined by said system from the geographic location of said one or more goods and the point of last delivery.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said system receives the information from said remote seller and the information from said remote buyer over a communications network. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said system determines a maximum amount of time required for said one or more goods to reach the point of last delivery by use of at least one geography-based and time-based strategy. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more goods are time-sensitive. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein said one or more goods are event tickets. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein said system utilizes said at least one geography-based and time-based strategy to provide said remote seller with a latest possible time for said sale to end. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said system further utilizes said at least one geography-based and time-based strategy to provide said remote buyer with at least one option for shipping said one or more goods to said remote buyer with at least one courier. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises one or more locations to which the one or more goods may be delivered. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises a location of the remote buyer and a location of an event venue, wherein the one or more goods are event tickets for an event at the event venue. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises at least two locations for the remote buyer. 
     
     
         11 . A computer system for providing logistics for a sale of one or more goods, said computer system executing a program stored in memory including computer-executable portions comprising:
 a first portion that receives information from a seller including a geographic location of said one or more goods, a desired sale price of said one or more goods, and description of said one or more goods and that obtains from said description of said one or more goods provided by said seller an expiration time associated with said one or more goods and a point of last delivery;   a second portion that presents said desired sale price and said description of said one or more goods to a buyer;   a third portion that receives a purchase request from said buyer;   a fourth portion that processes a payment to the seller from the buyer; and   a fifth portion that provides shipping logistics including presenting available shipping options to the buyer and arranging for shipping said one or more goods from said seller to said buyer;   wherein the available shipping options permit said one or more goods to reach said buyer from the geographic location of said one or more goods prior to the expiration time and are automatically provided to said buyer as a function of shipping logistics associated with said one or more goods determined from said expiration time associated with said one or more goods, said geographic location of said one or more goods, and said point of last delivery.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said first, second and third portions each comprise at least one interactive Web page. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein said first portion determines a last sale time for said sale to end based upon said geographic location of said one or more goods, said point of last delivery, and said expiration time associated with said one or more goods. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said fifth portion determines a maximum amount of time required for said one or more goods to reach said point of last delivery. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises one or more locations to which the one or more goods may be delivered. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises a location of the buyer and a location of an event venue, wherein the one or more goods are event tickets for an event at the event venue. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the point of last delivery comprises at least two locations for the buyer. 
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer readable medium executable by a computer processor storing a computer program for providing logistics for a sale of goods without requiring interaction between a seller and a buyer, the medium comprising:
 code for receiving information at a computer system from a computer of a seller regarding certain goods that said seller desires to sell;   code for providing said information from said computer system to a computer of at least one prospective buyer regarding said certain goods;   code for receiving a purchase request at said computer system for said certain goods from a buyer;   code for receiving payment from said buyer; and   code for providing logistics for the sale of said certain goods to the buyer and the seller via an automated system wherein identities of said seller and said buyer are maintained confidential from one another.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein said certain goods are time-sensitive. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein said code for providing said information to at least one prospective buyer is performed by use of a Web site. 
     
     
         21 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 18 , further comprising code for determining a plurality of shipping options by use of a geography and time-based strategy, and providing said plurality of shipping options to said buyer. 
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein each of said codes is performed without disclosing the identities of said buyer and said seller to one another.