Abstract: Coordinating delivery of a gift from a gift giver to a recipient when sufficient information to deliver the gift is not provided in the gift order is disclosed. The gift order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system. The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, as well as recipient information. In response to the recipient information not including sufficient information so that the gift can be delivered to the recipient, the server system obtains delivery information for the gift order from one or more sources other than the gift giver and recipient. The server system directs the gift to be delivered to the recipient as indicated by the delivery information in response to sufficient delivery information being obtained.

Abstract: Various computer-implemented methods are disclosed for selecting items, including but not limited to user-submitted blurbs, to present to users. One such method comprises using a plurality of personalized selection algorithms to select items to nominate for presentation to a target user. Each personalized selection algorithm outputs one or more item nominations for the target user together with an associated relevance score for each nominated item. The method further comprises receiving the item nominations and associated relevance scores from the personalized selection algorithms, normalizing the relevance scores, and using at least the normalized relevance scores to select particular items to present to the target user.

Abstract: A system and process are disclosed for encoding selected data structures in browser cookies. The data structures may contain a variety of different types of data elements, including N-bit integers and other non-character elements. A version tracking scheme provides forward and backward compatibility between client and server software. The process is implemented without the need for any browser extensions, and without the need for users to download any special code to their computers.

Abstract: A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a user at a client system and received by a server system. The client system can display information identifying the item and, for each of multiple procurement options having information related to ordering the identified item, can display an indication of the procurement option such that selection of the displayed indication represents an ordering of the identified item using the information of the procurement option. In response to selection of a displayed indication, the client system can send to a server computer a request to order the identified item using the information of the procurement option for the selected indication.

Abstract: A computer system for conducting electronic commerce. The system provides multiple electronic shopping carts for each user. Each electronic shopping cart has an indication of items currently within the electronic shopping cart and billing and shipment information. The system generates a display that identifies each of the electronic shopping carts and sends the generated display to a user computer system. The system then receives a selection of one of the identified electronic shopping carts from the user computer system and receives a selection of an item from the user computer system. In response to receiving the selection of the item, the system adds the item to the selected electronic shopping cart. The system then receives an indication to checkout the items in the selected electronic shopping cart from the user computer system.

Abstract: A funds transfer system is disclosed that is responsive to a receipt of a payment request by performing a risk management assessment of an associated payer and payee. If the risk management assessment produces an adverse indication, the payment request is declined. Otherwise, the payment request may be processed by causing funds to be transferred between the payer and payee. The risk management assessment may be performed on the basis of credit and/or authentication information derived from customer information received with or prior to the payment request. Such customer information may, for example, include credit card account information and/or bank account information.

Abstract: Various methods are disclosed for monitoring user browsing activities that indicate user interests in particular products, or other items, represented in an electronic catalog, and for using such information to identify items that are related to one another. In one embodiment, relationships between items within an electronic catalog are determined by identifying items that are frequently viewed by users within the same browsing session (e.g., items A and B are related because a significant portion of those who viewed A also viewed B). The resulting item relatedness data may be stored in a table that maps items to sets of related items. The table may be used to provide personalized item recommendations to users, and/or to supplement item detail pages of the electronic catalog with lists of related items. In one embodiment, the table is used to provide session-specific item recommendations to users.

Abstract: A payment request associated with a transfer of funds is received and a risk management assessment for both sides thereof is performed. If the risk management assessment procedure produces an adverse indication, the payment request is declined. Otherwise, the payment request may be processed for delivery of a payment associated therewith. The risk management assessment may be performed on the basis of credit/authentication information derived from customer information received with (or even prior to) the payment request. Such customer information may include credit card account information and/or bank account information (e.g., checking account) information. In some cases, the risk management assessment may include an automated component and a manual (non-automated) component. Such a manual component may be needed where the automated component of the risk management assessment provides suspect information regarding one of the parties to the transaction.

Abstract: A facility for rewarding the provision of useful item reviews is described. The facility receives a plurality of item reviews, each from a source. The facility publishes each of the plurality of received item reviews, and assesses the usefulness of the published item reviews. Based upon this assessment of usefulness, the facility selects one or more of the published item reviews, and provides rewards to the sources of these selected item reviews.

Abstract: An electronic catalog system, which may be implemented as a web site or another type of interactive system, presents context-sensitive account information to customers during browsing of an electronic catalog of products. In one embodiment, when a customer accesses a detail page for a particular product, the detail page is supplemented with information, such as status information, about a related order placed by the customer. The related order may be an order for the product represented in the detail page or may be for a related product. Information about related orders may additionally or alternatively be added to other types of pages, such as product category pages and shopping cart pages. In one embodiment, a customer's related order information is maintained in a cache during the customer's browsing session, and the cache is updated in real time to reflect actions performed by the customer.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention distributes data via a network to remotely located individuals. Evaluation feedback by one or more of the individuals is transmitted to others so that the feedback may be used by others to quickly locate the more useful data. The evaluation feedback may be in the form of ratings of product reviews. The feedback helps customers by allowing the more useful reviews can be quickly located.

Abstract: A facility for collecting pricing information is described. The facility serves a web page to a client computing system. The served web page contains a first control operable to order a selected item from a selected vendor. The web page further contains a second control operable to submit a price charged for the selected item by a vendor other than the selected vendor. At a later time, the facility receives from the client computing system information that indicates that the second control has been operated to submit a price charged for the selected item by a vendor other than the selected vendor.

Abstract: A method is provided for effecting transactions across multiple vendors in an integrated environment, wherein the user may purchase each of a plurality of items the user finds independent of the vendors. The user's selections are received from the user and mapped to a selected set of vendors. When the user is finished, she invokes a check-out application to fill in one or many order entry forms for each of the relevant vendors whose goods the user selected during the course of shopping. The check-out application uses common information, such as name, address and credit card number, previously provided by the user in order to fill in the order entry forms for each vendor without requiring the user to fill in these forms. Finally, the check-out application tracks confirmation numbers in a common information store.

Abstract: A system and process are disclosed for encoding selected data structures in browser cookies. The data structures may contain a variety of different types of data elements, including N-bit integers and other non-character elements. A version tracking scheme provides forward and backward compatibility between client and server software. The process is implemented without the need for any browser extensions, and without the need for users to download any special code to their computers.

Abstract: An electronic marketplace system provides various features for assisting users in listing products for sale, locating the listings for a product, and performing related actions. A user wishing to sell a product can browse to an existing description of the product in an electronic catalog and then select an option to create a corresponding listing. If the user previously purchased the product via the system, the user may alternatively select the product from a personal purchase history. The system may also proactively send product-specific listing requests to those who have purchased or otherwise indicated ownership of specific products.

Abstract: An electronic marketplace system embodies various inventions for assisting users in listing products for sale, locating the listings for a product, and performing related actions. A user wishing to sell a product can browse to an existing description of the product in an electronic catalog and then select an option to create a corresponding listing. To create the listing for the selected product, the user preferably specifies the product's condition and a selling price. The pending listings for a product are preferably displayed or summarized on the product's detail page in the catalog. When no such listings exist, an option to preorder the product from an unspecified seller may be provided. In one embodiment, the electronic catalog also serves as a retail sales catalog of a merchant.

Abstract: An electronic marketplace system provides various features for assisting users in listing products for sale, locating the listings for a product, and performing related actions. A user wishing to sell a product can browse to an existing description of the product in an electronic catalog and then select an option to create a corresponding listing. The pending listings for a product are preferably displayed or summarized on the product's detail page in the catalog. When no such listings exist, an option to preorder the product from an unspecified seller may be provided, and information regarding the resulting preorders may be displayed on the associated product detail pages to entice potential sellers. In one embodiment, the electronic catalog also serves as a retail sales catalog of a merchant.

Abstract: A computer-implemented data processing system includes tag logic for permitting a user to create an active tag. The active tag is associated with an object and includes configuration information that defines an action to be performed upon selection of the active tag. The configuration information is accessible by another user. The system also includes a user interface in communication with the tag logic for displaying the active tag.

Abstract: Various computer-implemented methods are disclosed for selecting content items, including but not limited to user-submitted blurbs, to present to users. One such method comprises storing user-specific item selection history data identifying particular items, such as catalog items, selected by particular users, and recording responses of a plurality of the users to a content item. The method further comprises determining whether the content item should be presented to a target user based, at least in part, on a degree to which the item selection history of the target user is similar to item selection histories of users who responded favorably to the content item.

Abstract: A network-based payment service provides various features for facilitating online, user-to-user payments. One feature involves the ability for users to define customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users. The pay pages are preferably hosted by a service provider site that handles the collection process, and may be created using pay page templates that specify the layouts and behaviors of the pay pages. In one embodiment, a pay page owner can also define one or more “pay boxes” to allow payments to be initiated from other web sites, which may include the web sites of associates who receive commissions on resulting payments. Another feature involves the ability for users to make single-action payments from web sites external to the service provider site. Also disclosed are various features for controlling access to content and services based on whether, or an extent to which, a visitor has made voluntary or mandatory payments.