Patent ID: 7607577
Filing Date: 2009-10-27
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving an offer to purchase units of an inventory item via a purchasing channel for a given purchase price per unit; determining a breakeven holding time of existing units of said inventory item, wherein a cost of holding a given existing unit until said breakeven holding time equals, within an equality threshold, a difference between a sale value for sale of said given inventory item through a sales channel and said given purchase price specified by said offer; determining a time rate of sales demand of units of said inventory item per unit of time; determining a healthy inventory level of said inventory item, wherein said healthy inventory level exceeds a target inventory level by a function of said time rate of sales demand and said breakeven holding time; in response to determining that a current inventory level of said inventory item exceeds said healthy inventory level, declining to purchase said units of said inventory item for said given purchase price; wherein each of said receiving an offer, said determining a breakeven holding time, said determining a time rate of sales demand, said determining a healthy inventory level, and said declining to purchase is performed by one or more computers.