Patent ID: 7848959

Claim:
A method, comprising: sending a first price of an item for sale from a processor to one or more clients over a network, determining if a predetermined amount of time has lapsed without the processor having received one or more orders for the item at the first price from one or more of the clients, pricing the item at a second price with the processor, the second price being less than the first price, sending the second price of the item from the processor to one or more clients over the network, receiving one or more orders for the item at the second price from one or more of the clients, delivering the item to the one or more clients that ordered the item at the second price, pricing the item at a third price with the processor based at least on the one or more orders for the item at the second price, wherein pricing the item at the third price comprises at least one of: (i) determining if a profit at the second price is at least equal to a best profit for one or more previous price levels for the item with the processor and increasing the first price to the third price if the profit at the second price is at least equal to the best profit for the one or more previous price levels for the item, wherein the third price is greater than the second price, and (ii) determining if the profit at the second price is less than the best profit for the one or more previous price levels with the processor and reducing the second price to the third price if the profit at the second price is less than the best profit for the one or more previous price levels, wherein the third price is less than the second price, and sending the third price over the network to one or more clients.