Patent ID: 7877315

Claim:
A system for managing swaps of tangible items, comprising: an Internet connection; an electronic database; and a server computer that is connected to the electronic database, and communicates with users through the Internet connection, wherein the server computer is programmed to: register a first user in the electronic database, receive a first name of a first tangible item to list from the first user through the Internet connection, store the first name in the electronic database, and list the first name on a web site of the server computer; register a second user in the electronic database, receive a second name of a second tangible item to list from the second user through the Internet connection, store the second name in the electronic database, and list the second name on the web site of the server computer; register a third user in the electronic database, receive a third name of a third tangible item to list from the third user through the Internet connection, store the third name in the electronic database, and list the third name on the web site of the server computer; receive a first request through the Internet connection from the first user for the second tangible item that begins a first transaction removes a first credit from the first user in the electronic database that was stored for the first user during a previous transaction, send a first message through the Internet connection to the second user requesting that the second tangible item be shipped to the first user, receive a second message through the Internet connection confirming receipt of the second tangible item, and store a second credit for the second user in the electronic database to complete the first transaction; receive a second request through the Internet connection from the second user for the third tangible item that begins a second transaction removes the second credit from the second user in the electronic database, send a third message through the Internet connection to the third user requesting that the third tangible item be shipped to the second user, receive a fourth message through the Internet connection confirming receipt of the third tangible item, and store a third credit for the third user in the electronic database to complete the second transaction; use the first credit, the second credit, and the third credit to manage a swap of the second tangible item and the third tangible item among the first user, the second user, and the third user, wherein the first credit, the second credit, and the third credit each represent a right to request a future swappable tangible item for the equivalent value of at least one previously swapped tangible item; and issue one or more credits initially to a user so that the swapping process can begin.