Patent ID: 8392278

Claim:
A method for selling an item, the method comprising: receiving, by a server, from a vendor computer of a vendor a conditional purchase request that comprises: customer identification information that identifies a customer; and a non-binding requested price for purchasing an item from the vendor during a predetermined period of time that is defined by the vendor; wherein the non-binding requested price does not bind the customer to purchase the item from the vendor during the predetermined period of time; determining, by the server, whether to proceed in a selling process of the item to the customer during the predetermined period of time in response to the requested price and to an availability of the item at the predetermined period of time for selling by the vendor; and selectively proceeding in the selling process in response to the determination; wherein the selectively proceeding comprises suggesting to the customer to buy the item at the non-binding requested price, wherein the selectively proceeding is further responsive to a reply of the customer to the suggestion to buy the item; receiving (a) at least one conditional purchase request that comprises a binding requested price and (b) at least one conditional purchase request that comprises a non-binding price; and prioritizing the (a) at least one conditional purchase request that comprises a binding price over the (b) at least one conditional purchase request that comprises a non-binding price; and completing each selling process related to the at least one conditional purchase request that comprises a binding price, before starting a selling processes related to a conditional purchase request that comprises a non-binding price.