Patent ID: 7483856

Claim:
A method for effecting payment for a purchaser of at least one item offered for an electronic auction sale by a seller via an electronic auction web site maintained by at least one computing device of an electronic auction system, said method comprising the steps of: maintaining an electronic database of a plurality of electronic auction payment accounts corresponding to a plurality of users, including the purchaser, of said electronic auction web site and a payment segment of said electronic auction web site by an electronic auction payment system integrated with said electronic auction system, each of said plurality of electronic auction payment accounts storing funds therein and each capable of being used for user transactions in the electronic auction system; performing at least one payment-related activity by at least one processor of said electronic auction payment system for effecting payment for said purchaser, said at least one payment-related activity selected from the group consisting of debiting an electronic auction payment account corresponding to the purchaser of the at least one item and maintained by said electronic auction payment system, and withdrawing funds from at least one account storing funds therein and not corresponding to at least one of the plurality of users, wherein at least one payment source corresponding to the purchaser is used to obtain funds for storing within the electronic auction payment account corresponding to the purchaser prior to debiting the electronic auction payment account corresponding to the purchaser; and crediting by said at least one processor at least one account corresponding to the seller to effect payment for the at least one item offered for the electronic auction sale via the electronic auction web site.