Patent ID: 7577595

Claim:
A method of conducting electronic commerce utilizing a consolidator, comprising: providing a product consolidator web server intermediary between an independent web site and a plurality of vendors, the consolidator web server intermediary being independent and distinct from the independent web site and the plurality of vendors; consolidating product information from the plurality of vendors and storing the product information on the intermediary consolidator web server; utilizing the independent web site to display the product information from different ones of the vendors offered from the intermediary consolidator web server to potential consumers in a format such that an ordering consumer from among potential consumers can expressly select a vendor from among the plurality of vendors to purchase a desired product; taking an order from the ordering consumer for the desired product via the independent web site; passing the order along to the selected vendor from the independent web site through the intermediary consolidator web server; allowing the ordering consumer to purchase the desired products directly from the selected vendor via the independent web site and the intermediary consolidator server where the intermediary consolidator server is transparent to the ordering consumer; wherein, the product information stored in a standardized format on the intermediary consolidator web server; providing, by the intermediary consolidator web server, a subset of product information in the standardized format to the independent web site; receiving, by the intermediary consolidator web server, compensation from the independent web site.