Patent ID: 8140424

Claim:
A method including: receiving a bid for a particular item that is described by a sales listing from a first bidder that is not pre-approved to bid on the particular item that is described by the sales listing, the receiving done at least in part through the use of one or more processors; restricting the bid for the particular item that is described by the sales listing from a bidding process associated with the particular item that is described by the sales listing, the restricting being based on a requirement that the first bidder be pre-approved to bid on the particular item that is described by the sales listing and identifying the first bidder as not being pre-approved, the restricting done at least in part through the use of one or more processors; and communicating error information, over a network, to the first bidder, the error information indicating that bidding on the item is restricted to pre-approved bidders, the communicating done at least in part through the use of one or more processors.