Patent ID: 7840472

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: prior to a live, in-person auction, establishing an absentee bid for an item in an online environment by performing a pre-auction absentee bidding process in the online environment, the pre-auction absentee bidding process including, communicating, via a communication device, the item to pre-auction online users, receiving absentee bids for the item from pre-auction online bidders, and determining, using a processor, that an online absentee bid is a highest absentee bid from the absentee bids received by comparing the online absentee bid with the current highest absentee bid, the highest absentee bid being placed by a pre-auction online bidder; and in response to the determination that the online absentee bid is the highest absentee bid, communicating the highest absentee bid for the item to the live, in-person auction; and during the live, in-person auction, updating bidding information associated with the item in the online environment to reflect a current bid associated with the item in the live, in-person auction, wherein the current bid includes a highest live bid received from a live online bidder, accepting bids from live online bidders in the online environment, the bids reflecting the live online bidders' bid price for the item, beginning of the accepting of the bids being signaled by receiving of the highest absentee bid, and bidding on behalf of the pre-auction online bidder of the highest absentee bid against the live online bidders to enable real-time online bidding in the live, in-person auction between the pre-auction online bidder and the live online bidders that are participating in the live, in-person auction.