Haggling is a popular
form of purchasing and selling goods all over the world. It is practiced at
flea markets and yard sales. However, the online shopping category involves no
haggling. One either pays the price the seller wants or does not buy it. That
might change as Amazon.com, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN) has filed a patent for an online
haggling system.
Haggling system offered
b y Amazon lets buyers and sellers to interact with each other and make offers
and counteroffers unless both the parties are content with the price agreed
upon. It would work in somewhat similar way if a user is trying to talk the
price down to $20 for two pairs of those fancy discounted sunglasses at a local
flea market, but only this time there is no awkward for-real interaction.
Amazon has also offered
a unique rating system that would benefit both sellers and buyers. Ratings could
be based on average closing costs, flexibility and how possibly either side is
to forget about a deal before it is struck. This type of rating system would
easily take out all of the cheap stakes.
It is not yet known if
Amazon will actually launch an online haggling system. It would not be the
first time that a site has incorporated the same kind of system. eBay has their
own ‘Best Offer’ feature, where buyers can place their own offers on auction
listings if the seller has enabled the feature.
Haggling is pretty
popular and it is a mandatory feature in the virtual world. However, it is
still a rare option in the online space. If Amazon ever puts its new patent into
practice, people could soon be trying to settle for a better price without the
mock drama of a face-to-face bargaining encounter. So, this move needs to be
watched out for.
No comments:
Post a Comment