Electronic commerce system

An electronic commerce system, comprising:

• a server configured to communicate over a network with a first client and a second client;
• the server being configured to receive a first order acceptance request from the first client, the first order acceptance request comprising terms or conditions of a proposed offer for a purchase of a gift certificate;
• the server being further configured to receive a second order acceptance request from the second client, the second order acceptable request comprising the gift certificate;
• the server being programmed to process the first and second order acceptance requests based on pre-programmed criteria, and, based on the processing of the first and second order acceptance requests, to transmit to the first and second clients an order acceptance response based on the pre-programmed criteria, the server further being programmed to store gift certificate information in a database when the server receives the first order acceptance request and to examine the database when the server receives the second order acceptance request.

A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:

• receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;
• transmitting an order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the order acceptance request form specifying the selected product and default shipping and payment options for the selected product;
• receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that identifies one or more modifications to the default shipping and payment options;
• and
• transmitting a modified order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the modified order acceptance request form indicating whether the one or more modifications to the default shipping and payment options are acceptable to the server.

A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:

• receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;
• transmitting an order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the order acceptance request form specifying the price of the selected product and one or more default shipping options;
• receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that modifies the one or more default shipping options;
• and
• transmitting a modified order acceptance request form from the server to the client in response to the order acceptance request, wherein the modified order acceptance request form specifies an updated purchasing price for the selected product based upon the modifications to the one or more default shipping options.

A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:

• receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;
• receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that includes an indication of the product selected for purchase and a preferred method of shipment;
• and
• transmitting a response from the server to the client that includes a tracking number obtained from a shipping company associated with the preferred method of shipment and a shipping date, wherein the tracking number and shipping date are obtained electronically by the server.

A computer-implemented method of selling a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:

• receiving an order acceptance request at the server from the client, the order acceptance request specifying one or more products to be purchased through the electronic commerce system;
• comparing properties of the one or more products to be purchased with a set of shipping rules to determine available shipping options for the one or more products to be purchased;
• and
• transmitting an order acceptance response from the server to the client indicating the available shipping options for the one or more products to be purchased.

A computer-implemented method of accessing an electronic subscription service in a network having a client and a server, comprising:

• receiving one or more requests from the client to access content from the electronic subscription service;
• storing at the server an amount of tokens owed for accessing content from the electronic subscription service;
• receiving a purchase amount from the client;
• translating the purchase amount into a number of purchased tokens;
• and
• decreasing the amount of tokens owed by the number of purchased tokens.

A computer-implemented method of purchasing an item in an electronic commerce system comprising a plurality of clients and a server coupled via a network, comprising;

• receiving a first order acceptance request from a first client to purchase a digital coupon having a serial number and a value;
• storing the serial number and value of the purchased digital coupon in a digital coupon database;
• receiving a second order acceptance request from a second client to purchase an item, the second order acceptance request including the digital coupon purchased according to the first order acceptance request;
• and
• checking the digital coupon database to determine whether the digital coupon is valid, and if so, then applying the value of the digital coupon to a purchase price of the item to be purchased.