A computer-implemented two-tiered electronic market system includes a data
repository storing information corresponding to an inventory of one or
more available items and a first-tier electronic market (e.g., a retail
tier) that provides a first participant (e.g., a retail consumer) access
to the inventory of one or more items in the data repository. The
inventory is offered to the first participant under a first (e.g., retail)
pricing scheme. The two-tiered electronic market system also includes a
second-tier electronic market (e.g., a wholesale tier) that provides a
second participant (e.g., a wholesale dealer), different from the first
participant, access to the inventory of one or more items in the data
repository. The inventory is offered to the second participant under a
second (e.g., wholesale) pricing scheme different from the first pricing
scheme. Electronic commerce is facilitated using an electronic auction
system having at least a wholesale tier and a retail tier by presenting
for auction an item description stored in a database operationally coupled
to the electronic auction system. The presentation of the item includes a
current retail bid amount. A wholesale bid is received from at least one
wholesale-tier participant and the current retail bid amount is
selectively displaced if the received wholesale bid increased by a
predetermined amount is greater than the current retail bid.