This method groups multiple merchandises (products/services) and multiple
traders (buyer/sellers/carriers) that share similar properties with a
Merchandise Group ID (MGID) and a User Group ID (UGID), respectively.
Each MGID and UGID represents one Merchandise Group and Trader Group,
respectively. Different MGIDs and UGIDs represent different merchandise
and trader groups. The method also utilize a multi-party matching
mechanism to trade Merchandise Groups among Trader Groups by having
grouped buyers/sellers/carriers place bid/ask/cAsk offers on both the
merchandise and any shipping services required to fulfill the
transaction. Based on offers received, the system calculates Gap Values
in real-time to determine if deals can be closed. Like stock tickers,
MGID enables grouped merchandise to be traded like stocks. UGID enables
grouped traders to trade desired merchandise with acceptable
counterparties through matching both MGIDs and UGIDs. Based on the
grouping, matching and gap value calculating mechanism, this method
changes "Instance Trading" into "Group Trading".