Method for consigning ordered commodities

1. A method for the dispatch of ordered articles, comprising:

ordering of different articles from a mail-order firm or one or more online suppliers by a customer;

storing relevant order data and customer details including name and address in a database of a dispatch center of a dispatch service, wherein the dispatch service is configured to coordinate outward delivery times from the manufacturers/suppliers to achieve delivery of the different articles to the customer in one shipment;

transferring or forwarding the order data from the customer in question to the relevant manufacturers/suppliers of the requested articles;

notifying the dispatch center of the dispatch service of the earliest possible outward delivery time t OutM for each of the manufacturers/suppliers, and storing the earliest possible outward delivery time t OutM under the respective article number in the database at the dispatch service;

determining the latest of the earliest possible arrival times of the articles at the dispatch center t ArrD , each arrival time being calculated by adding the respective transport time t TransMD to the earliest possible outward delivery time t OutM ;

the dispatch service notifying each manufacturer/supplier for the order concerned of the outward delivery time to be achieved, which is obtained from the latest of the earliest possible arrival times at the dispatch center t ArrD minus the respective transport time from the manufacturer/supplier to the dispatch center;

determining an earliest possible delivery time t DelC to the customer by adding the transport time between dispatch center and customer t TransDC onto the latest arrival time t ArrD , and then adding a handling time at the dispatch service;

the manufacturers/suppliers sending out the ordered articles to the dispatch center at the notified times; and

forwarding the different articles in one shipment to the customer so that the customer receives the shipment at the determined earliest possible delivery time t DelC .

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

the dispatch service notifying the customer of at least one proposal Pt DelC ≧t DelC for the delivery time, for confirmation;

the customer notifying the dispatch service of the confinned delivery time C tDelc ; and postponing the outward delivery times to be achieved by the manufacturers/suppliers on the basis of the earliest possible delivery time to the customer, by the time difference between the confirmed and the earliest possible delivery time.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dispatch service is notified of the transport times t TransMD between the manufacturers/suppliers and the dispatch center, together with the earliest possible outward delivery times t OutM , and the information saved in the database.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in order to determine the current transport times t TransMD between manufacturer/supplier and dispatch center, these times are calculated, saved and statistically analyzed on a continuous basis.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a single online supplier, which co-ordinates the dispatch, leads to several sub-online suppliers.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the earliest outward delivery times of the articles from the manufacturers/suppliers are compared with each other, and where a set time difference between the earliest outward delivery times is exceeded the articles are not sent jointly to the customer.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the size of the articles and their characteristics are also saved in the database, if required this information is checked in order to ascertain whether these articles can be sent in one parcel, and they are dispatched in one parcel if a positive result is obtained from the check.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein where there are several possible manufacturers/suppliers for a specific article a selection is made on the basis of the shortest possible transport distances to the customer and/or the earliest possible outward delivery times.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the customer selects the dispatch service.