consignment node connections to process participant agent requests the agent handier 600 may be entered by a predetermined series of codes and verification procedures to verify a request for an agent connection to the consignment node is from a bona fide agent and a bona fide consignment node once this is verified the agent handler may establish a session for the requesting agent 602 the requesting agent may then transfer its agents request to the consignment node 604 and the consignment node may then check its local database 606 to try to match the agents search request the agent handler may then respond to the agents request 608 and terminate the agent session 610 a second embodiment to the present invention shown in fig1 uses a low cost portable u201c posting u201d terminal to allow the virtual presentment of goods to market the posting terminal has a digital camera a bar code printer a bar code scanner a modern and posting terminal software the posting terminal works in conjunction with a market maker computer the market maker computer has a database of goods for sale a posting de posting communication handler a database to world wide web www mapping module a www server a transaction process a posting terminal communication manager a sold database a shipping database and an account database and has much of the functionality of the previously described consignment node the posting terminal and.