A system providing seller pre-qualification during the matching phase of
an electronic commerce transaction includes a directory structure 44
comprising multiple hierarchically organized product classes, each
product class categorizing multiple products and defining one or more
attributes of the products categorized in the product class. The system
also includes one or more pointers for each product class, each pointer
identifying a seller database 32 in which product data enabling a product
transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class. Each
seller database 32 is associated with a seller 30 having values for one
or more seller attributes. The system further includes a search interface
45 operable to communicate, in response to selection of a product class
and specification of one or more seller attribute criteria, a search
query for product data only to one or more seller databases 32 associated
with sellers 30 having seller attribute values matching the specified
seller attribute criteria, these seller databases 32 being identified by
the one or more pointers associated with the selected product class.