PFSWEB, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (continued)

upon placing an order, and to a lesser extent, grants credit to business customers on normal credit terms. eCOST permits its customers to return defective product for credit against other purchases.

     For product sales shipped directly from eCOST’s vendors to end customers, eCOST records revenue and related costs at the gross amounts charged to the customer and paid to the vendor based on an evaluation of the criteria outlined in EITF No. 99-19, Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent. eCOST’s evaluation is performed based on a number factors, including whether eCOST is the primary obligor in the transaction, has latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, takes title to the products sold upon shipment, bears credit risk, and bears inventory risk for returned products that are not successfully returned to third-party suppliers. eCOST recognizes revenue on extended warranties and other services for which it is not the primary obligor on a net basis.

     The Company’s service fee revenues primarily relate to its (1) distribution services, (2) order management/customer care services and (3) the reimbursement of out-of-pocket and third-party expenses. The Company typically charges its service fee revenue on a cost-plus basis, a percent of shipped revenue basis or a per transaction basis, such as a per item basis for fulfillment services or a per minute basis for web-enabled customer contact center services. Additional fees are billed for other services.

     Distribution services relate primarily to inventory management, product receiving, warehousing and fulfillment (i.e., picking, packing and shipping) and facilities and operations management. Service fee revenue for these activities is recognized as earned, which is either (i) on a per transaction basis or (ii) at the time of product fulfillment, which occurs at the completion of the distribution services.

     Order management/customer care services relate primarily to taking customer orders for the Company’s clients’ products via various channels such as telephone call-center, electronic or facsimile. These services also entail addressing customer questions related to orders, as well as cross-selling/up-selling activities. Service fee revenue for this activity is recognized as the services are rendered. Fees charged to the client are on a per transaction basis based on either (i) a pre-determined fee per order or fee per telephone minutes incurred, (ii) a per dedicated agent fee, or (iii) are included in the product fulfillment service fees that are recognized on product shipment.

     The Company’s billings for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, including travel and certain third-party vendor expenses such as shipping and handling costs and telecommunication charges are included in pass-through revenue. The related reimbursable costs are reflected as cost of pass-through revenue.

     The Company’s cost of service fee revenue, representing the cost to provide the services described above, is recognized as incurred. Cost of service fee revenue also includes certain costs associated with technology collaboration and ongoing technology support that include maintenance, web hosting and other ongoing programming activities. These activities are primarily performed to support the distribution and order management/customer care services and are recognized as incurred.

     The Company recognizes revenue and records trade accounts receivables, pursuant to the methods described above, when collectibility is reasonably assured. Collectibility is evaluated in the aggregate and on an individual customer basis taking into consideration payment due date, historical payment trends, current financial position, results of independent credit evaluations and payment terms.

     The Company primarily performs its services under one to three-year contracts that can generally be terminated by either party. In conjunction with these long-term contracts, the Company sometimes receives start-up fees to cover its implementation costs, including certain technology infrastructure and development costs. The Company defers the fees received, and the related costs, and amortizes them over the life of the contract. The amortization of deferred revenue is included as a component of service fee revenue. The amortization of deferred implementation costs is included as a cost of service fee revenue. To the extent implementation costs for non-technology infrastructure and development exceed the fees received, the excess costs are expensed as incurred. The following summarizes the deferred implementation revenues and costs, excluding technology and development costs that are included in property and equipment (in thousands):