How To Use Google Checkout - A Guide for Buyers and Sellers
Posted on June 2, 2008 - Filed Under Resources for Bloggers |
7/24/08 UPDATE
Because of the changing direction of BlogSquawks, I am updating this post and changing its Category. It will now reside in the Resources for Bloggers category. While this post has nothing to do blogging, I am putting it in this category because it is possible to use one’s blog to sell items using Google Checkout to accept credit or debit card payments for you. So you can scroll past the Buyer’s Guide, if you like, and head straight to the Seller’s Guide. I recommend that you at least skim the Buyer Guide so that you will better understand how Google Checkout works.
BUYER’S GUIDE
When you make a purchase online, the merchant may offer Google Checkout as a credit card payment method. So just what is Google Checkout and how does it work?
The benefits of using Google Checkout:
1. With Google Checkout, you can quickly and easily buy from many online stores and businesses.
2. If you’re using Google Checkout for the first time, you only have to fill out a single page of information once to make your first purchase. After that, you just need to enter your Google Checkout login to make a purchase. There’s no need to re-enter your purchase information or create multiple usernames and passwords each time you buy.
3. If you’ve used Google Checkout before, all you need to do is provide your Checkout username and password to buy.
4. When you buy with Google Checkout, you can track all your orders in one place and shop with confidence knowing that Google protects you from unauthorized purchases.
5. Using Google Checkout is fast and completely secure and confidential. Google is a trusted name on the internet so you can be assured that your information is always safe and secure. Your credit card information is processed BY Google and is not shared with merchants. As with any online transaction, look for the “padlock” icon for your assurance that the transaction is secure.
Click here for a short video tour of Google Checkout.
If you should ever need help with a Google Checkout purchase, there are answers on the Buyer Help Center.
SELLER’S GUIDE
There are several real advantages to using Google Checkout if you sell online.
1. It’s easy to sign up. All you need is a Gmail account.
2. Google Checkout has credit card processing fees which are lower than other payment services. You are only charged 2% plus 20 cents per transaction. There are NO setup costs, monthly fees, or gateway service fees as there are with the services which allow you to process credit cards yourself. For someone with a new business, this is a tremendous help since often you can’t justify the cost of a merchant account when you are starting out. And because you are saving money, you can keep your prices down.
3. If you advertise your business with Google Adwords, you can get free transaction processing for some or all of your Google Checkout sales.
Click here for much more information about Fees and Adwords & Free Transaction Processing.
4. Google gives you several options for integrating Google Checkout with your website. You can send an invloice; add Buy Now buttons to your site; or use a shopping cart. Many of the Open Source shopping carts include Google Checkout now. You do NOT need a merchant account to install a shopping cart on your site.
Don’t have an ecommerce site? Don’t have a big product line and just want to sell a few items without the hassle of installing a shopping cart? Google Checkout to the rescue! You can add Buy Now buttons to any site, even your blog. Or you can list your few items on Google Base & Google Product Search, offering Checkout for payment.
5. Google can protect you from most fraud and chargebacks and there is no fee for this protection. Click here to read more about Google Checkout’s comprehensive protection.
6. Google will Direct Deposit, to your bank account, your money from sales. Learn more about Payouts here.
If you want to learn more about using Google Checkout to sell online or, if you have questions after you’ve gotten started, go to Google’s Merchant Help Center.
In conclusion, I have used Google Checkout for quite some time, as both a buyer and seller, and I highly recommend it. I process credit cards through Google Checkout in both of my online stores: SoS-Books-Online and SoS Online Bookstore.
Tags: Blogging, Ecommerce, Google, Resources, Selling OnlineComments
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