By Merle http://MCPromotionsPress.com

After months of “buzz” online about Google’s
proposed “PayPal Killer,” they’ve finally
launched their new service, “Google
Checkout.” After all the hype that was
floating around, you’d have thought this new
creation would be the death of Paypal, but
I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Online payment options are important, so it’s
always nice to have another way to accept payments
from your web site. But Google’s new service is
also good news for consumers who are concerned
about their privacy when shopping online.

We all know Google likes to do things their
own way and put a little “Google Twist” on
their work, so it comes as no surprise that
they’ve added some integration with their
Adwords program. You don’t need to use
Adwords to utilize Google Checkout, but
if you do, Google gives you some other
nice benefits.

If you are a seller who also uses Adwords, you’ll
love this: For every $1.00 you spend with Adwords,
Google will allow you to process $10.00 in “Google
Checkout” sales for free. So if you’re already
using Adwords and start using Checkout you’ll
save money on your transaction fees. What are
the fees, you say? 2% and $.20 per transaction,
which does beat Paypal’s current fees of 2.9%
and $.30 per transaction.

Another advantage to offering Checkout on your web
site is that your Adwords ads will display a small
graphic of a shopping cart next to them. This is
called a “Google Checkout Badge,” and will
identify your site quickly to searchers as one
who will take “Google Checkout” payments from
shoppers. Some are wondering if this may help
your Adwords ranking. This is something that
still remains to be seen.

To sign up, you’ll first need to have a Google
account, which you can get at no charge by going
to http://google.com/accounts. At this time, you
must live in the U.S. and have a bank account if
you wish to process payments as a merchant. If
you’re a merchant you’ll also need to specify
your return and shipping policies.

Merchants can accept payments by Visa, MasterCard,
Discover, and American Express. If you have an
Adwords account you’ll want to link it to your
new Checkout account during the registration
process in order to earn your free transaction
credits.

Before you get too excited, be aware there are
some things not allowed to be sold using this
new service. They include:

Adult Goods
Alcohol
Body Parts (don’t you need to keep those?)
Buyers Clubs offering goods at wholesale
Credit and Collection Services
Drugs
MLM and
Gambling

For a complete list, see
http://tinyurl.com/hmujh

There are three ways for sellers to accept
payments:

1) Buy/Now Buttons: These are similar to Paypal
buttons. You just copy and paste some HTML
code and you’re done.

2) E-Commerce Partners: For use with Google’s
approved partners’ shopping cart systems.
Some of them are: Channell/Advision,
Infopedia, Mercantec, Monster Commerce,
ShopSite, Volusion.

3) API: A more complex way to integrate
more options. This involves a
programmer to setup.

One disadvantage to the cut and paste button
method is you cannot specify tax or shipping
rates. You’ll need to use the API checkout
method in order to do that. Another shortcoming
is the inability to specify your own return
page after a customer completes the purchase
process. They get taken back to a “Google T
hank You Page.”

All orders are placed into Google’s Merchant
Center inside your in box. To view your orders
you’ll need to log into Checkout and go to
the “orders tab.” If the order can be fulfilled
you then click the “charge button” that’s
located next to each order. After the order is
sent you’ll need to let the buyer know by
clicking on the “ship button” next to it.

If you’re worried about chargebacks, don’t.
They’re all evaluated by Google and they
will go to bat on your behalf. If the
transaction is covered by their “Payment
Guarantee Policy” and you supply Google
with all of the documentation they request
within 10 days, they will reimburse you within
one week.

If you sell on Ebay and want to use Checkout,
you might want to review their current approved
payment types. There’s been talk on the Net
that they are not currently allowing sellers
to offer this payment option. For more, see
http://tinyurl.com/gowgy

Checkout’s privacy features are great for your
buyers.Google handles all of theirpersonal
information — instead of entering a credit card
with each transaction, all they have to supply
is a user name and password to complete
a purchase. All credit card details are
maintained by Google with complete details
of all transactions.

With the rise in identity theft and people
more nervous then ever about sharing their
personal information, this should make
everyone happy. There’s also the added
benefit of a faster check out experience
which is to be appreciated if you’ve ever
been put through page after page of a
badly put together shopping cart.

Buyers can also click a box during
the purchase process to specify if they would
like to receive future promotional emails
from this seller. This should help some
with their already “too full” in boxes.

No matter if you’re a merchant or a consumer
there are advantages on both sides when it
comes to Google Checkout. I’m sure with time
Google will add more benefits and features
that will make their Checkout process even
more impressive. And who knows, maybe someday
they will give PayPal a run for their money. For more
information see:

https://checkout.google.com/ and
https://checkout.google.com/sell

=================================
Merle has been “working” the Net for over
8 years and has a Special Gift just for you.
Download my FREE E-book “50 Easy Ways to
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