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FilthyRaider
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Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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This is an interesting one. As you may or may not know, Google have launched Google Checkout in the UK and USA. For sellers you have a fee free package until 31st December 2007 and some sites will have offers for buyers that include 'spend 30 quid and 10 quid free'. All good stuff and good for competition.
Now the nuts of it. Rumours abound amongst eBay sellers that eBay has an auto-blocker in place that prevents anyone putting anything about Google Checkout in their listings.
As I only registered a few weeks ago with Google I haven't fully integrated it yet, but can report that having had an email to confirm identity (that asked me to fax a form back but I have no fax) I HAD A REPLY IN UNDER TWO HOURS! Okay, okay, they might not yet have much to do, but pretty good compared to eBay and PayPal that generally take two days and then DON'T answer the query. Also some people are thinking they can't register with Google as it may ask for VAT registration - this only applies if you trade over a certain amount (don't shoot be but I think that is 61K pa).
Anyway, surely if eBay are blocking Google we are looking at anti-competition here?
PayPal has come in for a lot of stick recently with chargebacks affecting many sellers - a buyer pays via PayPal, gets goods and then says they haven't or that the transaction was not made with their consent. Result: Seller loses goods and payment with no comeback.
Many eBay sellers are now adding a regular prayer to their nightly vigil by the PC waiting for a sale - Please let Google open up a rival Auction site soon!
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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greysts
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Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 17746
Loc: Colchester
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I registered with Google Checkout when I got an email from eBuyer saying that they'd give me £10 off any order over £30 if I used Google Checkout. The whole process took 10 minutes and I placed my order straight away. Emails from both Google and eBuyer to confirm everything and the goods arrived 2 days later.
Certainly looks like a good system to me.
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Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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FilthyRaider
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Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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Cheers Greysts. Might be worth also using this thread to list the sites that will take Google Checkout. I was using it for receiving payments, but I think there will be some advantage to knowing who offers the £10 off promotion.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 17746
Loc: Colchester
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Going back to your original point about blocking, I found an old news article here which seems to support the theory. The more recent BBC story (here) gives a more balanced view. I particularly like this bit Quote:
Its staff promise that they will "make buyers whole" if they suffer fraud, as well as representing retailers when they face the risk of losing money when a deal goes wrong.
Given the eBay and PayPal apparent total disregard for any customer (or indeed seller) who loses money in a transaction it's nice to hear that Google won't be taking such a cavalier attitude.
Finding etailers offering the service seems to be quite difficult. There's a ready made list for the US but nothing for the UK.
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Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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FilthyRaider
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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If you do a UK search and use the words USE GOOGLE CHECKOUT you do get a few retailers that have adapted Google Checkout and offer the discounts we mentioned.
A sample few:
http://www.gadgets.co.uk/
http://www.realoakfloors.co.uk/google_checkout.php
and
http://www.aria.co.uk/Support/GoogleCheckout
The eBay block appears to be hidden by them saying they are 'evaluating' the service, but you can bet it will be a while before it is accepted.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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FilthyRaider
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Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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A follow on to Greysts good feedback as a buyer. Around 10 tonight I was bunging a few Google Buy Now buttons into my new website. 10.05 I got my first sale and payment! No fuss, dead easy, and fairly amusing as the guy is only three to four miles away.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 17746
Loc: Colchester
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As a matter of interest are you offering the '10 quid off over 30' deal?
It's a shame that there are some more big names in the UK signing up for the deal. I notice on the US list there are quite a few stores who have a net presence in the UK.
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Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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FilthyRaider
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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Two reasons for not offering the £10 quid free deal, couldn't afford to do it, and I believe it is linked to Google Adwords etc. so targetted more at the 'big boys'. Me just poor schmuck trying to get a website going to get away from eBay!
I think more and more will come into the arena, but I can't deny that it was very nice to get the statement last night with a big NIL in the Google Charges column. Paypal would have had a few quid off that one.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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FilthyRaider
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Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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Just following up: first payment from Google now successfully in my bank account, and another successful payment made by an eBay buyer who was having issues with PayPal tonight with no hassle (and no charges!)
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 17746
Loc: Colchester
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That's good. For the future, I'm not a large user of eBay and I don't have (or want) a PayPal account. How do I go about offering Google as a payment option if I sell something?
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Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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FilthyRaider
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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At the moment, as per the thread title, eBay are NOT allowing Google as an payment option NOR even (according to eBay Forums) allowing it to be mentioned in listings. Your best bet is when you have items up for auction, to monitor it closely at the end and contact the buyers with a Google Checkout invoice straight away (dead easy, you need their email and amount to pay, and just add a quick description of what it is - say, item title and/or number).
If they pay by PayPal then so be it but I get a lot of buyers saying they can't get PayPal to 'work' whereas Google seems a matter of just entering your credit card details and address and confirming your payment and that's it. On your side you have an option on Google to instantly charge their card or the default is that you do this - just a button click. I use the latter simply because I use it on my new website and for stock control reasons I can refuse a payment if someone orders more than I can supply straight off.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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sunnycreatives06
new user
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 1
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Hi There - I trade on a number of venues including Tazbar who has recently started using Google Checkout. I have signed up and used it several times - it is totally painless.
I dont know what Ebay's problem is with Google checkout as I also use the Google ebay store connector - doh!!! - just realised that my ads on Google point directly to eBay - I need a lie-down.
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FilthyRaider
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 495
Loc: It's dark very dark.......
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EBid also now has a tick box in its listings for Google Checkout. Mind, I don't sell a fat lot on eBid or TazBar, but I do prefer them. Trouble is, my one worry is do I prefer them and Google as their fees are low? Obviously when Google starts to charge, we might see them in a different light, but that recent survey on companies was interesting when Google came really high (or was it top?)
I still think they should start their own site and take on eBay. I don't want shot of eBay - if you bit eyour lip, it actually does what it does really well. Too many punters want it to do more than it is actually set up to do - we just view it as a Global 'Items For Sale' Newspaper.
And as we have said, eBay are currently 'reviewing' Google - but the chances of them allowing it as a payment method are probably going to be slim given that it is reckoned almost 90% of PayPal's income is via eBay, so they won't want that little gravy train to come off the rails.
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I loved my grandmother very much.......and she fetched a good price on eBay.
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