# Google checkout vs paypal



## skulltshirts (Mar 30, 2006)

Now that GOOGLE has decided to play dodgeball with heavyhitting PAYPAL, in the arena of Internet Money Transfers, who has any feedback on google's checkout processes? How do they compare to your dealings with paypal? Which company is your first choice?

I do realize it is best to have both as an option, for the convenience of the customer. 

Thomas


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

You might be interested in this thread: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=4039

We've been talking about it a bit already =) The main thing Checkout is lacking, in my opinion, is the ability to run credit card orders _without_ an account - otherwise I'd switch to Checkout.


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## farennikov (Sep 4, 2006)

I thought about both and decided to go with Google. Partly because I utilize a lot of Google services i.e. Analytics, AdWords, etc., and really trust Google product. Secondly, because I feel that Google will outgrow Paypal in the meantime and will develop better solutions as they always do, and so it might be an advantage in the future to have Google Checkout setup.
Also I like the fact that Google CHeckout has an API, so with a small knowledge of PHP or whatnot you can customize checkout process which is impossible to do with PayPal.


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## IKyoungBumI (Aug 31, 2006)

only problem is.. google has been caught for releasing private information to the public on more than one case... my friends friend dad owns google actually.. and they are butt rich... but he seemed to be panic-ing when these incidents happened.. (and no its not my friend just saying that he knows his son.. I actually met him...)

just my two cents?...

wiLL


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## farennikov (Sep 4, 2006)

IKyoungBumI said:


> only problem is.. google has been caught for releasing private information to the public on more than one case... my friends friend dad owns google actually.. and they are butt rich... but he seemed to be panic-ing when these incidents happened.. (and no its not my friend just saying that he knows his son.. I actually met him...)
> 
> just my two cents?...
> 
> wiLL


I guess it depends on what kind of information you're talking about. Thing is that selling info about users is another source of revenue for all these companies anyway.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

Large companies will always have various rumors and such about them; I stil say Google is a "good" company for the most part, even if some of their latest creations have been a bit subpar.

Even though I do like Google, I don't think it's a wise choice to go soley with them for transactions at this point. Requiring people make an account means lost sales.


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## farennikov (Sep 4, 2006)

Twinge said:


> Large companies will always have various rumors and such about them; I stil say Google is a "good" company for the most part, even if some of their latest creations have been a bit subpar.
> 
> Even though I do like Google, I don't think it's a wise choice to go soley with them for transactions at this point. Requiring people make an account means lost sales.


ok Thanks for suggestion. I just added PayPal checkout button.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

farennikov said:


> ok Thanks for suggestion. I just added PayPal checkout button.


Still not quite what I meant actually, though having both options is better than just one. If you have a merchant account with Paypal, people can pay you with credit cards _through_ Paypal without having to create a Paypal account.


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## farennikov (Sep 4, 2006)

Twinge said:


> Still not quite what I meant actually, though having both options is better than just one. If you have a merchant account with Paypal, people can pay you with credit cards _through_ Paypal without having to create a Paypal account.


oh yeah, I understood what you said in the first place. I didn't realize that one doesn't have to create an account with PayPal, 'cause I remember myself doing it a while ago. But yes I got the idea. 
I personally hate these long registration procedures a lot of web merchats require. That really sucks.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> only problem is.. google has been caught for releasing private information to the public on more than one case... my friends friend dad owns google actually.. and they are butt rich... but he seemed to be panic-ing when these incidents happened.. (and no its not my friend just saying that he knows his son.. I actually met him...)


Can you provide specifics or news story links about these Google problems. I haven't heard of them.

"a friend's dad" isn't really reliable information for a forum, although I'm sure you meant well


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## IKyoungBumI (Aug 31, 2006)

http://news.com.com/FAQ+When+Google+is+not+your+friend/2100-1025_3-6034666.html?tag=nl

February 09, 2006
Google Copies Your Hard Drive - Government Smiles in Anticipation
Consumers Should Not Use New Google Desktop

San Francisco - Google today announced a new "feature" of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.

"Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "If you use the Search Across Computers feature and don't configure Google Desktop very carefully—and most people won't—Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants—your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever—could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files."

The privacy problem arises because the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986, or ECPA, gives only limited privacy protection to emails and other files that are stored with online service providers—much less privacy than the legal protections for the same information when it's on your computer at home. And even that lower level of legal protection could disappear if Google uses your data for marketing purposes. Google says it is not yet scanning the files it copies from your hard drive in order to serve targeted advertising, but it hasn't ruled out the possibility, and Google's current privacy policy appears to allow it.

"This Google product highlights a key privacy problem in the digital age," said Cindy Cohn, EFF's Legal Director. "Many Internet innovations involve storing personal files on a service provider's computer, but under outdated laws, consumers who want to use these new technologies have to surrender their privacy rights. If Google wants consumers to trust it to store copies of personal computer files, emails, search histories and chat logs, and still 'not be evil,' it should stand with EFF and demand that Congress update the privacy laws to better reflect life in the wired world."

here's where that was from
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_02.php

and also google owned 5% and owns aol's search engine now..

http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2164911

and we all know about what happened with aol recently... 

is that reliable enough? ;] =P

wiLL


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Thanks for posting the news story.

I don't think the two stories are relevant to each other though.

The news story is about a specific feature of a specific piece of Google software. Not about "releasing private information to the public". It addresses the fact that if Google stores the information on this one feature of the software (that a user can elect to turn on or off with Google giving full disclosure of how it works), then google *may* have to comply with a government subpeona. That's a bit different from what I understood from your original post 

I don't see any problem with using the Google Checkout service based on that news story. 

If you look into any credit card processing company (including many of the largest merchant account providers), you'll see MUCH worse handling of data.

I don't think that news story is cause for concern at all.


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## farennikov (Sep 4, 2006)

I agree with the above post.
I am sure that once more merchants start using it, it's going to be great for customers 'cause they will have a single account for many merchants. I personally hate registering on websites each time I want to make a purchase - and on most of them I am only going to make one purchase. 
Another thing is that Google checkout is very cheap for vendors.


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