When looking to setup a merchant account, both Paypal and Google Checkout are great solutions. They both have pros and cons but I wanted to give a brief overview of the two merchant solutions.
Solutions
Paypal
Paypal offers both a personal and business account.
Google Checkout
One type of account. Requires a Google Account to sign up.
Buttons Available
Paypal
Google Checkout
Integration
Paypal
- Basic: Allows you to create simple “buy now” buttons. Perfect for someone selling only a few items.
- Shopping Cart: This option will integrate Paypal into some of the most popular third party shopping carts.
- Custom Integration: Similar to Google’s Feature Rich Integration, this will allow you to integrate into a custom shopping cart.
Paypal has a feature called the Paypal Sandbox Test Environment which allows developers to test the integration before they push it live to the site.
Google Checkout
Google has two ways of integrating Google Checkout into your website.
- Light Integration: You can either send an invoice via e-mail or create a “buy now” button. This integration is perfect for companies that take phone orders or only sell one product.
- Feature Rich Integration: This integration allows you to implement Google Checkout to an existing shopping cart.
Transaction Fees
Paypal
1.9% - 2.9% of transaction + 30 cents
Google Checkout
2% of transaction + 20 cents
Fraud Protection
Paypal
100% refund for fraudulent transactions of $50 or more
Google Checkout
100% refund for fraudulent transactions (must report within 60 days)
Security
Paypal
Industry standard SSL Security
Google Checkout
Industry standard SSL Security
Additional Benefits
Paypal
They have something called a Virtual Terminal. It is the equivalent of swiping a credit card at a brick and mortar store. It gives you the flexibility to take orders anywhere, on the phone, online, by fax. The great part is you do not have to invest money into expensive machines to process orders.
Paypal has the majority of the market share. As of right now, more people have Paypal accounts than Google Checkout accounts.
Google Checkout
When you accept Google Checkout as a form of payment, you will have the Google Checkout logo next to your pay-per-click ad. There have been studies that show an increase in CTR for ads that have the Google Checkout logo.
Non-Profit Organizations you will be able to process donations by credit card or debit card for free until 2009.
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Google checkout is a great deal especially if you use AdWords. We are going to use Yahoo Store, which already comes integated with PayPal. Unfortunately, Google Checkout is not compatible.
Great Site. Keep up the great work.
Hello , I agree with this article, just sometimes I read so fast everything and I miss things that after read them again, I can understand it better.. ;). Your vs Google Checkout | Merchant Services | GreenDot Interactive Blog Stumbled up and Bookmarked, so I keep updated on every article you write from now now on merchant account set up.
Best comparison of Paypal vs Google Checkout I have found to date. I have a question for you, perhaps you can give some more insights on :). For artists that sell prints at art shows and gallery events and want a cheap way to process a credit card sale, the PayPal Virtual Terminal seems like the way to go. Would you agree PayPal Virtual Terminal is the most cost effective solution? Also should sellers be concerned with chargebacks from buyers claiming they never made such purchases?
Great question rachel. I would not want to make assumptions based on my experiences with Paypal and Google Checkout.
Please check out Paypals explaination for how it handles chargebacks. Hope that is helpful.
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/seller/ChargebackRisk-outside