Pierre's Lab

Why do we use Google Checkout only?

There are multiple reasons to this choice. We were using Authorize.net, PayPal Express and Google each of them have their pros and cons.

Authorize.net is one of the largest Merchant account for online shopping, very good support, it can handle off-line and phone orders as well. My issues were:

• Customers have to enter their information in our website and we have to store it. Including Credit card numbers etc.. For me it’s a serious risk I’m not willing to take anymore even if our websites are PCI compliant but we can’t afford insured encrypted database
• I don’t know about you but I HATE having to enter my information each time I buy something online.

 As we don’t sell over the phone, I decided to cancel our Authorize.net merchant account.

PayPal is the largest online payment solution online but I don’t like it for the following reasons:

• PayPal changes its policies so often it became difficult to keep up.
• PayPal account statments are uneasy to read, too many sub transactions for each transaction and their claim process is awfully long, abusive and discouraging for store owners. Once I even had to send PayPal a list of our suppliers and contact because a customer got her credit card was fraudulently used on one of our websites!
• PayPal focuses on Buyers’ experience and satisfaction (read my eBay post). Unfortunately this is done at retaillers’ cost (PayPal overrules stores’ policies). In fact it’s done at other buyers’ cost. If a business sells 10 products a month and looses 1 to bad returns, that’s 10% cost increase that is reported on products’ cost thus increasing the sell price by 10%. I’m not sure if it’s fair that customers have to pay for others.
• PayPal fees are quite higher than the competition thus increasing selling prices

Due to this and that I decided to cancel our PayPal merchant account.

Google checkout is becoming the largest merchant solution for the US market. I really love it:

• As for PayPal, no needs for customers to enter information in our website – extremely safe for customers and us and no need for us to run encrypted database saving run-rate cost thus lowering overall sell price.
• Google has clear policies and respect merchants’ policies limiting abusive and costly charge backs and returns.
•  Not only Google costs are acceptable but when we advertise on Google we get discounts on our merchant account, reducing our overhead cost per product sold by 2 points, thus reducing our sell price.
• I love the Google checkout dashboard and integration.
• Even without phone contact Google Checkout support team does a fantastic job.
• Only thing I dislike is the rating system… Satisfied customers do not rate, impossible to satisfy customers just don’t miss you.

So because of all these facts we now use only Google Checkout because it’s better, cheaper and safer for both our customers and us.