Google Checkout

Who's using it?

[tys0n28]

I'm trying to figure out if it's worth my time to integrate Checkout for my site.

I run an online game where members purchase subscriptions to our site. It is important that they are able to use these credits within a few seconds of completing purchase.

Given the price (free) and the fact that we advertise extensively through Adwords (it will continue to be free after the 2007 promotion), I'd like to try to use this if I can.

Anyone used Checkout in a similar fashion with any luck? Are the rumors about it taking up to 30 minutes to call post back scripts true?

Thanks for your input.

Tyson

[wayzel]

We integrated it into our site and are happy with it. Integration took longer and was more expensive than expected. If you have a custom shopping cart and want to integrate via their API, you will need at least 10 hours of integration time; double that if something goes wrong. I believe their HTML/POST integration method is much easier. Only a few percent of our buyers use it but the checkout badge does increase your ads' CTR rate, so if you are a heavy adwords advertiser, this can justify the cost of implementation.

It does sometimes take a while (a few minutes) to process the transaction through the fraud checks and reviewing/charging/charged stages. You could risk it and automatically assume the transaction will post successfully, but personally I would play it safe and wait for Google to tell you that you are protected on the transaction.

Lastly, check their Terms of service. Non-tangible items have strict limitations and are commonly not eligible for Google checkout status. We were not able to add Google checkout to our "service" goods websites for example.