Google Checkout…Finally An Alternative Payment Method For Writers
For as long as people have been buying goods and services on the Internet, there has been only one major option to collect payment, the 800lb gorilla known only as PayPal. While the latter part of the name might lead one to infer it’s a friendly payment option, many writers have found it to be the contrary.
The only other option to date was signing up for costly merchant accounts to accept credit cards directly, which for anyone that has done this, knows is no small feat. Imagine the pain of going to the DMV combined with the agony of waiting in line at the bathroom during halftime of your favorite sporting event, and you have the precise emotional meltdown one feels singing up for a merchant account.
So what’s next, if PayPal is evil, and merchant accounts are torture, dare we ask our clients for cash?
Not likely, in the world of hyper authoritarian internet security, cash payments are a thing of the past. Luckily a new player has emerged, set out to offer writers a hassle free way to accept payment. The name most commonly associated with searching the Internet is now a full blown credit card payment gateway that is hassle free… Well, almost hassle free.
       Google CheckoutÂ
The Good Â
Google Checkout takes about 2 minutes to sign up for, compared to a tedious 7 day PayPal signup time; this might be Google Checkout’s most attractive feature.
Accepting payment with Google Checkout is also extremely easy, with easy to create invoices that can be sent directly from the site. Similar to a money request from PayPal, these invoices include more info about you in them, and seem to arrive as soon as you click the send button.
Receiving payment is fairly easy, while Google Checkout does require the buyer to sign up for the service; it isn’t too hard to get a buyer to the payment information screen after a brief sign up.
 The Bad Â
Google prefers tangible goods. I’m not making this up. They say it is in their terms of service. As writers we are selling a service, which of course isn’t tangible, but all and all I assume it’s better than selling Mexican pharmaceuticals, just a guess.
Payouts are mysteriously provided after 4 or 5 business days. There is no withdrawing function as many are familiar with in PayPal. Instead Google Checkout assumes the user would like to withdraw funds immediately. The problem? It’s not immediate.
I received a payment from my client on the April 26th as you can see below.
The custom order page looks like this for those curious about what an order page would look like.
All and all Google Checkout is a quality payment processor worthy of keeping on hand for clients that don’t like PayPal. I’ve personally been a fan of Google’s innovations for a long time, ever since their stock price hit $400 a share, and they received more money than Oprah.
I figure with all that money in their bank account, it doesn’t hurt to sign up with Google Checkout, they might start giving some of it away, and if I know Google, I know just how it’ll be distributed.
Thank you for reading another great Writer Wrangler Review
May 4th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
So basically are you telling us that Google Checkout sucks? Skiping the joke, they really have a lot of work to do to be able to compare themselves with PayPal. Despite its high fees, PayPal works faster and I’ve never had problems with it. But I will take your advice and sign up now. You never know what google may come up with in the future. They do move at a fast pace.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:37 am
HI Mihaela,
I use PayPal everyday as well, and for the most part don’t have issues with them. Really Google Checkout is for your customers. Some people don’t use PayPal, or don’t want to deal with the hassle of signing up. As a writer the more options you can give to your clients in terms of payment the better. At least that’s how I look at it.
-C
May 6th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Google’s innovations are usually good, and I love their April 1st pranks, but PayPal’s served me well and I’ve got no complaints about it. They took $3 off a recent $70 payment I received for work, but then I transferred it to my bank account incurring no fees so as it costs me $15 to cash a check (any currency) or even place it through my account, PayPal’s a huge improvement on that, and not to mention how fast it is.
I’ll check out the Google option though. Thanks for sharing it. I didn’t know about it until I read your review.
Katie-Anne
May 19th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
[...] and safer. Basically it has the same goals as PayPal and judging from the online reviews from bloggers, it has enough pros to be considered a valuable [...]
June 1st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Thanks for the information. You’ve helped me find peace with my decision to stick with Paypal for now. I can’t imagine waiting that long for MY money to be sent out. I get antsy when it isn’t in my grubby little paws and completely spendable. I also like the option of sitting on a little bit in order to accumulate some savings (goodness knows it’s gone once it hits my checking account).
April 17th, 2010 at 12:54 am
Great job here. I really enjoyed what you had to say. Keep going because you definitely bring a new voice to this subject. Not many people would say what youve said and still make it interesting. Well, at least Im interested. Cant wait to see more of this from you.