Update 2/11/19: Google Checkout has been retired and is no longer be available as of November 20th, 2013. See our list of Google Checkout Alternatives for other options.
Google Checkout (checkout.google.com) is an electronic payment service offered by Google.com that allows merchants to accept credit card payments through their website and at their retail location via consumers who use the Google Wallet app. The service is primarily marketed to consumers as a way to securely checkout of online stores by storing their credit card information in their Google Wallet account. Not only does Google claim that it’s a safer checkout option for consumers, but that it also speeds up the checkout process and stores the purchase information in one place so that consumers can easily review past purchases.
Google Checkout’s service is similar to PayPal’s “Payments Advanced” and “Payments Pro” accounts which allow merchants to either collect payments from a hosted checkout on Google’s servers, or through their own hosted shopping cart with either an HTML or XML-based API. Most merchants will likely need to work with an experienced web developer for the API option, but the other options can be implemented by just about anyone with basic knowledge of HTML.
Although merchants cannot type credit card numbers it into their Google Checkout merchant accounts to process sales, they can use Google Checkout’s invoice emailing feature to request payment from customers who then can fill in their own payment information. Essentially, if a buyer places an order via phone or fax, a merchant can generate invoices through his/her Google Checkout Merchant Center and email it to the buyer. The buyer is sent a link along with the invoice that allows him/her to confirm payment and shipping information. Unlike PayPal, Google Checkout does not offer a virtual terminal for processing face-to-face transactions but does have an app for Android devices that allow Google Checkout sellers to accept payments for in-store sales.
It is a sorry thing to see Google close Google Checkout. They were about the best when it comes to price. Now PayPal will dominate the industries, as there really is no real competition to keep their prices down. Expect increased PayPal prices, once noise dies down.
I paid a company – Sat tv – a subscription fee.
The ‘goods’ were not delivered to me.
I contacted sat tv and they told me google checkout had witheld MY money
Google have not contacted me 3 days later to even say why my money has not been allowed to pass to sat tv
I can only assume google are keeping my money to earn interest on it.
Imagine that X one million!
I’m about to contact the police or a lawyer
so far I have lost the money and have not received the goods.
thanks google checkout
The attempt to persuade people of the merits Google Checkout has just backfired. Google announced that they are handing off the checkout to a third party. So much for the all mighty GOOGLE CHECKOUT…. failure… Nothing will ever surpass PAYPAL. Google Checkout RIP
Look out for a Megan Bradley she scammed me out of 2000$ for a jeep through Craigslist. Promised me my funds were safe with google checkout and now I’ve come to learn different. Seemed legit with all the emails I received from google it’s self but wow has this blown me out of the park and I can’t even contact them about getting my money back. The supposed agent who was holding my money’s name was Cynthia Linsey in New Jersey. Can’t believe I was so stupid but be aware they make it seem so legit until they get your money. If I could go after google for this I would in a heart beat just not sure how to go about it. My lady as well claimed her husband had passed away and wanted to get rid of the jeep because of bad memories. This makes me sick
My mom went on craigs list in Jacksonville Florida in search of a RV for me. She reponded to the add got a Email back from a Margaret D Lopez later that night on 1/ 17/2013 in response she gave my mom all the details on the amount was 3,300 for a 2000 fleetwood terry EX M-34 5B wheel camper that was selling it through GOOGLE CHECK-OUT. She also sent myself a e-mail giving details about how to wire the money and also a invoice number and Google check-out also sent me a email with the same information Margaret Lopez sent me with a 1-877-827 8371 to call to get the account number and the banks name and the name on the account. I called Chase bank in Visalia,Ca to verfify the account they told me that the name and the account number was good. I went to my bank on 1/19/2013 and wire the money the banks were closed on 1/21/2013 the monies was in the account for this transactoin on Tuesday 1/22/2013.I called the 1-877-827-3871 to see when I was going to receive my RV the gentleman on the other end of the phone who I had been corsponding with is Peter.I was told it would delivered 3 to 5 business days then i was told it would be here on 1/25/2013 it never came then I was told 1/26/2013 and 1/27/2013 as of today i still have no RV and I’am 3,300 dollars so please don’t get scamed like I did so please becareful
Thank you Cheryle
This is a warning to all business owners thinking of using Google Merchant. D O N T. They recently extracted $644 from my bank account for my refusal to refund a product. Background: My return policy is for product quality/malfunction only. Not for customers that change their mind because the product is too difficult to ship back without damaging. Had a customer that tried. Even acknowledged my stance on returns in an email. No quality issue. Just, changed their mind. When I refused return. Customer complained to their credit card. I submitted my information ( including the email I mentioned above). That apparantly wasn’t good enough for Google and hid behind an excuse of ” Our hands are tied”. I will be suspending my working relationship with google immediatley. they’re not worth it.
Now I’m out the money and the product totalling over $1300. That alone should be waring enough.
Hi!
I am a victim of a scam through this google checkout. I saw an advert on automart and fall for the car and contacted the seller named Nadiya Naidoo who was selling a VW GolF V @ a very reasonable price. She told me to deposit money which I did and the google checkout will keep the money until I get the car then release the funds after ten days if the car is to my liking. Wow! Stupid me hesitated but later did all the transfers and emailed to a guy named Danny Alberts (thts if he exists any way) and the guy was always responding very well until I paid up the remaining balance. Until now I have not recieved any car. I want google checkout to refund me my money and failing which I am going international in every TV station and every news paper in any language to tell my story and I promise you, you will shut down in no time because I am not the only one who has a complaint. I want go believe google checout is part of all these scams because google checkout allows the scammers to scam people using their name. I need response before I sell my story and I am keeping all the messages i recieved via google checkout site. Please respond.
This just happened to me yesterday and I’m highly upset.
Google Checkout is withholding my payouts from my Merchant Account for no reason. Over $3600 is sitting on my account with them. I have received no response from the emails to their support group. Somehow we have to get this service shut down and all paym,ents made the their account holders.
I’ve been waiting for response from Google checkout for close to a year now. This is not going to happen. Take my advice , you’ll sleep better….that $3600 is a lost…what I have found out is, once you shipped products to clients….and Google closed your merchant account, they also in turn credited those monies back to clients. So a double whammy…product shipped, monies credited back to client…your lost. The unfortunate thing and they (Google) know it .. you need them for your business to survive online. I lost $700 – $800 with Google, I was lucky. I don’t advertise with Google … I don’t use any paid services with Google. Your business will still survive without Google. I was forced to start using PayPal as my principal merchant processor. I must say I have been quite happy and elated with PayPal.
Ramon Alvarez
I just saved my dad from this scam. A man named Brandon Andrews advertised a VW T5 on Gumtree-UK. We emailed asking for details and pictures and the reply we got was all about a story of a man who just divorced his wife and had to move back to spain to work and couldnt register the van over there so needed to sell it quick but had to be shipped back to the uk. He requested that we pay him using GOOGLE CHECKOUT because it was safe for both him and us, the money would be kept with the service till we receieved the van and released the funds to him, but had to pay shipping fees to go ahead with the exchange. I thought it sounded to good to be true so i started researching and came across this page. I have since found 4 other advertisements on gumtree, all for top notch vehicles and emailed all of them asking for details and had the exact email reply word for word, a story about a man divorcing his wife and needing to sell quick, from each vehicle advertised.
IF SOMETHING SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT MOST LIKELY IS!!! Research these things before giving personal details to anyone online. Be safe and dont use GOOGLE CHECKOUT!!!!!
Hauge Ruth tried to sell me a 05 camry! Told me it was in great condition and she was oceanographer nd she needed to sell it for research! I read these and told her nevermind and she is trying to make deals with me! She also told me that it was going through google checkout!