Anyone else like to see a Google Checkout option for donations?

I recently had some serious issues with PayPay (ie fraudulent transactions), as a result of which I closed my PayPal account and don’t have confidence using PayPal anymore. Unfortunately one of the innocent casualties is my monthly Ardour donation.

Ardour is important to me and I want to continue to support the effort but need an alternative payment method to PayPal (ie Google Checkout). Anyone else out there prefer an alternative payment method to PayPal?

Cheers!

whether google is more trustworthy than paypal is anyone’s guess… i for one don’t believe in all that !evil stuff any more. I do use google a lot though and paul appears to use it to generate income.

let’s see what the bottom line is.

paypal    : 1.9% .. 2.9% + $0.30 / transcaction
google co : 2%           + $0.20 / transaction
it appears goo is cheaper, if only by a few cents on a typical transaction.

I don’t know if it’s worth your trouble paul but a subscription from WestCoastSuccess alone may make it worth it, depending on the level of Success on the WestCoast! (excuse the awful pun)

the main issue i have with google checkout is that its 100% “shopping oriented”. unlike paypal it has no fundamental notion of "just give money to ". its not obvious to me how to use it to manage donations, and it certainly can’t be used for a subscription-like system. if anyone knows any websites that are using it for “pay what you like” transactions, please add a comment with a URL so i can take a look.

Paul: I actually contacted Google on that very issue but haven’t had a response yet.

I’m dead serious about supporting Ardour (even if it ain’t much, ie $50/mo - the screen name is meant, I suppose, ironically, Seb…) - contact me privately Paul if there’s an alternative you’d like (ie mail you post-dated cheques…jeez, haven’t used a cheque in years!..or whatever else you can think of). If we can’t work something out I’ll get another credit card with a specifically low limit on it and use PayPal (he says, gnashing his teeth and spitting…).

Really appreciate all the work you’ve done, Paul - thanks!

Not for profit organisations of the certified variety (“IRS Certified 501©3” though I don’t know what that means) can apparently have google checkout with an “enter amount” box, and Google do it cheaper as well by the sounds of it:

http://checkout.google.com/seller/npo/

Here’s the response from Google (tho as Seb mentions this is applicable to non-profits, which I’m not sure Ardour is):

Thank you for your response and for suggesting Google Checkout to Ardour.
We do offer a non-profit checkout flow, and we’re even offering free
transaction processing for non-profits through 2008!

If you’d like, you could ask your contact at Ardour to contact our team
directly by writing to checkout-support@google.com, and we’ll be happy to
assist with any questions they may have about Google Checkout for
nor-profits.

If you prefer, you could also pass along the following non-profit
offerings from Google:


Google Checkout for Non-Profits

With Google Checkout, an organization can convert more of visitors into
donors with Google Checkout for Non-Profits – a fast, convenient donation
process that helps you attract more donors and increase online giving to
your organization.

With Google Checkout you can:

* Increase donations to your organization.
* Enhance data security for your organization and donors.
* Process donations for free until at least 2009!

Additionally, we recently announced Google Checkout badges for non-profit
AdWords ads. If you use Google Checkout to collect donations, your
organization’s AdWords ads will display a Google Checkout badge.

Google Checkout badges are icons that appear on your AdWords ads to
distinguish you as a Google Checkout non-profit.

With Google Checkout badges, you can attract new donors in addition to
existing Google Checkout users, who know they can make fast, convenient
donations using only their Checkout login email and password.

Sign up and start collecting donations in minutes! For more details,
please visit http://www.google.com/checkout/npo .


The YouTube Nonprofit Program

Does your organization have a compelling story to tell? Do you want to
connect with your supporters, volunteers, and donors but don’t have the
funds to launch expensive outreach campaigns?

YouTube can help. Video is a powerful way to show your organization’s
impact and needs, and with a designated “Nonprofit” channel on YouTube,
you can deliver your message to the world’s largest online video
community.

The YouTube Nonprofit Program provides, at no cost to you:

* Premium branding capabilities and increased video uploading

capacity.
* Rotation of your videos in the “Promoted Videos” areas throughout
YouTube.
* The option to drive fundraising through a Google Checkout “Donate”
button.

To sign up for the program or discover more details, please visit
http://www.youtube.com/nonprofits.

We encourage you to visit the above websites for more information on these
brand new non-profit programs. As always, let us know if you have any
questions about your Google Grants account at
googlegrants-support@google.com.

For general program or account questions, please review our Help Center at
http://checkout.google.com/support

Sincerely,

Kelly
The Google Checkout Team