Amazon launches self-cloning experiment

@"Invasion of the Checkout Snatchers"

Um... Better title than "Invasion of the Snatch Checker-outers" I guess...

It Has to Succeed

All things considered I actually trust Amazon to not screw me over. PayPal on the other hand is one long nightmare of incompetence and incomprhensible errors.

I don't think that anyone uses PayPal because they like it, but because it's the only game in town.

Ebay isn't going to like this.

But it's high time ebay had some decent competition.

Paypal ain't what it used ta be

Just tried ordering a book using Paypal and their rubbish eCheque small print says it takes 7-9 days before my payment to the seller clears. Add 3 -5 days for delivery and I might as well take the day off work and go downtown to buy it, have a cappucino and basically forget all this internet-shopping-malarkey.... rubbish. In fact I will send actual cash through the post and take my chances at this rate.

Hotel California?

You can check out any time but you can never leave.

Obscure Icon relevance...

Google Checkout...

...is actually quite good.

It really simplifies shopping to a one-click solution after adding a product to a cart, but more important is the 'TRUST' factor.

If I do a product search online, I'm more likely to select an e-tailer that offers Google Checkout, not only for speed and simplicity, but to a great extent because I feel more secure using GC - a known entitiy, even when I'm unfamiliar with the e-tailer (and my card isn't charged until the product is shipped).

Hope it doesn't go belly up any time soon.

There's room in this town for both....

I know popular opinion is to bash the dominant market player, PayPal, but I actually quite like the eBay tentacle. I have been regularly using PP (both on and off eBay) almost since its inception, and have not had a single problem.

I have never used Google Checkout, but thats not because I don't want to, just that it's never came up. It would seem to me that most of the large e-commerce companies are reluctant to let Google get a foothold in another market.

As for Amazon, they are another company I have been using since the early days. I already liked their one account for the whole world approach, which has allowed me to purchase items from Amazon.fr and Amazon.com not otherwise available in the UK. Now the possibility of having a few more sites where I don't need to enter my payment details sounds quite appealing.

@ @"Invasion of the Checkout Snatchers"

Excellent! Well worthy of a "I'll get my coat" icon. I'll pick Paris cos I've never been there (I should be so lucky !)

A Time and a Place ...

"Um... Better title than "Invasion of the Snatch Checker-outers" I guess..." .... By Anonymous Coward Posted Wednesday 30th July 2008 21:28 GMT

:-) Common Decency prevents me from disagreeing with that guess, AC.

And Paris naturally, because of the above.

@Dave (Hotel California)

Hey Dave, that's funnier than that - isn't there a line later on in HC that says something like "they stab it with their steely knives, but they still can't kill the beast".

Very appropriate - "the beast" = Microshaft, Crapple, Hamaszon, etc as appropriate.

(sorry, it's turning out to be one of those nights, apologies, one of those _days_. Darn Eagles and their catchy tunes....)

More Eagles....

Watch out Paypal - there's a new kid in town....

I would

Checkout with amazon :-) Have sold a few old IT/Science books through them because I trust them. They are more expensive than eBay but I trust them so much more.

Why don't you come to your senses?

You've been out riding fences

for so long now.

Take it easy, I'm getting my coat.

@ Chris Hamilton

"...I have been regularly using PP ... and have not had a single problem."

You are very, very lucky because there is no Hell like trying to get PayPal to fix something. http://www.threesquirrels.com/?cat=11

amazon urls?

Didn't all amazon URLs used to include "obidos"? No more, as far as I can see. Did they go the way of the dodo perhaps?

Put your hands by your pockets and step away from the bong!

Why does buying cheap second hand books make me brainwashed and hypnotized ?

Or is the author trying to be cute. Sorry mate it's just aggravating.

Peroxide girl with a false ID

Lost and lonely she can't see

Peroxide hair and burnt out eyes

Blinded by so many lies.

Not worldwide

"designed to leverage brainwashed online shoppers across the globe" but "checkout by Amazon is only available in the US"? There doesn't seem to be an Amazon Payments in British Pounds.

The other very strange thing about Amazon payments is there existing payments system under Amazon Marketplace is also called "Amazon Payments" and that URLs starting payments.amazon.com are used for this system, yet apparently one cannot use one's (Paypal Clone) Amazon Payments account for one's Amazon Marketplace dealings.

Kind regards

Peter