Google has begun offering a new payment option - via Google Accounts - for some who had listed items for sale on its recently launched Google Base, a step that some believe will pit it against one of its biggest advertisers, eBay's PayPal payment service, writes the Mercury News. However, Tom Oliveri, product marketing manager for Google Base, said the payment service is not intended to compete with eBay or PayPal.
Oliveri points out that eBay is entirely commercial, whereas Google Base is more about free information exchange, adding that eBay sellers can post on Google Base - and, if they wish, direct buyers to eBay for payment via PayPal.
On analyst notes that Google doesn't need the payment service itself to be profitable; rather, the information it gathers about the people who use it would be valuable to its advertisers. Users of the service must register with Google Accounts and submit credit card information, reports the Sand Francisco Chronicle; the payment service is without fees or commissions.
