Google Expands Payment Services

Google Inc. has started offering payment services for buyers and sellers on its Google Base, a searchable online database where people can submit almost any online and offline item.

The Mountain View, Calif., search engine also offers payment services for buying video, items from its online company store, and licenses for its Google Earth satellite mapping service. Similar to those offerings, people who are accountholders with Google can now use their credit card to buy items listed in Google Base.

The company has started with a "very small number" of sellers and expects to include more over the next several months. People interested in selling on Google Base are asked to submit their names and email addresses.

Google said on its company blog that it expects to add payment functionality to other Google services in the future.

The addition of transaction services on Google Base takes the latter in closer competition with online marketplace EBay Inc. The latter company recently unveiled EBay Express, a site that lets shoppers bypass EBay auctions and buy new products from merchants at a fixed price.