Well, after spending a good amount of time getting my bulk upload file workable for GBase, I did get everything uploaded and approved. Got some hits, nothing selling for a month, but that's okay since I don't have to pay to list, right?

So this just this week I got an order. But the amount Google okayed through their checkout didn't include the shipping.

I immediately contacted them to find out how I can include the shipping (which was posted in the shipping field of the item), and I'm hopeful they will respond with something useful. I've found their people to be very sharp and informative.

But I deactivated all my items until I can understand why they didn't include shipping in the amount they authorized on my customer's card.

If there is a confusion, I can safely send the item anyway. I would lose my profit, but not lose money overall to send it, and my commitment to my customers is first and foremost. This might not be true for everyone (especiallyif your items are one of a kind) so I just wanted to give people a heads up. The Google system is not yet entirely clear on these details, at least not to me.

I'll follow up as I learn more.

Interesting.

I too list a few items over at GB with no results so far but glad to see someone is selling something over there

Sorry to hear about the shipping expense issue and sounds like a mistake on GB's part in programming the site

I most always type in the amount for shipping in the item desricption no matter where I list so the buyer doesn't get sticker/invocie shock

I'd keep on top of it with the buyer and GB and please keep us updated as to how this turns out for you

I have sold several item this month on google base. I also sell with a fixed shipping charge. I have had no problems. I believe the problem will be where people wants to combine shipping cost for more than one item. I sold a lady two dolls and she just went ahead and pay shipping on both items.

Someone on the Blujay site announced a sale today and posted an answer from Google B. about shipping being calculated into the total. You may want to check the answer there.

Mary
www.blujay.com/cuteasabug
www.cuteasabug.biz

Well I heard back from the Base team, and apparently there is no way I can correct the invoice to add in shipping, because I did not have a properly formatted shipping attribute in my bulk upload file. So I sent the charge through and now will wait for the money to clear and then send the item.

Won't lose money, but won't make my usual profit, either, alas. I've revised my file yet again, and hope it works correctly this time. I'm not sure why the file was approved previously without a correctly formatted shipping attribute, so that's something to watch out for. My only other option would be to cancel the order, and I didn't want to do that.

Thanks for the pointer, cuteasabug. I'll check that out. I've been trying to get the Google Checkout integrated into my eCRATER store, but haven't been able to get my merchant account okayed yet (keep running into error messages on Google's site, which they are trying to help me with).

I think the Google Checkout as integrated into other sites is different than the use of Google Checkout in Google Base, since it's a separate signup procedure with a separate key, but I admit I'm still figuring it all out.

My file with the shipping attribute added sat from 3:27 a.m. until just a little while ago and now comes back with errors!

It was the first time I could actually click on an item and it go to the page since GB had a tech in it showing it tied to another acct. for days and I couldn't upload at all.

I could have run an endurance race with less stress than this and I haven't even tried setting up the Google Checkout yet.

As it stands now or doesn't as the case maybe they would checkout through my store which is on Paypal.

I can't begin to add GC until the web designer comes back since I'm locked out of adding any code while they are on vacation all week!

I don't dare ask if it could get any worse!

These parameter errors on the file and the details of the errors being spelled out would save everyone a lot of aggreivation. Getting them clarified costs both GB and us time neither of us have with awaiting responses on what should be a programming issue.

Mary
www.cuteasabug.biz

One thing, once you get a file okayed the approval applies to the file name not to you or your items. So if you upload again, as you need to do every 30 days, and you change your file name, you have to go through the approval process all over again.

Just one more oddity to watch out for!

It takes a little practice to get the files right. I wrote some sql scripts to export the data from oscommerce.
Now I can get my stuff loaded in minutes. I don't know if it helps. But I do have clicks on the items. I get some sales on my website. Not enough though. Better than ebay, I got none there.

Yeah, it takes a little work, but once you get your file to their specs, the uploads are quite smooth.

My latest issue, on this same sale, is that it took one full week (including a weekend) to get the money in my account. They take two (business) days to get the money once you charge, and then three days to credit your bank account. And you must have a bank account registered with them to receive money. It's not like Paypal where the money goes into a separate, interim account.

So unless I want to front the shipping cost, I have to wait five business days to ship my item. I'm used to getting paid immediately and shipping the next day, so it's an adjustment.

I dont know if this helps at all but all of our bulk uploaded items drive the buyer directly to our website. this avoids us having to put shipping down for 1700 items. for individual one of a kind I input the shipping myself