Back in the day (OK, 18 months ago), Google was quite coy about whether or not it was going to get into the business of marketplace transactions. Since Video and Base came out, however, it’s clear the company is looking to move in on eBay and Amazon, and now the company is in the bookselling business. Welcome to the merchandising business, Google!
Update: I should clarify, that Google as yet is not enabling the selling of physical books, but online access to books. I for one think it’s only a matter of time…
Welcome in bookselling business, howwever it works but Google makes with everything money.
I might be missing the point here, but Google Books has been around for about 2 years – although dormant for the last year, or so.
Google Books is simply controlled access to eBooks, with a transaction engine built off the back of it to allow the user to pay for access after they have viewed more than 2 pages of the document.
It was going to be integrated into regular search results, with the publisher earning a share of the monies generated from the transactions and a value of advertising credits with Google (based on the volume of previously unavailable content the publisher allowed to be integrated into the search).
Is there any business they do not want a cut of? I won’t be surprised if tomorrow it is women’s lingerie.
I do not mind this so much, but do feel they could be a little more upfront. Seems they have one message to investors: “We are going to conquer the web by giving access to all information,” yet they still try to present themselves to users as just these “good guys” out to help. Maybe that is just business, but I find it tiring. So they recently bought word processor Writely, but they will still probably claim that online word processing is of no interest to them or launch Base and claim it is no competition to eBay. Do what you are going to do, but at least be upfront about it. I at least
. . . Last line got cut off, was meant to say “I at least would appreciate a little more honesty, so that what they say and what they do is a more aligned. Otherwise, I think they will start to lose respect online.”
Perhaps they truly believe they are not trying to take on ebay. It’s the media and the blogosphere that keeps saying that. Just because they do some things similar to ebay or amazon does not mean they are trying to directly compete.
I mean, ebay have a search feature to find products on ebay, so are they taking on google? Amazon have a payment system for their own products, are they taking on paypal?
I think they are believe they are being honest when they say they are not trying to compete directly with ebay, but due to their size and success people just won’t accept when they say that.
They have people post items for sale in a time sensitive structure, have a reputation system to give buyers/sellers ratings — and they are not competing directly with eBay! This is what they think! I am OK with them doing it, but come on, show some honesty. They want investors to think they are competing with eBay, Microsoft and others (and will make alot of money at it) and users to think they are not — that they are happy with their piece of the web pie. Do what you like Google, but why the double messages? If Google is out to conquer as much of the web as possible (which is very likely) fine, but it is best to admit it; I don’t buy the “were just the good guys trying to help users” message, while at the same time buying companies and creating sites to compete with just about everyone.
eBay is a more likely model for Google, as a facilitator of sales by internet users. Amazon holds and delivers physical stock, and that is far, far away from what Google knows how to do.
Google just might start dipping its toes in same business as Amazon. Google might also develop its own ebay type service.