Uploading Bulk Items

The process previously described is the way to list individual items for sale. But if you have a lot of items to post, you're better off using Google Base's bulk upload function. You can prepare your list of items offline, and then upload them all in a single file.

Creating and Submitting a Bulk Upload File

For bulk uploading, Google accepts information in either tab-delimited (TSV) or XML (RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, or Atom 0.2) formats. To upload a file of listings, go to the Google Base home page and click the Post Multiple Items with a Bulk Upload File link. When the next page appears, click the Specify a Bulk Upload File link, and then follow the onscreen instructions to upload the designated file. See base.google.com/base/howtobulkupload.html for more information on how to create the bulk upload file.

Using Google Base to Submit Store Inventory to Froogle

Here's another use for Google Baseit lets retailers submit their store inventory for inclusion in the Froogle database. You can use Google Base to submit both online and retail inventory, which means you can then use Froogle to drive traffic to your local location.

The best thing about this is it's the identical process used to upload bulk postings to Google Base. That's right, to submit store inventory to Froogle all you have to do is create and submit a bulk upload file to Google Base. Learn more at www.google.com/sellonfroogle/.

Using Google Base to Submit Business Location Data to Google Maps

We'll talk more about Google Maps in Chapter 18, "Using Google Maps." If you want information about your local business to be included in the Google Maps database, you can use Google Base to submit that information.

Again, the process to upload business location data is the same for submitting any bulk upload file to Google Base. You'll need to create a file with your business location information (in tab-delimited or XML format), and then upload that file from the Google Base main page. Get explicit instructions at base.google.com/base/business_feed_instructions.html.

Commentary: Google Versus Ebay? Here's a question for you. If Google Base lets individuals advertise items to other individuals online, and if Google Base offers an online payment service that lets individuals accept credit card payments, then how is Google Base different from eBay? While the folks at Google insist that Google Base isn't meant to compete with eBay, it's quite clear that it willto one degree or another. Google Base is, quite simply, an online marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers and facilitates their transactions. That's exactly what eBay does. Of course, there are differences. Google Base doesn't offer an online auction function, which eBay does. (Although Google Base does offer a "negotiated price" option, where you can haggle with an interested buyer.) Google Base is also a bit more than a simple product marketplace, in that it offers craigslist-style classified ads. And, at this point in time, Google Base is much, much smaller than eBayalthough that could change as the months go by. Then there are the costs. eBay charges a fee to list an item for sale, and another fee when the item is sold. Google Base charges neither. eBay also charges when you include more than one photo of your item, which Google Base doesn't. There's even a difference in the sites' online payment services; eBay's PayPal charges 2.9% of the final transaction price plus 35 cents per transaction, where Google Payments charges just 2.5% of the final transaction price plus 25 cents per transaction. If this price differential holds, a seller could save $8 or so on a $100 transaction. That's not peanuts, folks. But maybe the folks at Google are sincere about not viewing Google Base as direct competition to eBay. Obviously, Google is okay with generating less revenue per transaction than eBay does. No, it's likely that Google views Google Base as yet another vehicle for generating advertising revenue. And, as you recall from my commentary in Chapter 1, "Inside Google," Google is very much an advertising-based business, in spite of its superficial focus on search technology. The more listings that appear on Google Base, the more opportunities Google has to sell ad space. It may be that simple. In addition, Google may be able to use its Google Payments system to generate immediate revenue from the ads it serves. Imagine a user clicking an ad, and then being offered the immediate opportunity to purchase the advertised productfacilitated by Google Payments, of course. It's a win-win for Google. All that said, consumers' perception matters. And if online buyers and sellers perceive that Google Base is an attractive alternative to eBay, Google will find itself competing head-to-head with the world's current largest online marketplace. Is that a battle Google can win? I don't know; to date, both Google and eBay have been companies you don't bet against. How they fare in a direct battle is impossible to call.