Google and eBay are now two of the most important rivals competing for the leader position of a certain domain of the market. Both companies are trying to obtain the first place in the online payments area as their solutions grew up a lot in the recent period. Google Checkout was in a continuously increase since its launch date while eBay consolidated its image with several major improvements that were usually very attractive for the clients. According to Seattle Post-Intelligencer, eBay managed to conquer the first place because the consumers turned to its website due to the holiday season.

Since the official release of Google Checkout, the search giant's solution was described as the perfect alternative for PayPal, the online paying system owned by eBay. However, it seems like less than one of five customers of Checkout are finding the Mountain View company's product useful in the detriment of eBay, according to the same source.

"PayPal is a huge home run. It's the most innovative Web payment product out there and has done really well, even in the face of a little bit of a challenge from Google," Meg Whitman, eBay's chief executive officer, said in an interview for Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

But Google wants even more and doesn't seem to stop before it reaches its goal. Some time ago, Google released the UK version of Checkout, planning to release several other versions of the service in order to attract the customers from certain countries with regional flavors of the product. This is an intelligent move because eBay managed to lure the majority of users from several locations of the world and, until the Mountain View company comes with something, it's hard to compete for the leader position.

If you didn't hear, Google started a powerful campaign since the release of the product when it announced that Checkout offers free processing until December 31, 2006. Until the period expired, Google expanded it with one more year until the end of 2007.