2Checkout

2Checkout.com API (2CO) is an Internet store (technically, an “authorized online reseller”) for thousands of web sites world-wide. The focus is on e-books, software and online services like web hosting. 2CO uses a proprietary technology that supports normal retail functions like customer service, financial reporting, order tracking and fraud prevention. The API’s are available to developers for configuring client systems to function with 2Chekout.com.

Under a standard supplier agreement, participating companies commit to supply (or ship) their products immediately to paying customers of 2CO who place an order over the Internet. 2CO is well-integrated with most shopping cart software. Payment is received in most hard currencies. 2CO competes mainly with PayPal as an on-line payment processing system, but unlike PayPal, 2CO is interposed between the supplier and the customer, and is more than a clearing house for the payment.

2CO uses a CGI so that API users need to pass CGI parameters (via HTML or in a link) to the checkout site. 2CO defines the formats of shopping carts that it can accept. Payment processing is accomplished interactively once the purchaser has been received at the 2CO site. As of 2007, a 2CO account was necessary to have access to the API specifications.