Google Checkout and Amazon.com should work together

After doing some research recently on the newer Google Checkout payment system offered by the world's largest search company (but wanting to be more, of course), a recent ad showed up in my email from buy.com, a company I have done business with many times. Amazon.com is a great place to shop, but I'll search buy.com on occasion to find a rare item I just can't find anywhere else.

Although Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has been pushing out the Google Checkout system for a few months now, the highest-profile co-branding campaign I have seen is with Buy.com -- see the ad image here?

Ever since eBay locked out the use of Google Checkout on its site (no doubt to rid competition for eBay's PayPal system), Google Checkout has allied itself with many other web properties, like Starbucks.com and Ace Hardware. While those are large names, they can't hold a retail candle to Amazon.com in the area of Internet retail sales.

My point, you may ask?

Maybe it's time for Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) to offer Google Checkout as a payment selection. It's hard to imagine many Internet-savvy customers these days who have not purchased anything from Amazon.com -- and therefore have their payment information stored at the online retailer. But giving yet another choice to consumers -- especially a new one -- might just be a good idea.

After all, marrying the world's largest online retailer with the world's largest search company is probably not a bad thing for either. Some think Google Checkout is a huge threat to Amazon -- I say, let them work together. It's all about serving consumers and increasing sales, isn't it?