BuySafe announced on Tuesday the launch of the BuySafe Developers' Network. The program allows developers to access BuySafe's API (Application Programming Interface) to seamlessly integrate BuySafe trust signaling into retail websites, marketplaces, and third-party shopping applications. Consumers that make a bonded purchase from a BuySafe Merchant receive a surety bond backed by Travelers, ACE USA and Liberty Mutual that guarantees up to $25,000 that all terms and conditions of the sale will be met.

Developers who join the BuySafe's Developer Network can determine through API calls whether an online merchant or listing is bonded by BuySafe and can display the BuySafe logo next to their items. This allows comparison shopping sites, browser plug-ins, desktop widgets and other shopping applications to provide shoppers with additional information about the merchant.

Auction Trust Network (www.auctiontrustnetwork.com) was one of the first companies to leverage the BuySafe Developers' Network and API when it recently added BuySafe trust signaling into its eBay comparison shopping tool, Reconnect.

BuySafe CEO Jeff Grass said, "By creating the BuySafe Developers Network and opening our API, we are now able to signal trust to consumers at any point in their buying cycle, thus making the online shopping process easier, faster and safer than ever before. At the same time, BuySafe trust signaling helps drive more clicks and more valuable clicks - from higher conversion rates on BuySafe bonded transactions - and helps provide a more reliable and trusted shopping experience for marketplaces, merchant sites, and users of third-party shopping applications."

BuySafe extended its ecommerce bonding service beyond eBay to merchants' own websites in June, and now offers merchants the option of letting buyers choose whether to use the bonding service on transactions, in which case the buyer pays the BuySafe fee instead of the merchant (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m10/i24/s03).

Developers can gain access to the BuySafe API by registering for free membership on the BuySafe Developers Network site, or by sending an email request to developer@buysafe.com.

http://developer.buysafe.com

Updated 10/31/06.