BuySafe is continuing to expand its safe-shopping service off of eBay with the addition of three online merchant sites. BuySafe launched as a bonding service exclusively for eBay sellers in 2003, and last year, the company began offering BuySafe Website Bonding through service providers such as storefront, shopping cart and checkout providers. This week, the company announced that three online merchants are now using the BuySafe trust solution on their websites directly: ACityDiscount (www.acitydiscount.com), Carter's Fine Jewelry (www.cartersfinejewelry.com) and CompSource (www.compsource.com).

A spokesperson for BuySafe said the significance of the announcement is that BuySafe is now working with independent enterprise level merchants - not affiliated with online auction sites or marketplaces. This "really shows BuySafe expansion to all fronts of ecommerce," she said. BuySafe continues to offer its service to eBay sellers.

While initially sellers were required to pay for BuySafe's service, in October 2006, the company began offering 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.

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