I understand a private ssl is the only way to go if you are using a merchant account, but,
If I am only going to use paypal and/or Google checkout how would a private SSl benefit me ? Wouldnt the info already be secure ? What difference would the customer see if I use paypal and have a shared SSL vs a private SSl
The difference is when a customer goes to sign in and/or create an account with YOU/YOUR SITE they will not be faced with a warning box telling them that the SSL is NOT for your site, but for your host's domain, if you DON'T use a dedicated SSL. If you use one created for YOUR domain ONLY then they will see NO warning boxes.