I have a simple Paypal payment button:
on production of my e-commerce website. It works. Many customers have already bought items with it.
But now I'd like to see exactly the payment workflow from a buyer's point of view, from the start, until payment successful + IPN mail + auto-redirect to payment-success page, etc.
Paypal sandboxing seems incredibly complex, one has to create a Developer account, then 2 sandbox accounts, a facilitator (?), a buyer one, etc.
It also seems that Paypal duplicates the real content, into a virtual sandbox button, etc. This is really complex.
All I want is to try my already-working production PayPal-button with a single sandbox buyer account. How to do that?
Is there a way to test a production Paypal button with a sandbox account (with, say, 10000€), and to proceed to the payment like would do a real customer?
... instead of having to create 3 accounts (Developer + Buyer SandBox account + Seller SandBox account)
PS: I've read many docs about sandboxing in Paypal docs, but they have very old docs (deprecated), some old docs, some new docs, some very new docs, + some of them in French with different content to English version, etc. I'm totally lost!
Actually you can test payment buttons I'm testing one of those right now.
At first it seems more complex that it needs to be, but all you need to know is that the sandbox system is a different enviroment, so the only way to test a sandbox payment button is a sanbox account.
Go to your developer dashboard, create 2 accounts, 1 for the seller (pick merchant account when creating this one), 1 for the buyer.
Log in to sandbox.paypal.com with the seller, create the button as you already did, set the ipn and all you need. Place the button in your site, now test your new button and when paying log in with the buyer (sandbox account) you previously created.
There's no way to test environment for paypal buttons. I sent a few messages to them asking the same thing. The only way to test that is get int touch with them through your account and tell your test user, then they won't charge you.
Here's a translation I received a few weeks ago:
In this case, the Sandbox environment does not allow payment on PayPal
buttons because there is no sandbox system for buttons, only for email
integration or PayPal account API.
In this case we recommend that we send a URL of the buttons or even
your site already with the buttons registered.
That way any analyst can do the actual payment test for you.
Our test balance is only R $ 50,00 reais, so the buttons can not
exceed this value with product price and freight.
Related
I'm not a programmer, a developer, or a genius. I'm a semi-intelligent person who wants to build a single-serving Web site that provides a simple service for a fixed price.
So I just need to test a single "Submit & Pay" button that I've built using a Machform form. You fill in the form, press the button, and it directs you to Paypal to complete the payment.
Everything is working until I get to the Paypal part. But I don't want to start paying Paypal fees just to check if it's working okay.
There seems to have been a Sandbox option in the past on Paypal, but after creating a basic Sandbox account, it... doesn't work. Links go nowhere, and even the main site (cms.paypal.com) goes to a 404 page. The "Getting Started with Sandbox" link goes to a broken page. The "Sandbox User Guide" attempts to load a PDF on a site I don't know, and don't trust.
The "Sandbox" options on the main site -- when they don't go to the semi-broken, I-guess-abandoned "Sandbox" site -- go to developer.paypal.com, which is way too much gun for me. Even a Google search for "paypal sandbox" now leads exclusively to developer.paypal.com links.
I just need to confirm that my "pay" button will execute correctly in Paypal; I don't need to build a multi-platform API that configures my JavaScripts to execute a parallel-stream optimization option on a scaleable interface across mobile devices with integrated IPNs and a side of fries.
What's the best way to do that?
The sandbox is indeed what you need for testing, and you do need an account at developer.paypal.com in order to use it. It's not a complicated thing, though. You don't have to get all crazy with it if you don't want/need to.
Go to http://developer.paypal.com and login there with your PayPal account. Once logged in click on Applications and then go to Sandbox Accounts.
Use the Create Account button to create at least 1 seller account and 1 buyer account. For the seller account just make it a business account. For the buyer account you can make it personal or business.
Launch your sandbox seller account and login to that. This is your fake PayPal account that you can use just like your own. From within that account you can create buttons just like you do from your live account, and you can place those buttons on pages to test with.
Then when you launch that page in a browser and click on the button it will send you over to sandbox.paypal.com instead of the regular paypal.com, but it will all look very similar to what a buyer would see during payment. You can use the buyer sandbox account you created to complete the purchase exactly as you would with a real account.
After that you can login to the seller or buyer account to see how things would look for each person in the transaction.
I am trying to set up a Web site which is using PayPal. Unfortunately the PayPal developer site/concept is heavily changed, so all tutorials I found are seem to be useless. For example this (very good) youtube tutorial which is very clear is using not existing pages and functions...
So please try to help me only with up to date information/tutorial.
Please note my questions is not about using API, it is about how to set up an app, and a testing sandbox configuration from the ground.
1) As far as I understand I must have a real PayPal account because dev site uses PayPal account for logon (new). Logged in with this account then I can create sandbox accounts. However I would like to create a "Seller" sandbox account and a "Buyer" sandbox account. (missed I something?) Using the new developer site it is not possible. I can create only one kind of sandbox account. In the referenced video there are two types of sandbox accounts: "seller" and "buyer" in the preconfigured accounts. Or "Seller" simply means Business account?
2) I must have an application id to use the API. Note: I inherited a working legacy code which is using the classic API, so no REST please. In the video (old PayPal dev site) there is a left side menu "API and Payment Card credentials" In the new PayPal dev site no such thing. Instead there is a "My Apps".
I've tried to set up an application. It approved automatically. In its metadata I see a live and a sandbox app id.
What is not clear: To what account is associated this newly created app? I've created it logged in with my real paypal credentials.
More: ??? When filling the app creation form there was an input field titled: "Supply Test Account Name and Password". First of all how can I type the name and a password to one input field? Secondly What is it? Maybe if I use this app with its sandbox app id then this account will be the Seller (got the money) and if I change the app id to the live one associated this app, then my real PayPal account got the money?
However my goal was to completely simulate the payment process so
1) Create a Seller sandbox account (got API credentials)
2) Associate an application to that Seller account, and get the app id.
3) Create a buyer sandbox account
4a) Configure my web site with Seller API credentials and sandbox app id
4b) Orchestrate a buy process using my website, PayPal API and the 2 sandbox account
5) Check the Seller and Buyer sandbox account's transactions.
Thanks in advance
Seller account = Business account
Buyer account = Personal account
You probably only need to create one of each in Developer Sandbox Accounts , but there's no limit if your testing requires some more
To obtain the new REST API credentials, create an App in My Apps & Credentials and select the sandbox Business account to use
Legacy APIs: If testing an old integration, you can still get Classic NVP/SOAP credentials for a business account by viewing its "Profile" within your list of sandbox accounts
Just found myself in the same situation. Like you say it seems to be constantly evolving - not even sure if some of the answers here are still up to date.
Walked through it like this:
Login at developer.paypal.com
Go to Applications tab
Click on the Sandbox accounts on the left hand side
Any sandbox accounts you already created will be listed. Big blue button Create Account to create more
Think of logging in to the sandbox with your real PayPal account as logging into your Sandbox. You do this at http://developer.paypal.com.
Once you are logged into your sandbox in the middle of the screen, click on "continue testing using Sandbox test accounts".
When the next screen comes up you will see a heading of Sandbox Test Accounts and to the far right of that a button to Create Account. Click on this and then you need to create a "Personal" buyer account (your sandbox buyer who you will test with) and a "Business" seller account (your sandbox seller who you will test with).
Set up each one of these as if you were setting up a new Paypal account.
When you have them created fully you will have fictitious bank accounts to work with.
Beyond that, you may wish to check out these tutorials http://www.developphp.com/list_php_video.php where the site goes in-depth with setting up PayPal payments on a website using your own custom, basic shopping cart with a PayPal IPN (instant payment notification). You want to scroll down to the "E-Commerce Website Tutorial...". Lessons 9-20 deal with the cart and accepting PayPal. This may be an older way to do things, but it will help you get a general grounding in working with PayPal IMHO.
You also can visit https://developer.paypal.com/webapps/developer/docs/ At the bottom of the column is a heading "Classic API's" that may provide the documentation you are looking for to move forward.
Good Luck!
I've been trying this for few days. I've created some seller accounts, one of them I created early this year and it was working fine. Then when I return for this project this March, Paypal changed the API from x.com to developer.paypal.com. The old seller accounts were still working fine and can still accept the digital goods payments from the payer accounts that I created recently, however the new seller accounts, with BUSINESS type, suppose to be able to pay and accept payments got some issues. These newly created seller accounts receive the following warning:
You are not signed up to accept payment for digitally delivered goods.
Doing some research with google, I released I have to set the paypal business account for digital goods. But I can't find where to set it from the new paypal developer control panel. Even when I tried to log in to the sandbox version of paypal.com, using the seller accounts I created in the sandbox, I still can't find where I can set it. In my business setup, there are only two options for me, one is Paypal payments pro and other other is "Virtual Terminal". Any idea? Please help....
I've found the way to add express checkout for digital goods in sandbox, but I think Paypal should pay attention to this because the way I used was very clumsy.
First sign in to sandbox and choose a business account to log in to the sandbox by using the url provided in the Application/Sanbox Accounts. Then use the account that you want to set to accept digital goods checkout to log into the sandbox url, it should be www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/home
After logged in, go to my business setup and pay attention to the setup my payment solution. Click the view all products and you will be redirected to a new page. Please note the url now, the "sandbox" is missing. Now click on the express checkout button, or whatever you want to add to the payment solution, you will be redirected again. Now pay attention to the url, insert "sandbox" to the url, e.g www.paypal.com you have to replace it with www.sandbox.paypal.com, the rest of the url remain the same. Then press enter you will be redirected back to the business setup page. Now you can see your payment solution has become express checkout. It is stupid and I hope paypal can let us choose this directly from the control panel in the near future.
An alternative hides in Profile > My selling tools > API access > Update > At the bottom - Enable Express Checkout.
When I later go to My Account > My Business Setup I see: "Your payment solution: PayPal Digital Goods (Express Checkout)"
I'm building a site where one user can use PayPal to buy an item from another user. I want the money to go directly from one to the other while I just handle the IPN and the interface. I've set up the encrypted button to use cmd = _s-xclick and for the encrypted data: cmd = _xclick, business = the email of the seller and email = the email of the buyer. I'm having some issues completing the transaction. For example, User A has a PayPal account, User B does not. Both have an item being purchased by the opposite user. Clicking the "Pay with PayPal" button for User A (to buy User B's item) yields:
"The merchant is not a business or premier PayPal account. This feature is only enabled for a business or a premier PayPal account holder."
Clicking the "Pay with PayPal" button for User B (to buy User A's item) yields:
We were unable to authorize the transaction. Please contact your merchant.
I'm assuming the first message is because User B does not have a PayPal account, but I thought that PayPal will still accept the payment and hold it in a temporary account until that user signs up.
I'm also assuming that the second message is also because the buyer (in this case User B) doesn't have a PayPal account. But I thought PayPal would just give them the option to create one right there or use a credit card to make the payment.
Am I missing something (e.g. is there a different variable I need passed)? Or do I have to somehow confirm that a user has a PayPal account before allowing them to buy/sell an item.
PS: I'm pretty sure, but I'll have to confirm, that it works if both parties have PayPal accounts and the seller is a business/premium account.
This way is not a great solution because you have no way to check or guarantee that both parties have a PayPal account. I recommend using Adaptive Payments (Chain Payments). This will allow you as the PayPal account holder to run each transaction and it will send the money to the appropriate seller PayPal account, or e-mail them to let them know they have money waiting if they do not have a PayPal account, so that they can sign up and claim the money.
We recently began receiving this extremely unhelpful error message and we had to contact Paypal Merchant Technical Support. After much back and forth received the following response:
Unfortunately, we PayPal are facing some difficulties with encrypted button currently and our developer team is resolving this issue as we speak. In the meantime if you don't mind could you create a secondary email in your account then set it as primary, next regenerate the button again and test it out. For now this is the only work around they provided if you require to use encrypted button, give it a try and see if its worked, let me know if there's anything else you need, I would be happily assist you. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Tried that and it worked. It made me want to curse at someone, but it worked.
Had a nice little custom button with a few parameters I was POSTing to PayPal (and getting POSTed back via IPN) a few years ago working fine. Payments were disabled for several years, but now my client wants to resume subscriptions with their new campaign.
I switched back to the sandbox hostname/merchant accounts, did a sandbox transaction with a test Visa card, and all was well.
Switched it to the live hostname/merchant account, went to do another test with a real Visa, but noticed that not only has the real PayPal site been completely rebranded/redesigned, they now seem to be forcing you to create a PayPal account: on the sandbox, there's a blurb with a link that says "continue" which takes you right to the credit card/billing information (this is identical to what the live PayPal site used to look like a few years ago).
NOTE: The merchant account has changed; I'm not sure if that matters or not and/or if there's any settings in there I need to change.
Question: is this the way it is now with PayPal? I can't seem to find any official information that says yes/no. Besides the Express, is there any other IPN method that'll work here or is this a policy thing at PayPal? I'd hate to rewrite my working/tested code, but this isn't going to fly with my client.
Yahel's answer is incorrect: I called PayPal, and they explained that the following conditions must be met in order to accept non-PayPal payments:
The business email address must be confirmed. You can check by going to Profile > Email.
PayPal Account Optional must be checked:
Go to www.paypal.com.au and log in to your Business account.
Click 'Profile icon' near the top right of the page (next to "Log out" button)
Click "Profile & settings"
Click ‘My selling tools.’
Click ‘Update' beside 'Website preferences.’
Select 'On' under 'PayPal Account Optional' near the bottom of the page.
Click 'Save.'
Yes paypal has been forcing users to create an account for a long time now. Before that you could use a credit card up to 10 times and then it would force you to create an account anyway.
The reason you are seeing the old branding in your sandbox is probably because it is you old sandbox on an old paypal server.
Last I tried there was no way around this new policy.
But djechelon is right, they have an excellent customer service, give them a call.
PayPal does force people to create accounts, even when they want to just make a single payment. I was puzzled by this situation too: I was choosing the option to pay without a PayPal account, but still was forced to provide all the private details enough for PayPal to create an account for me against my wishes. Very sneaky of PayPal! Then I found this page and that explained a lot.
This is the message I received in my PayPal Account:
PayPal Account Optional
When this feature is turned on, your customers will go through an optimized checkout experience. This feature is available for Buy Now, Donations, and Shopping Cart buttons, but not for Subscription buttons.
So you cannot provide a regular "Subscribe" experience to non-PayPal customers. I believe you must pay the $19.99 a month "Enhanced Subscription" for this.
PayPal Has a Purchasing Limit of $3,000 for "Guests".
I ran into this issue as well and #gravyface was bang on with setting your account preferences. However, my customers were still having issues paying without a PayPal account.
I called PayPal and it turns out they have a $3,000 (cumulative) purchasing limit for "guests". My customer's invoice was for $7,000 so even though my preferences were set to make the PayPal account optional, it still would not go through.
Hope that helps others.
JP