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Setting up a Paypal account... 4

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GUJUm0deL

GUJUm0deL

Programmer
Jan 16, 2001
3,676
US
Hey guys (and gals), how can I set-up a paypal account?? I mean, what are the steps. I never did this before, so be warned, I will be asking verry retarted questions. Since setting up a paypal account is a serous thing, I want to do it right, and not screw it up.

I also need help in incorporating the paypal account into my CF application.

Thanks.

[sub]
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Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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The sign-up process is not what i'm worried about. I'm more worried about incorporating paypal into my existing shopping cart method. Do I have to do something to my dB?? Does paypal offer a tutorial (step-by-step guide) for me follow??

Thanks.

[sub]
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Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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Hi mate,

All you really do is to send a unique identifier to Paypal that matches the customer details in your database.

When they pay for the items, Paypals IPN sends a notification to your server and hits your script which takes the details and marks that order as paid.

You can then redirect the user back to your site and show them a thank you page.

Hope this helps

Wullie


The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell
 
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GUJUm0deL,

PayPal has an excellent resource for setting up payment from another website. Check out for everything you need.

-Ron

We all play from the same deck of cards, it's how we play the hand we are dealt which makes us who we are. -Me

murof siht edisni kcuts m'I - PLEH
 
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wullie, thanks for the brief tutorial on how IPN works, helped a lot. You get a star, lol.

arkshadeau, thanks for that link. Helped a lot. Star for you also.

[sub]
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Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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Hey guys, OK so I set up the paypal account, and created all the forms I needed. Now I have a question. What fields do I need in my process.cfm file to pass to paypal?? On paypal.com/ipn for CF help they have a snippet, do I need to have those fields in my process.cfm page??

This is the code as poted on paypal.com/ipn:
Code: 
Cold Fusion

<!-- read post from PayPal system and add 'cmd' -->
<CFSET str=&quot;cmd=_notify-validate&quot;>
<CFLOOP INDEX=&quot;TheField&quot; list=&quot;#Form.FieldNames#&quot;>
<CFSET str = str & &quot;&#LCase(TheField)#=#URLEncodedFormat(Form[TheField])#&quot;>
</CFLOOP>
<CFIF IsDefined(&quot;FORM.payment_date&quot;)>
<CFSET str = str & &quot;&payment_date=#URLEncodedFormat(Form.payment_date)#&quot;>
</CFIF>
<CFIF IsDefined(&quot;FORM.subscr_date&quot;)>
<CFSET str = str & &quot;&subscr_date=#URLEncodedFormat(Form.subscr_date)#&quot;>
</CFIF>

<!-- post back to PayPal system to validate -->
<CFHTTP URL=&quot;[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?#str#&quot;[/URL] METHOD=&quot;GET&quot; RESOLVEURL=&quot;false&quot;>
</CFHTTP>

<!-- assign posted variables to local variables -->
<CFSET item_name=FORM.item_name>
<CFSET payment_status=FORM.payment_status>
<CFSET payment_amount=FORM.mc_gross>
<CFSET payment_currency=FORM.mc_currency>
<CFSET txn_id=FORM.txn_id>
<CFSET receiver_email=FORM.receiver_email>
<CFSET payer_email=FORM.payer_email>
<CFIF IsDefined(&quot;FORM.item_number&quot;)>
<CFSET item_number=FORM.item_number>
</CFIF>

<!-- check notification validation -->
<CFIF #CFHTTP.FileContent# is &quot;VERIFIED&quot;>
<!-- check that payment_status=Completed -->
<!-- check that txn_id has not been previously processed -->
<!-- check that receiver_email is your Primary PayPal email -->
<!-- check that payment_amount/payment_currency are correct -->
<!-- process payment -->
<CFELSEIF #CFHTTP.FileContent# is &quot;INVALID&quot;>
<!-- log for investigation -->
<CFELSE>
<!-- error -->
</CFIF>

In my application, I have this:
Code: 
<cfelseif attributes.action is &quot;process&quot;>
	<cfif attributes.method is &quot;icverify&quot;>
		<CFX_ICV NAME=&quot;process_card&quot;
			IC_SHAREDIR=&quot;#attributes.ic_sharedir#&quot;
			TRANS_TYPE=&quot;C1&quot;
			ACCOUNT=&quot;#form.ccnum#&quot;
			EXPIRES_MO=&quot;#left(form.expdate, 2)#&quot;
			EXPIRES_YR=&quot;#right(form.expdate, 2)#&quot;
			AMOUNT=&quot;#session.total#&quot; > 
		<CFOUTPUT QUERY=&quot;VALIDATE_CC&quot;> 
		<CFIF #VALIDATED# is &quot;Y&quot;>
			#VALIDATED# - Credit card was authorized.
			#AUTH_NO#
		<CFELSE> 
			<CFIF #VALIDATED# is not &quot;IC_TIMEOUT&quot;>
				#AUTH_NO# - Credit card was NOT authorized.
			<CFELSE>
				#AUTH_NO#
				A Timeout occurred waiting to process this order.
				Credit card was NOT authorized.
			</CFIF>
		</CFIF>
		</CFOUTPUT>
	
	<cfelseif attributes.method is &quot;cybercash&quot;>
		<CFX_CYBERCASH
		        SERVER=&quot;#attributes.server#&quot;
		        MERCHANTPASSWORD=&quot;#attributes.merchantpassword#&quot;
		        TRANSTYPE=&quot;mauthonly&quot;
		        ORDERID=&quot;#client.cftoken#&quot;
		        AMOUNT=&quot;#session.total#&quot;
		        CCNUMBER=&quot;#form.ccnum#&quot;
		        CCEXP=&quot;#form.expdate#&quot;
		        CCNAME=&quot;#form.firstname# #form.lastname#&quot;
		        CCADDRESS=&quot;#form.address#&quot;
		        CCCITY=&quot;#form.city#&quot;
		        CCSTATE=&quot;#form.state#&quot;
		        CCZIP=&quot;#form.postalcode#&quot;
		        CCCOUNTRY=&quot;#form.country#&quot;
		>
	</cfif>

Basically, the above in green checks for icverify and cybercash, see how there are certain fields that it uses?? What fields do I need to use for paypal? Or, if its too much to type/describe, point me to a tutorial or guide so I can read.

Thanks.

[sub]
____________________________________
Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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Hi mate,

Dump all the variables onto the page and then check to see what parts you will need to store for the client. The fields that you need to check for to make sure it is a successful payment are mentioned in the IPN guide on Paypals site.

Hope this helps

Wullie


The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell
 
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BDC2,

I could tell you pretty similar stories about most of the major merchants out there, the reason that Paypal gets so much exposure for this type of thing are 1) because they handle so many accounts and 2) because anyone can get a Paypal account, there is no screening process.

If a screening process was added to at the very least make sure that you were over 18 years of age before you could open an account, I bet the amount of complaints would drop dramatically.

I have used Paypal for a while without any serious problems, I have clients that use Paypal and they have had no problems. The only problem I have had with Paypal is that they require the expanded use number to be entered, meaning that some customers cannot make Payments through them.

I've read some of that site in the past and the charges mentioned on that site are pretty much rubbish, they do not take into account that a lot of merchants also charge you an account subscription fee, which Paypal does not. Factor that subscription cost into the transactions and you see that the amount can be much higher.

Hope this helps

Wullie


The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell
 
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BDC2,

Of course there are drawbacks to PayPal. There are drawbacks to any service if choose to you look for them. Overall, however, PayPal is a reputable company which handles transactions for millions of people & businesses. That many users can't all be wrong.

For those of you who would rather not use PayPal, there are alternatives. Once such alternative is Verisign's Payflow Pro program. Here's a tutorial on using this service with PHP:
-Ron

We all play from the same deck of cards, it's how we play the hand we are dealt which makes us who we are. -Me

murof siht edisni kcuts m'I - PLEH
 
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Fyi-
I work for PayPal and would be glad to answer any questions I can. I'm a Systems Analyst in Omaha.

Gene
 
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genenranae2k, I have a question for you, since you work for PayPal.

What I want know is, does the potential buyer have to be a registered user at PayPal to make a payment?? et's say that buyerA wants to buy productA, they enter in all their contact information on my site, then they get redirected to the paypal (secure) site to enter the payment information. In order to enter in the payment information, does the the buyer need to be a registered user with PayPal??

I'm only asking because when I was editing the &quot;buy now&quot; buttons, I got the impression the buy must be a registered user. If that's the case, this might be a problem. Is there another way around that?? I would simply like the buyer to enter their payment information and then be done. If the buyer has to become a registered user then this might turn off some potential buyers.

Thanks.

[sub]
____________________________________
Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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GUJUm0deL,

They do have to register, this is one of the problems with using Paypal.

The other major problem is having to enter the expanded use number, this can take months to arrive so if they get prompted to enter that number, they can't use that CC until they get that.

Hope this helps

Wullie


The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell
 
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GUJUm0deL....
At this time, yes, both seller and buyer need to be registered PayPal members. However, we have 40 million+ members at this time, growing at an incredible rate, which means that chances are only going to improve that the buyers that you will deal with will already have a PayPal account. We are enhancing payment options continuously, so just because it's required now, doesn't mean it'll be like that forever.

For other comments made in this thread, be aware that we offer a service. We therefore make the rules. Our rules are in place not only for our protection, but for yours as well. Most (not all) of the people that say they dislike PayPal, probably got caught trying to do something they're either not supposed to do or that we don't allow (according to our user agreement which everyone must agree to in order to open a PayPal account). It is up to the user whether they want to use us or not.

Hopefully this helps.

Gene


 
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The problem does not lie with me about using PayPal, its the client. Even with 40 million already registered users, there is a larger ratio of users that are not registered that might want to purchase something from the site.

Is there a reason why PayPal makes the users register?? Most other 3rd party e-commerece solutions don't require users to register.

I guess for now, I can stick with PayPal until I find one that doesn't require registeration. Perhaps ICVerify or CyberCash??

[sub]
____________________________________
Just Imagine.
[sub]
 
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GUJUm0deL Fyi-

New PayPal Checkout Process Makes Online Shopping Easier

Using PayPal as a gateway for accepting online payments has just become much more attractive.

PayPal, owned by eBay, has always been considered one of the best, most secure choices of payment for auctions, whether by check or credit card. But one of the biggest drawbacks to it has been the restriction that the buyer also had to have a PayPal account in order make that payment.

Not anymore! PayPal has optimized the checkout experience for buyers by launching an exciting new improvement to Website Payments. With PayPal's improved Website Payments checkout, purchasing online by many types of payment can be easily made...

Once a customer has decided to make a purchase, they are walked through four easy steps:

1. Shipping information - Customers enter name and shipping address.
2. Billing information - Customers enter credit card information, email address and phone number. They also have the option to send a message to you.
3. Review of payment information - Customers review what they’ve entered to make sure it’s correct. From this point, they can either edit the information or complete checkout.
4. Save customer information with PayPal (optional) - To shop more quickly and easily in the future, customers can save their personal information they’ve already entered with PayPal All they need to do is choose a confidential password and create answers to a few security questions.

To toggle off this new feature, the PayPal account holder can simply log in, go to their Profile subtab, click on Website Payment Preferences in the Selling Preferences column, and check or uncheck the yes/no box under PayPal Account Optional.

Currently the account-signup-optional feature is available to US sellers and their customers, for Buy Now, Donation, and Shopping Cart transactions. Currently it does not apply to eBay transactions, Subscriptions, or Send Money / Request Money transaction -- however these are being considered to be added in the near future as well.

According to sources at PayPal, they are also looking into extending this availability to non-US merchants in the near future. However, there is no confirmed release date.

NOTE: Information provided to the seller is the same as before, based on the user's billing & shipping addresses. Depending on the seller's choice of payment settings, they can choose whether to ship to addresses different from that on the credit card or not.
The &quot;PayPal Account Optional&quot; feature can be toggled on or off from a PayPal account holder's profile setting, under the &quot;Selling Preferences&quot; / &quot;Website Payment Preferences&quot; area at the bottom of the page, below the &quot;Auto Return&quot; setting.

For small business out there looking for an online credit card acceptance solution, this must certainly put PayPal at the top of a very short list. With a Standard rate of 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction, it’s not the least expensive per transaction fee out there. But with no monthly statement fees, no upfront gateway fees, no monthly minimum $$ requirements, it presents a very attractive way to get into the online arena at minimal cost. That coupled with the relatively easy acceptance criteria for establishing an account, easy to manage reporting and transfer options as well as the various options offered for building an ecommerce shopping cart, this appears to fire a solid shot across the bow of established merchant account vendors such as WorldPay, Linkpoint (CSI), and 2Checkout.

One final item that almost slipped our attention...but makes PayPal an extremely attractive option to even the most experienced online merchant. Chargebacks are limited to 30 days rather than the typical 6 months found with other processors. And that could be a powerful enticement on its own!

WebPro News
Friday, February 20, 2004
Copyright 2004 WebPro News
 
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