hi, I have a digital item that i want to sell with paypal buy now button. How do i send the download url after the client pays through paypal. Any help or reference will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Well, it is not difficult, when you create the Paypal Buy Now Button, click on the 'Add More Options' button. Then in 'Successful Payment URL: ' list the download URL for your digital item. Personally, it is better to do it manually just to prevent anyone stealing your content.
Using PayPal IPN is an excellent way to do that. You only need to set the "notify_url" variable to point to your IPN web application or script. In the IPN you then process the posted information and handle it as you wish. If you're looking for encrypted PayPal buttons with that option, have a look at my PayPal Batch Encrypted Button Generator. It also lets you build many buttons at once.
I have a related question. I've written an ebook that I want to sell from my site through PayPal. I started to create the Buy Now button but came across a problem... I already process other payments for another site through PayPal so the return URL after a successful payment is for my other site. I understand, if I change this URL then all payments for my PayPal account will go to the chosen URL. Obvioulsy I don't want this for my ebook purchases. I want the buyer to make the payment and then get sent to the download page. Of course, the details in the button for the download page need to be encrypted so nobody can steal my ebook. How do I achieve this in my PayPal button? Am I better off sending the download link in an email once they have paid. If so, how can I do this automatically through PayPal? Thanks for any help - PayPal is rather new to me for processing payments on my sites.
There is a "return" variable in PayPal that is for your return page. It is entirely separate from your "notify_url" and both can be set in your button. You can set other preferences in your PayPal profile, but you do not need to worry about changing the behaviour for other buttons. i.e. Each button carries it's own instructions for PayPal. Like I mentioned in my last post, you can use the "notify_url" to notify yourself then send an automated email with a download link. The URL that you use would be your "IPN" (Instant Payment Notification") URL. So, for example with both the return and notify_url set, you can return the user to a page that tells them to check their email. etc. etc. etc.
Hi, Thank you guys for your prompt replies. I found out some tutorials on paypal adn php with IPN and trying to implement it. For the current working of my site I am doing manually . Thanks again for all your help.
You can find a membership tutorial here: http://www.zend.com/zend/tut/tutorial-paypal.php and a great class that allows you to integrate IPN to your application here: http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2249.html the class is heavily coded and will serve as a good tutorial for IPN. I'm creating a really easy to use download delivery script with paypal which will be released in a day or so which will allow you to create buttons and deliver digital products to customers. Don't pay monthly fees to a company for something you can do yourself. Also, if you anticipate having a successful digital product manually emailing files is a pain and inefficient. Having a static thankyou page with a download link is insecure and can potentially be open-wide to unscrupulous visitors. So use IPN whenever possible. Best Regards!
Using PayPal IPN is an excellent way to do that. You only need to set the "notify_url" variable to point to your IPN web application or script.
I personally haven't had much trouble with PayPal but the biggest threat I see is not being able to show enough information when there is a dispute over a download. Also I personally don't think that their system is full proof from hackers and search engine thieves. I have the solution that will fix all the mentioned. You want proof you'll have plenty of it. You want security you won't find anything better. If you want it to be designed so that a monkey can set it up then you need the software that has made my business life a breeze. You will not find a better support group either. You have options in the software that allows you to choose how long in hours that the buyer has to download and how many attempts as well. No worries of purhase information it's all there in black and white in a database format on a webpage. Security is awesome, you'll never have to worry with hackers and search engine thieves stealing your download items. The program is compatible with Ebay to Paypal transactions, PayPal website Buy It Know buttons, Clickbank, and many other merchants. You'll find this software to be the best thing you ever purchased for your download business. You can find the program here: linkprotect.digitaldeliveryitems.com I do believe this program will solve the issues and concerns this group has mentioned. Good Luck in your venture! Bobby Burgess