I am looking to do what a lot of people do. Sell an e-book online. Customer clicks paypal buy now button on my site, submits payment to paypal. I then want them to be sent an email with a link to download the files securely. I read through PayPal IPN (and I could be wrong about it), but I'm not sure they send the customer an email with links. I looked on hotscripts, but couldn't find anything free. I just want the process to be fully automated so I don't have to lift a finger. All help is greatly appreciated. I already have my website up.. Just need to figure out the payment thing.
I think you set a page on your site that is the "landing page" after they complete the paypal transaction. You can send the email when that landing page is requested, or just display the download link there.
How do you have it send an email automatically when the landing page is requested? If I display the link on the page after paypal completition, then what is stopping the buyer from just giving out the link for free to everyone?
>>How do you have it send an email automatically when the landing page is requested? Use a server-side language to do it. In php use the mail function. >> If I display the link on the page after paypal completition, then what is stopping the buyer from just giving out the link for free to everyone? If you send a link to them via email what's going to stop them?
The better written return script generate a one time download link password. The setup for all this is a little complicated. I read about another way of doing it a while back. I am writing from memory here so I may not get this 100% correct. Your return page is restricted. The only valid referrer is the Paypal site. When the page loads it posts the purchaser's verified Paypal address to your hidden send mail form an email is sent to an account you have created on your server. This triggers an auto-repnder reply which delivers the script to the purchasers verified email address. On a somewhat regular basis you merely change the email address for additional security.
I also would be interested in a mostly turn-key solution for Paypal processing + electronic download control. I just found this product called LinkLok (I'm not associated with them in any way) which looks to do pretty much exactly what the OP wanted (configurable link expiration/etc.) but like him, the $30 pricetag is something I know can be avoided as there *has* to be some freeware solution out there. I checked freshmeat and a couple other places and didn't find anything obvious other than the PHP IPN class, another IPN processing module, and other similar things. I would not mind using these to build a solution, but I figure that if there's something already out there in the GPL/BSD/etc. freeware community, why not use that? Any tips on something like that LinkLok would be appreciated! Thanks, Mike
I have a custom coded thing for my websites. If you wanna see the code then drop me a PM I will share my code with you. thanks.