AbleCommerce Shopping Cart Software

Ok I am vastly confused by the PayPal payment gateway.

I can configure the PayPal gateway just fine. It does NOT auto-create the associated methods, I have to add each one manually. That's ok and works fine if you choose V/M/AmEx/Disc.

But there's a fifth payment method called just "PayPal". I wanted to give my customers the ability to pay with their PayPal account. I presumed this do it.

If I add the method PayPal to my gateway and specificially assign it to my PayPal gateway, I get the following behavior:

1. Payment page during checkout offers new radio button "PayPal". Choosing this removes CC entry fields and offers a "Pay with PayPal" button.
2. Clicking the "Pay with PayPal" button proceeds to the order summary page. I'm given a great big "Pay Now" paypal button at the bottom. Clicking it does nothing...just dumps me back to the site home page.

If I add the method PayPal and DO NOT assign it to a specific gateway, the 2nd "Pay Now" button never appears.

We really need more on-screen explanation for these payment gateways and methods. What behavior to expect during checkout.

Also, that big "Pay Now" button on the summary screen is very poorly located. It's gotta be moved near the top of the page - people aren't going to always scroll down and see that button. That summary screen looks alot like a typical receipt screen and people will assume their order is complete. I know, they haven't provided any payment info yet but that doesn't matter - the avg buyer isn't saavy enough to always think about that. Trust me on this one.

Some of the quirks with the Paypal is that there are two different payment methods in Able. The one on the order confirmation takes them to Paypal to complete the transaction. We have been using that one all along,but when we added Paypal charge card processing, there were two different ways it branched when they went to Paypal. If I remember correctly, one of the branches made the customers go thru more steps, but we ended up with seller protection. We opted with the shorter way because we didn't want to lose sales thru a lengthy checkout process, but we have no seller protection on those orders.
Then Paypal Express checkout came out and that is the button that shows on the basket page and the customer has to use the shipping address on their Paypal account. We don't use that one for that reason.
The whole Paypal checkout can be confusing, but part of it is because of Paypal's setup.

jmestep wrote:Some of the quirks with the Paypal is that there are two different payment methods in Able.
[...]
The whole Paypal checkout can be confusing, but part of it is because of Paypal's setup.

Hmm... actually there are THREE!

1) PayPal Pay Now buttons - after completing order on store site, you go to PayPal site to pay with a paypal account.

2) PayPal Express Checkout - you use a mix of PayPal and store site to complete the checkout. Payment is collected by PayPal.

3) PayPal Payments Pro - you complete the order using the store site, pay with visa/mc, and it charges using your merchant account with paypal.

I will test right now to make sure our pay now buttons are working properly. From the sound of it, the button is not displaying when it should.

Also... don't forget Payflow Pro. Formerly owned by Signio, then Verisign, now PayPal. It's different from Payments Pro, but with PayPal acquisition it could make our future integrations interesting.

Can you verify that you have a payment method like this:

Type: PayPal
Name: PayPal
Gateway: None Selected

And that you have the PayPal gateway configured with a minimum of the "PayPal Account" field filled in with your merchant email address?

With this configuration, I am able to place an order and on the receipt page I am presented with a "click here to pay" button.

Logan,

My configuration is as you described.

I'll do some more run-throughs with various payment methods and see if I can give you better information. Maybe it's just confusing me and there's nothing wrong.

I am trying to differentiate between Paypal and Paypal express. If you click the Paypal button on the page showing the order (Basket.aspx) is that Paypal Express? And the normal Paypal is the one toward the end of the checkout process?

Does one have to set up a separate gateway for Paypal Express, or just jump to a different url?

Does paypal express return the order info to AC? At the url for instant payment notification?

Your help is greatly appreciated,
Judy P.