Creating a PayPal Checkout Page

Creating a PayPal Checkout Page
by KerokeroCola​

As most of you know, PayPal has recently been limiting/disabling accounts like crazy. As some of you like do not know, the reason for these limits is because they are abusing the Gift system of PayPal. See this thread by Giddy for information. So this leaves us with a problem: How do we create an easy way for buyers to buy our stuff? Well, heres one soultion that might make your life very simple: the PayPal checkout page. This guide will teach you firstly how to make a checkout page and secondly why a checkout page is important. Also, for those of you wondering how people create "Buy Now" buttons--this is it.


How to Create the Checkout Page

1 -Starting Out

Head to http://www.PayPal.com and click "Merchant Services". It should bring you to the following screen. Click "Buy Now Button".




2 - Creating the Button

Follow these steps. I've numbered each place in the screenshots and associated the numbered bullet with a footnote for ease of progressing.

Step 1 - Choose a Button Type/Payment Details


1. Choose a button type
Buy Now is the only way you can avoid fraud. If you're selling an item of any kind, you have to use Buy Now. Accepting donations as payment is illegal.

2. Item Name
Be as descriptive as possible. This is what the buyer sees, but, more importantly, it's what PayPal sees to assess a chargeback dispute. If you're selling gold, be sure and specify it's 1 million gold.

3. Price/Currency
Enter your price for one unit of item and the currency you are accepting. Anything bought outside of this currency will have to be converted, which costs fees.

4. Customization
You can do this if you want to use the button image. If you don't want to put an image anywhere, you don't need to mess with this.

5. Shipping
Leave it at $0.00 or you'll be flagged for fraud.

6. Tax
Leave it at 0.00% or you'll be flagged for fraud.

7. Merchant Account ID
You can use the SMAID or you can use your email. It's what the buyers see on the main page. If they proceed to check out, they see your PayPal email anyway.


Step 2 - Inventory & Profit Tracking


1. Save button at PayPal
ALWAYS save the button. If you want to edit it or access the URL to the link if you lost it, you'll need to save it.

2. Track Inventory & Profits
Tracking inventory is nifty but not necessary. You enter the quantity of the item you have, and you have options for when your quantity is low. I never recommend allowing you to sell if you're out of stock. As for profit tracking, if you want it to track your profits, enter the price at which you buy the item you are selling. It'll show you how much money you made after the PP fees.

3. Can they buy when sold out?
I always say no. NOTE - if you say no, you'll NEED to supply a redirect URL. If you don't track inventory, this isn't even an option anyway.


Step 3a - Customization Options


1. Changing quantities
Unless you want to sell a fixed amount (or a fixed item) per checkout, I suggest selecting "Yes". This allows customers to choose any quantity they want. If you're selling GP, a customer can change his quantity from 1 "1M RSGP" to 100 "1M RSGP"

2. Special intructions box
Whatever a person elects to type here will show up as a "note" next to the purchase information. They don't have to put anything here to successfully check out, but you can trick them by typing "REQUIRED!" next to it (even though it's not technically required).

3. Shipping address
There's no reason to need shipping addresses, but it can provide some clues for stolen account chargebacks. If a person has a shipping address in Massachusetts but they are having trouble speaking English, they're probably using a stolen account, and you should refund the payment.



Step 3b - Advanced Options


1. Cancellation Redirect URL
If you want to make your own webpage to redirect here, you can. There's no reason to put something here, otherwise.

2. Successful Checkout Redirect URL
If you're selling something like a guide, this is a handy tool. When a person completes checkout successfully, they will be redirected to a link --- say, a Rapidshare upload. Note - I tried this with accounts, and it would still redirect when a person cancelled an order with quantity zero. Don't expect it to be failsafe -- the only failsafe method of delivery is sending it yourself.

3. Advanced Variables
You can read up on these, but they are far from necessary. They can just make the layout of your checkout page pretty, and can do other tweaks.


Congratulations! That's all it takes!

3 -Using Your Button

One the next screen, choose the Email tab. Copy that text and save it on your PC. You can't bookmark this page, and it's a pain when you lose it. Just give this link to any customers who want to checkout, and viola!




3 - Why Use This Button?

So you are surely asking, "Why go through all this trouble when I can just have them use 'Payment for Goods'?" There are several reasons. Firstly, it's just easier for them to fill out this form than to deal with calulations, etc, etc, etc. Secondly, this form almost surely guarantees you from "not-received-item chargebacks." Since it says IN THE DESCRIPTION that it is Runescape-related, they'll lose based on the rules of Paypal. (To make this even safer, take a screenshot ingame of your sale, if applicable, and submit it PP if they do decide to dispute.) Thirdly, and most importantly, it makes your PayPal almost impossible to be banned. It's not against the rules of PayPal to sell RSGP -- otherwise Gold4RS would've been out of business long ago. It's just against the rules to fraud their fees sytem using Gifts and Payment Owed as payment types. This form automatically deducts fees from the seller (3-5%), so PayPal will be a happy camper with you.

Important Note!
This method is just as susceptible to many other types of PayPal fraud as a gift is. Don't think this guarantees your trading to be safe. For high-value trades, I always insist on Western Union, a bank transfer, or a mail-in payment. Those are the ONLY secure ways.

 

tyvm, always was looking for a guide for this

 

EXTREMELY useful guide, creating my own checkout button now. Thanks again KeroKero!!

 

Wow Kero. Thanks dude!


So, this prevents chargebacks ...?

EDIT: I see your Important info in red. But what kind of fraud is left, if there isn't not received good chargebacks. Can they still do unauthorized?

 

Yes they can still do unauthorized. This just helps with winning disputes if it is to do with them disputing the items delivery.

The best way to stop a unauthorized transaction is to make sure the buyer has a confirmed address and use whitepages to find their telephone number etc.

 

how can i make this button in my thread. did the steps btw. i just got a code to put on a website

 

Get the image code from PayPal (right click the Buy Now button) and then just host the image on these forums.

 

awesome guide. I planned on doing this when I sold gold, except I post the buttons on my website

 

I guess it doesn't help for "Unauthorized payments" charge-backs ? But the guide is very good.

 

Nothing protects against that. >_<

 

Great guide , Very handy!

 

will help me alot with gold shop ty.

 

thanks

 

Bump this.

 

bookmarked, thank you very very much.

I wanted to start selling stuff on sythe and was worried about charge backes

 

thanks a bunch, i was looking for a guide like this

 

Amazing guide I'm going to be doing this soon.

 

I vividly remember trying to figure this out on my own with terrible failure, real easy to follow not to mention very detailed. Though I don't deal with PayPal anymore.. Nice work!

 

Great guide This is going to help me out in the future.

 

Extremely helpful to those selling red hot guides!