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PayPal purchase "email" question

by Ian Jackson
8 replies
I'm setting up PayPal "Buy Now" button, and have copied/pasted the html code for my website. But I also notice there's some code for email too.

Please could anyone tell me how the email code works, and where/how does it fit into the system? I'm assuming it's to do with putting a link somewhere that arranges an email/download URL that gets sent to the recipient?

Sorry to be dim; I've bought many a downloadable ebook through my PayPal account, but now I'm on the other side of the fence, I'm not doing too well with reverse-engineering today...!

I tried phoning PayPal but after 15 mins waiting....

thanks
#email #paypal #purchase #question
  • Profile picture of the author partho
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    • Profile picture of the author Ian Jackson
      Thanks Partho, but how does PayPal know what to send the recipient in the "success" email, i.e. how does PayPal know what product of mine to send them?

      Having loaded the Buy Now button html onto my sales page, all PayPal has is my sales page URL. How does my product ( www.mydomain.com/product.pdf) integrate into the system? There's an option to add my URL in "part 3" of the button creation part, but this seems to be for a custom "successful download" verification page, rather than for the URL for my product.

      No idea what the "advanced variables" option means.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ian Jackson
        Thanks TPG, yes that's the answer I was looking for, but Partho's answer was a good prompt for my secondary question too Cheers both.
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  • Profile picture of the author The Pension Guy
    I think what the OP was referring to is the "email link" that is given to you when you create a new Buy Now button.
    It has nothing to do with where PP will send info.
    That "email link" is equivalent to your button, i.e. you can copy and paste it in an email and if the recipients click on it they will be taken to your Paypal payment page - exactly in the same way as they are taken there by clicking on your button.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author partho
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    • Profile picture of the author Ian Jackson
      Originally Posted by partho View Post

      Paypal know what item is sold, paypal knows who bought the item. So paypal will email detail info about the product to the buyer
      Sorry to be dim but how do they know? I haven't told them! All I gave them an item name, and price, in step 1. How do they know where to source it from? :confused:

      My continued thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author The Pension Guy
    It seems that partho is still mixing the very different "email issues".
    1. As we already clarified, the "email code" next to your button's HTML code (form) is the button's equivalent to be put in email.
    2. Yes, Paypal is sending email both to the seller and the buyer (i.e. a notification and a receipt, respectively). They know your address because you are logged in when creating the button, so your Paypal ID is coded there, and they know the buyer's email because they ask for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author partho
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    • Profile picture of the author Ian Jackson
      Yes, see what you both mean, and you replies have been very useful. I've probably not quite understood what you're telling me, so I'll re-read

      (My OP about the email seems to have morphed somewhat!)

      Guess another way of what I'm trying to say is -
      that when a customer of your PDF ebooks clicks on the "download product now" button on the PPal payment verification/download page, what part of which software actually physically delivers the PDF to them?

      Thanks for your patience!
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  • Profile picture of the author The Pension Guy
    I haven't seen a "download your product now" button on PP.
    When you create your button, there is an option:
    Step 3: Customize advanced features (optional)
    where you can type in the URL of your download page. Paypal will display a "Return to Merchant" button after the payment has been processed and clicking on that button the buyer will be taken to your example.com/download.html (or whatever url you typed in earlier).

    So, no, it is NOT paypal that delivers the product - it should be your own site, more exactly a special page on your site. Of course, that page should not be easily accessible and/or found... there are a lot of methods how to safeguard it, just search in the forum or on G.
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  • Profile picture of the author partho
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    • Profile picture of the author Ian Jackson
      Originally Posted by The Pension Guy View Post

      I haven't seen a "download your product now" button on PP.
      When you create your button, there is an option:
      Step 3: Customize advanced features (optional)
      where you can type in the URL of your download page. Paypal will display a "Return to Merchant" button after the payment has been processed and clicking on that button the buyer will be taken to your example.com/download.html (or whatever url you typed in earlier).

      So, no, it is NOT paypal that delivers the product - it should be your own site, more exactly a special page on your site. Of course, that page should not be easily accessible and/or found... there are a lot of methods how to safeguard it, just search in the forum or on G.
      Originally Posted by partho View Post

      Now, if this download URL is not password protected, anyone wil be able to go to your URL directly bypassing the paypal buy now button and will be able to download your item. So be aware of that.
      Originally Posted by partho View Post

      That will involve some programming knowledge as I mentioned earlier. What you can do in the meantime is after you receive the confirmation email from paypal just email your buyer the book.
      Thanks, that's hit the nail on the head; I'm quite happy to give my web page a really "busy" name... blahblah.html but realise that it's more of a deterrent than top security. It's the protocol I'm more keen on learning at this stage.

      Cheers
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