Paypal Button Error

[murrayPaul]

I am having a problem with my "Buy Now" Paypal button - when clicked on, it says: 

PayPal cannot process this transaction because of a problem with the seller's website. Please contact the seller directly to resolve this problem.

My code for the button is (I have deleted the value below).

<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick">
<input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="">
<table>
<tr><td><input type="hidden" name="on0" value="Giftcard value">Giftcard value</td></tr><tr><td><select name="os0">
	<option value="£5 giftcard">£5 giftcard £7.00 GBP</option>
	<option value="£10 giftcard">£10 giftcard £12.00 GBP</option>
	<option value="£20 giftcard">£20 giftcard £22.00 GBP</option>
	<option value="£50 giftcard">£50 giftcard £52.00 GBP</option>
	<option value="£100 Giftcard">£100 Giftcard £102.00 GBP</option>
</select> </td></tr>
</table>
<input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="GBP">
<input type="image" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/GB/i/btn/btn_buynowCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal ñ The safer, easier way to pay online.">
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_GB/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1">
</form>

 I've checked multiple forums online but cannot seem to get it to work. I've created a basic html page with only the above. It works until I include the following which breaks it strangely and I get my regular error:

<meta charset="utf-8">

The above chunk is from a php page. Not sure if this causes issues?!

[snowshoe]

Sorry, it's a bit hard to troubleshoot without testing the code.  If the code works OK with just a blank web page, then your root cause is somewhere else.

As we can only guess at this point from looking at your example, one thought would be to remove the Pound symbol (£) from your option variable values for "os0".  PayPal is a bit picky about sending special characters in the values.  The system is fine with the description of the value choice but, does not like anything extra (special characters) between the quotes for the option values.

As for the <meta charset="utf-8">, can't say.  (Would not think that would be a problem.)

[murrayPaul]

Thanks, removing the £ sign resolved it!

Additionally (and on a slightly separate, but related note), is it possible to add a transaction fee to a buy now button. I've added the postage fee, but wondered if it is possible to also add a transaction fee?

Cheers

[snowshoe · Accepted solution]

What you can't do is what's called a "surcharge", meaning you cannot require the customer pay your PayPal transaction processing fees.  This is explained in the User Agreement.

What you can do is apply a "handling fee" to cover costs like shipping supplies, etc.  Note, you should be upfront with the customer so they are aware of your policies ahead of time. 

Here's a snippet from the User Agreement:

4.6 No Surcharges. You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method. You may charge a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge and is not higher than the handling fee you charge for non-PayPal transactions.

Here's some tips on the use of the "handling" variables that you would need to include with your item button code:

Notes concerning the use of the "handling_cart" variable and the "handling" variable.   The "handling_cart" variable is used with Add to Cart Item Buttons and unlike "shipping" and "shipping2" it's value applies to the entire shopping cart.   The value will only be applied one time.   You can include the "handling_cart" variable with multiple item buttons but, it will only be applied by the first button thats selected.   All other selections will be ignored for that shopping session.   Should you use different values for this variable, depending on which one is applied first, the Shipping amount displayed may be different than expected.

The "handling" variable is used with Buy Now Item Buttons.   With either variable, "handling_cart" or "handling", the value will be included with the Shipping amount on the PayPal Screens and not displayed as a separate line item.