Trying to test my own site... but PayPal won't let me charge my own card

[mrdelurk]

I have a bike rental page hat is just about ready to go public. Whenever I try to put in a $20 reservation and charge it to my own card to test if everything works on it, I get the following error at the PayPal login stage:

"You are logging into the account of the seller for this purchase. Please change your login information and try again."

Well... yeah, I'm trying to charge my own card to test my own site. Shouldn't I be allowed to? How others go around this hurdle? I have only one PayPal account.

[sharpiemarker]

Use Sandbox:

https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/lifecycle/sb_overview/

[DPCreations]

Will you buyers have an account in order to make a payment or can a buyer make a payment without logging in?

Use it like a buyer would be using it if you want to make a purchase.  Make sure you do not use a credit card that is associated with your PayPal account.

Just be aware that it could appear suspicious as you would be taking money from your own credit card as a cash advance to put money into your PayPal account.

Sandbox is better.

[sharpiemarker]

When you log in to try and test it yourself, it won't let you go past log in.  When you click the buy button or something to checkout, as long as it takes you to log in with option to pay with credit card, it's fine.  You can click the credit card option to see what shows up but I wouldn't bother with actually making a payment.  As long as it takes one to the PayPal log in with option to pay with credit/debit card w/o log in, it's all good in my book.  Unless you are using complicated API integration, use sandbox.  PayPal buttons/email links, no need to go as far as to pay yourself, imho.

[samuel6hazleton]

I'm having the same problem, except I AM using the sandbox!  I thought it was insane that I would be blocked from using the same account in a test environment.  To make matters worse, I created a new account to get around this, and I can't use that one either!  Paypal says it is locked, and gives no explanation.  I have given them a valid card, billing address, confirmed my email and phone number.  How can I use the flipping sandbox?!

[DPCreations]

Testing your account live is a restricted activity.  If you insist on ignoring your warning you could get your account suddenly closed.  Click on Legal at the bottom of the page and then User Agreement.  There is an entire section just on restricted activities and consequences.

[env_env_env]

Exact same problem. Using Sandbox seller account and Sandbox buyer account and Paypal gives me the exact same error message.

There is very good reason Paypal had their lunch eaten by every one of their competitors. The documentation is always wrong. Sandbox accounts never work. The API is a mess. The BEST advice a developer can give a customer is to avoid using Paypal.