How do my Buy Now customers download my e-book?

[nutrientcharts]

Hi,

I have created a Buy Now button for my e-book.  I put a link directly to the e-book as the place people go when they have paid.  But some people are saying that they can't access the e-book - or that they are not seeing a link to any page.

I think it would be better if the paying customers were automatically sent an email with the link in it.  Is there a way to do this with a Buy Now button? Or  a way to easily explain to them what to do?  I don't see any options for that.

Keep in mind I am a bit technically challenged 😉

Thanks!

[AngelSpeaks]

I hope this answers your question.   I use SoftSeller (SoftSeller.com) to handle digital downloads.  When you set up a product with them, they provide the html code that will interface with PayPal.  It works great and they charge per download.

[PayPal_RobG]

You have two questions, so I'll give you two answers 😉

#1 -- Buyers aren't seeing the return link

By default, registered PayPal users will automatically be returned back to your website after completing to payment (assuming you have a return page defined).

Unregistered users will need to click a "Return to merchant" button. Herein may lie the confusion, as unregistered users may not be aware the "Return to merchant" button will direct them to their eBook.

Fortunately, you can customize the wording of the "Return to merchant" button.

Simply add the following extra code to your existing PayPal button:

<input type="hidden" name="cbt" value="Click here to download your eBook">

This will change the text from "Return to merchant" to "Click here to download your eBook">

Please note: There's a 60-character limit on this field.

#2 --Send buyers an automated email with the link to the eBook

I'd highly suggest looking into using PayPal Instant Payment Notifications (IPN).

PayPal IPN allows you to (asynchronously) process order information while not having to depend on the buyer to return to your website to complete the order.

You can start using IPN by setting up a script which receives this (POST) data from PayPal.

This script can then run additional checks to see whether or not it's a valid PayPal transaction. And if it is, send the buyer an automated email with a link to his/her copy of your eBook.

For this you'll need to include the following extra code in your button:
For Website Payments Standard (where "xxxxxxxx" is the full URL to your IPN script):

<input type="hidden" name="notify_url" value="xxxxxxxx">

Lastly, you can find sample code, documentation and further information on PayPal IPN at https://www.paypal.com/ipn

Hope this helps.