Payment form not accepting password

[rocklilybeast]

Why won't this payment form accept my password (which works on the PayPal site itself)?: <removed>

(this is a site I've created for a client)

[MTS_Justin]

Hello,

Check the URL shown in the address bar when you click on the PayPal button, it starts with "https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/checkoutnow?".

When the URL starts with "https://www.sandbox.paypal.com", you need to use a sandbox account to login, you can't use a production environment account.

Review the sandbox testing guide available below which outlines the process of creating and using sandbox testing accounts.

https://developer.paypal.com/docs/api-basics/sandbox

Thanks !

[rocklilybeast]

it does start with "https://www.sandbox.paypal.com" -- and that's as far as I got. I don't know what you mean by 'production environment account.'  

I just want to make it such that someone will be able to make payments using this link. I don't want a testing account, I want to connect to my client's actual PayPal account so people can pay him. I'm obviously in over my head here. I used coding that was generated by PayPal to place on the site, thinking that it would allow payments to be made. Where did I go wrong?

[MTS_Justin]

Hello,

When I referred to a "production account" I meant a "live" PayPal account, one that is used for real-world payments. A "sandbox account" is used for testing and does not exchange real-world funds, all transactions are fictitious.

"I used coding that was generated by PayPal to place on the site"

Where did you get the code from, can you share the URL / link to the page so I can take a look ?

Thanks !

[rocklilybeast]

Hi again, thank you for trying to help me figure this out. The coding was found here:

https://www.paypal.com/buttons/

which I got to from 

account/seller tools/paypal buttons/smart buttons

again, my button is on this page:
https://seanmerrickmft.com/payment

This is what it shows when I attempt to make a payment using that button:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/17xpyb9aeeve5dz/Screen%20Shot%202021-08-22%20at%203.49.18%20PM.png?dl=0
It tells me I do not have an account (I've entered my own email to make a test payment). It also seems to include 'sandbox' in the URL, which I thought was NOT where it's supposed to go. This is not me trying to test from 'behind the scenes,' it's just me pretending to be a customer and pay for something, as with what has happened with my client's customers.

[MTS_Justin]

Hello,

If "sandbox" is showing in the URL, then the button code is redirecting to our sandbox testing site and you would need to enter the credentials for a sandbox test account in order to successfully login. Production / live account credentials will not work in our sandbox environment and vice-versa.

I've checked the code on your site and I can see the following line :

&lt;script src="https://www.paypal.com/sdk/js?client-id=sb&enable-funding=venmo&currency=USD" data-sdk-integration-source="button-factory">&lt;/script&gt;

The "client-id" value of "sb" is a default value we provide so you can test the button in our sandbox environment without having to do anything else. This is why the button is redirecting to our sandbox site when you try and test it.

To resolve this issue, you'll need a "live" environment "client-id", so login to your developer account and create a "live" REST application - https://developer.paypal.com/developer/applications ( click on "live" at the top of the page before creating the REST app ).

Once you have the REST application created, copy the value shown for the "client-id" and within the code for your website, locate the line I referenced above, remove "sb" and add in the "client-id" which you copied from your live REST application. Save the changes and test the button again. The URL should now be different and the word "sandbox" shouldn't be there, indicating that you've reached our "live" site.

You'll need to use a different PayPal account to test the payment flow, as you can't use the same account to both send and receive a payment, as you'd essentially be trying to send money to yourself.

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks !

[rocklilybeast]

Hi @MTS_Justin,

Thank you - this is starting to make sense, but can I just clarify one thing?

you say "To resolve this issue, you'll need a "live" environment "client-id", so login to your developer account and create a "live" REST application -"

Would the 'developer account' be the business account of the owner of the website who wants to be able to receive payments? Or is 'developer account' some whole 'nother thing? I want to give him instructions to retrieve a client-id  for me to put into the code on the page, but I don't want to confuse him if that's not where he needs to go to find it.

THANK YOU.

[MTS_Justin]

Hello again,

"Would the 'developer account' be the business account of the owner of the website who wants to be able to receive payments?"

You would login to our developer site at https://developer.paypal.com/developer/applications using the same email address and password that is used to login to the business account at https://www.paypal.com

Once logged-in using the link above, you should be on the "My Apps & Credentials" page, which is where you would create REST applications. Once on the page, click the "LIVE" tab to choose our live environment and then choose "create app".

Give the REST application a name of your choosing and when created, you'll be shown the REST application details, which will contain a "client_id" and "client_secret" used for authentication against our REST API's.

Copy the provide "client_id" and paste it into the button code, replacing the default value of "sb". Keep the "client_secret" secured and don't share it with anyone.

There is also a help article available on this topic here :

https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/how-do-i-create-rest-api-credentials-ts1949

Let me know if you have further questions.

Thanks !

[rocklilybeast]

So I think what I want is for it NOT to take me to the sandbox. Right? How do I create a button that will take someone to their actual PayPal account so that they can pay?

[MTS_Justin]

Hello,

Login to your "live" account and then enter this URL in your browser :

https://www.paypal.com/buttons

Choose the option for "smart buttons" and enter the details you require for your button. Copy and paste the provided code into a web page on your site.

Thanks !