What is the Paypal IPN url I need to type in?

[So_Not_an_HTML_genius]

Hi, I hope someone out there can help. I have been successfully using oscommerce for a year now. I have been getting all my orders without issue even the PayPal orders. Everything has been working just fine until just recently PayPal decided to upgrade their processing and change what was working.

 

At this time, when my customers are transferred to the paypal website to pay for their order, they then get a confirmation page from paypal that says payment complete but then they are offered two buttons, one non-descript button below their name and address and confirmation of payment amount that says "Return to ...(my website)" or they can click on the Continue button or just close the window.

 

If they choose the Continue button, the order disappears in my oscommerce and yet I have money received in my PayPal account. If they close the window the same thing happens. Basically, if they do not choose to go back to my website, the order is never confirmed and disappears.

 

Now, who on earth would go back to a website they just finished an order with???? Well, apparently NOT my customers. I have lost the 3 orders in the last few weeks due to customers not going back. I can add text to my store to say go back but we all know people do not read! Paypal's answer to me was that I needed to set up the IPN section of their site. This includes checking the box and then entering the URL. WHAT is the URL that I need to type???

 

Then, what do I need to do in my store?? Anything???

 

Please keep in mind when answering this question...I am a real newbie with PHP so keep it in simple terms that a non-programmer could understand! :huh:

 

THanks,

Kelly

[So_Not_an_HTML_genius]

Hello again,

 

Well, actually I figured out what to do and it is funny that it is an answer that PayPal did not want to give me. First off, when I contacted Paypal for help, I was first told that the problem was due to my having a third party commerce.

 

Then I was told I needed to get the Manual (that she would send me), I had to integrate my instant payment notification, I would then need the correct code from html and figure out how to transfer that to PHP to put into my store which was something they did not know how to do and could not help me......blah, blah, blah

 

But, I pieced together some info found from posts here, and did some searching on PayPal myself.

 

You go into your PayPal Profile

 

Choose Website Payment Preferences

 

Auto Return needs to be on

 

url for this should be: https://www.yoursitename/store/catalog/checkout_process.php

 

(if you have a different name for your store then insert it there)

 

What will happen is this, when your customers pay via paypal from your store, once their payment is completed, they are automatically returned from paypal back to your store to their checkout and voila the order is completed!

 

The reason PayPal doesn't instruct this (in my opinion) is that logically most customers will hit the "continue" button on PayPal which brings them to PayPal's solicitations.

 

Even if this had nothing to do with my orders being lost, I still think it is a great idea to send people back to your site...why should they be stuck at PayPal when they were your customers to begin with.

 

Thanks for your time, so glad so many of you post your experiences for the rest of us to peruse and use!

 

Kelly