PAYPAL LESSON 2

As with all good simple things it seems we must always have a negative. Because PayPal is so simple it has several downfalls the biggest being it is code critical. If you do not have the code correct it won't work! When you test your page on-line and get sent to the PayPal Shopping Cart your code is good (it may not be correct but it is good!). If you test and get sent to the PayPal Sign-In page - you got something wrong. But you may ask, "What can go wrong if I Cut & Paste good code?"

Some early Graphical Editors, like Dreamweaver 3 and others, renumber form items when pasting. Take the following correct code:

Notice the Cut & Pasted code below. Observe each object has been assigned a "2", meaning it is the second version of this coding. Cut & Paste this and your would have "22" added to each object, and so on. Sometimes it does not assign extra digits to all the object values and to make sure one has to manually go through the HTML Source to find and correct the bugs. This Cut & Pasted code will not work on PayPal. See why you need to learn HTML!.

This problem has been corrected in newer versions of DreamWeaver, and "some" other programs, with an option in the Programs Properties. In DreamWeaver you want to deselect "Rename Form Items When Pasting". Keep in mind there are times you may want to renumber form items but not for PayPal.

SELECT PROBLEMS
The next problem you may run into is in the area of your Form Drop Down Options. The example below is from our previous code and it handles the drop down menu regarding the shape of our FLOWER POT. Notice the "name" has "on0" assigned to it and the select name is "on1".

<input type="hidden" name="on0" value="SHAPE">SHAPE
</td>
<td>
<select name="on1">
<option value="Square">Square
<option value="Round">Round
<option value="Triangle">Triangle
</select>

Look at the code below that was Cut & Pasted. Note the name's "on0" is now "on02" and the select name instead of being "on1" is now "select". These again are Cut & Paste bugs doing exactly what was explained above. Having several items to sell the Cut & Paste method of code writing is an asset however, if you are using an older or less expensive Graphics Editor be sure to double check each line for extra inserted numbers or alterations.

<input type="hidden" name="on02" value="SHAPE">SHAPE
</td>
<td>
<select name="select">
<option value="Square">Square
<option value="Round">Round
<option value="Triangle">Triangle
</select>

LAST BUG PROBLEM
The last problem I'll cover here is the name assignments regarding the Drop Down Menu values. If you look at the code you will see four assignments: on0, on1, os0 and os1. While it is not required to use all four for every situation it is advised to use them in their order shown. I have noticed mixing their order will still get you to the Shopping Cart but you may have your SHAPE being WHITE and your COLOR being SQUARE!

LIMITED FEATURES
Since PayPal's Shopping Cart is built to be simple, it is just that. Shipping and Tax calculations are basic to say the least and this poses a second major problem.

When in your PayPal account you define your Tax Rate and Shipping Rates. This is where the problems arise. Once you set your Tax it is applied to everything you sell. If you have something that may be non taxable, or have a non tax sale, the tax is applied across the board. The same applies to the Shipping Charges, even worse! You must define your shipping by a dollar amount or flat rate. In the real world shipping is usually set by weight. An item selling for $8.00 would have a $3.00 Shipping Charge while a $27.00 item would have a $10.00 charge. The $8.00 item weights 7 lbs. while the $27.00 item weighs 1½ lbs. The generated shipping charge is not realistic. Trying to cope with this is not worthwhile and may be another reason why people abandon PayPal for a more functional Shopping Cart$. If your sales are that much it can be worth it, but for those just starting out, and have no real sales record, PayPals Shopping Cart is definitely the answer.

The solution I came up with is to calculate Tax and realistic Shipping Charges into my Selling Price and offer my buyer "FREE Shipping and no TAX". I back calculate my Taxes in my bookkeeping and the world is fine - for me!.

Understanding the previous lesson we are ready to learn how to expand our shopping Cart to give the purchaser a larger selection of product options for their purchase. When you are ready click HERE