Help Section

If you have a question that's not answered below you can e-mail me at .
If you have a question about PayPal in general you can visit the PayPal Help Section or the PayPal Community Discussion Board.
If you're new to PayPal I would recommend reading How To Use PayPal Basics and Beyond and the Wikipedia article on PayPal for more information.

What is PPCalc.com?
PPCalc.com is a website that provides free tools for PayPal users. It includes a PayPal Fee Calculator, a PayPal Fees Chart, a PayPal Fees Log, a PayPal Button Generator, and a Mass Payments File Generator. None of the tools on this website were officially written by PayPal. They were written by a PayPal user for the benefit of other PayPal users. They are provided free of charge but donations are always appreicated.

How do I calculate my PayPal fees?
You should first realize when fees apply. If you are sending a Personal Payment within the USA that is 100% funded by a bank account or money that was already in your PayPal account there are no fees to either the sender or the recipient. PayPal defines a Personal Payment as a payment to friends and family that is not for the purchase of goods or services, for example sending money to someone for their birthday. PayPal also states that if you are selling goods or services, you may not ask the buyer to send a Personal Payment for the purchase. If you do, PayPal may remove your ability to accept Personal Payments.

The other type of payment is called a Purchase Payment. A Purchase Payment is for the purchase of goods or services, such as buying an item on eBay. PayPal also classifies donations, gift certificates and subscriptions as Purchase Payments. With Purchase Payments, a fee always applies and is always paid by the recipient of the payment. It doesn't matter which funding source the buyer uses to make payment, whether it be a credit card, a bank account, or money that was previously in their PayPal account, the seller always pays the same fee. The fee the seller pays is very much dependent on which country they are registered in. You can use the link below to see the fees that apply to your country.



Once you realize whether or not fees apply to you, the next step is figuring out what they are. Here's how you can do that.

1. First open up ppcalc.com in your web browser to bring up the main calculator screen.
2. Then look for the Options section in the top left corner and set the following options. This will determine the fee rate that applies to you.
 a. Choose which country you are registered in from the Your Country dropdown.
 b. Choose how much you receive every month from the Your Monthly Sales Volume dropdown.
 c. Choose which currency the payment was sent in from the Payment Sent In dropdown.
 d. Choose which currency the payment was received in from the Payment Received In dropdown.
 e. Choose which type of payment the person sent you from the Type of Payment dropdown.

You can bookmark your selections by using URL parameters so you don't have to set them again the next time you use the calculator. Here's an example...

http://ppcalc.com/?country=us&msv=0&s=USD&r=USD&type=2&percent=2.90&fixed=0.30&max=0.00&exrate=1.000000

The country URL parameter specifies the 2-letter country code of your country.
 country=us would mean United States

The msv URL parameter specifies your Monthly Sales Volume. This can be a number between 0 and 4.
 msv=0 would mean the 1st Monthly Sales Volume tier ($0.00 USD - $3,000.00 USD for United States)
 msv=1 would mean the 2nd Monthly Sales Volume tier ($3,000.01 USD - $10,000.00 USD for United States)
 msv=2 would mean the 3rd Monthly Sales Volume tier ($10,000.01 USD - $100,000.00 USD for United States)
 msv=3 would mean the 4th Monthly Sales Volume tier (> $100,000.00 USD for United States)
 msv=4 would mean the 5th Monthly Sales Volume tier (Only valid for certain countries)

The s URL parameter specifies the 3-letter currency code of the currency the payment was sent in. s stands for "Sent In".
 s=USD would mean the payment was sent in U.S. Dollars

The r URL paramter specifies the 3-letter currency code of the currency the payment was received in. r stands for "Received In".
 r=USD would mean the payment was received in U.S. Dollars

The type URL paramter specifies the Type of Payment. This can be a number between 0 and 7.
 type=0 would mean Personal Payment (Domestic)
 type=1 would mean Personal Payment (Cross-Border)
 type=2 would mean Purchase Payment (Domestic)
 type=3 would mean Purchase Payment (Cross-Border)
 type=4 would mean Micropayment (Domestic)
 type=5 would mean Micropayment (Cross-Border)
 type=6 would mean Mass Payment
 type=7 would mean Virtual Terminal (U.S. Only)

The percent URL parameter allows you to override the Percentage Fee used by the calculator.
 percent=2.90 would force the calculator to use a 2.90% percentage fee

The fixed URL parameter allows you to override the Fixed Fee used by the calculator.
 fixed=0.30 would force the calculator to use a 0.30 fixed fee

The max URL paramter allows you to override the Maximum Fee used by the calculator. 0 means no maximum.
 max=0.00 would cause the calculator not to use a maximum fee

The exrate URL parameter allows you to override the Currency Exchange rate used by the calculator.
 exrate=1.000000 would cause the calculator not to use a currency exchange rate

You don't have to include all of these paramters. You can pick and choose whichever ones you would like. You just have to remember to put an ampersand (&) between each one. For instance...

http://ppcalc.com/?country=uk&type=4

would load United Kingdom as your country and Micropayment (Domestic) as your Payment Type.

Tips
 • The country you choose will determine your Monthly Sales Volume choices and your default currency
 • The currency the payment is sent in will determine your Fixed Fee
 • The currency the payment is received will determine whether or not currency conversion is performed
 • Payment types specified as (Domestic) mean a payment that was sent in and received in the same country
 • Payment types specified as (Cross-Border) mean a payment that was sent from one country but received in a different country
 • In almost all cases (Cross-Border) payments carry higher fees than (Domestic) payments
 • Fees are always charged in the sender's currency
 • PayPal does charge an extra 2.5% when currency conversion is involved, but that amount is aleady built into their currency exchange rate

3. After entering your options you can double check that the calculator is applying the right fee rate by taking a quick glance at the PayPal Fees To Use section in the top right corner. This section lists out each individual fee amount that will be applied in your calculations. You can always change the amounts listed in this section if you notice they are incorrect.

PayPal Percentage Fee
This is the percentage portion of the fee that will be applied in your calculations. PayPal fees are composed of 2 parts, a percentage fee and a fixed fee. The percentage fee is determined by which country you are registered in and how much you receive every month. The fixed fee is determined by which currency the payment is sent in. If you receive over a certain amount each month you can apply for a discounted rate called the PayPal Merchant Rate. The PayPal Merchant Rate will not automatically take effect. You have to submit a one-time application and be approved by PayPal before they will give you the lower rate. The percentage fee of the current month is always based on your sales volume from previous month. PayPal only counts Purchase Payments when determining Monthly Sales Volume.

PayPal Fixed Fee
The Fixed Fee portion of your fee is determined by the currency the payment is sent in. Fees are always charged in the sender's currency.

Maximum Fee (Mass Payments only)
When sending a PayPal Mass Payment this is the maximum fee you can be charged. With Mass Payments the sender pays the fee, not the recipient, and the funds must come from your existing PayPal balance. The maximum fee for Mass Payments is determined by the currency the payment is sent in. Although Mass Payments can be used to send multiple payments at the same time, they all must be denominated in the same currency. To send a Mass Payment you need to upload a TXT file to PayPal containing your recipient information, which my MassPay File Generator can make for you.

PayPal Exchange Rate
If your transaction involves currency conversion this is where you can enter the currency exchange rate that will be applied. As of right now, you must manually enter the currency exchange rate yourself, the calculator will not automatically fill this in for you. The box on the left represents the FROM currency and the box on the right represents the TO currency. You need to enter what 1 unit of the FROM currency equals in the TO currency. The way you find out PayPal's currency exchange rate is by using their offcial Currency Converter located here...

Visit the Official PayPal Currency Converter

PayPal only allows logged-in members to use their Currency Converter. You must first log into your PayPal account before PayPal will allow you to use their currency converter. If you are not logged in, it will prompt you to log in. After logging in, you may have to click on the link a second time to be brought to the Currency Converter.

Once you have the Currency Converter open, type in 1 as the "From" amount and your sender's currency as the "From" currency. Select your currency as the "To" currency and press "Calculate". Copy the very long decimal number that PayPal gives you into the box in the calculator that reads "1.000000". This is what 1 unit of your sender's currency equals in your currency. You do not need to copy the 3-letter currency code, only the number itself. The amount you copy and paste will usually have between 5 and 6 decimal places and will always be on the right side of the equals sign.

PayPal Fee Calculator

Use the PayPal Fee Calculator if you want to know what your PayPal fees would be for a certain amount. Type the amount a person has sent you in the box that says If a person sends you this amount. If a person were to potentially send you that amount, the fees you would expect to pay are placed in the box that reads Your PayPal Fees would be. The amount you would receive after fees is placed into the box labeled And you would receive. You don't have to enter a currency symbol ($) or thousands separators (,) but you can if you want to. The calculator will understand both American currency notation (for example $12.50 for 12 dollars and 50 cents) and European currency notation (for example €12,50 for 12 euros and 50 cents). If you provided a currency exchange rate the the calculator will perform the necassary currency conversion before calculating your net amount. Fees are always deducted before currency conversion is performed and they are always charged in the currency the payment was sent in.

How do I know what parts I fill in and what parts the calculator fills in?
You'll know what the calculator expects you to fill in because it will have an orange border around it and it will be displayed in a standard font. The number inside the box will be automatically selected for you when you click it. This makes it easy to just start typing to overwrite an old amount with a new amount. The amounts the calculator fills in for you will not have an orange border around them and will be displayed in a bold font. Throughout the entire calculator anything displayed in bold usually means "answer" or "result".

Reverse PayPal Fee Calculator

Use the Reverse PayPal Fee Calculator if you want to know what amount to charge as the price of your item so that you can receive a certain desired amount after fees. Here, instead of typing the amount a person has sent you, type the amount you want to receive after fees in the box labeled To receive this amount after fees. In the box labeled A person would have to send you the calculator will fill in the exact amount a person would have to send you so that, after fees, you can receive the amount you entered.

It is very important to realize that PayPal has a "No Surcharge" policy which basically states you cannot charge your buyer a fee for choosing to pay by PayPal. You also cannot ask your buyer to pay your PayPal fees for you. If you really want to receive a certain amount after fees, what you must do is simply integrate your fees into the selling price of your item and then tell your buyer that is the selling price of your item. As a merchant, you are free to set the price of your item to anything you like. You are not free to charge your buyer a fee for choosing to pay with a credit card or for choosing to pay by PayPal. You must inform your customer of the total price they are paying before they make payment. Do not surprise your buyer with a hidden fee or higher purchase price after they have agreed to buy.

Do's
   •  Offer only one single selling price, whether the buyer pays by PayPal or not
   •  Make the price of your item clear and visible to your buyer before making payment

Don'ts
   •  Don't ask your buyer to pay your PayPal fees
   •  Don't offer your buyer two different item prices, one with fees and one without
   •  Don't use the word "fee" or "surcharge" anywhere
   •  Don't tell your buyer they are paying your fees

For instance if you wanted to receive $100 after fees, you would simply charge $103.30 as the price of your item. You wouldn't say to your customer, "you are paying my fees" or "the price of your item is $100, but I'm also charging you $3.30 in fees", you would simply say to your customer "the price of the item is $103.30 and that is what you have to pay". As a merchant, you are free to set the price of your items to whatever you like. From the buyer's perspective, they must understand that all they are paying for is the price of the item, they are not paying a fee or surcharge in addition to the item. If they want a refund, you should refund them 100% of the amount they paid.

Incorporating fees or operating expenses into the selling price of an item is something all businesses do. For example, if you walk into a McDonalds they don't say, "well the price of your hamburger is $0.90 but we're also going to charge you $0.09 for our credit card processing fees so please pay us $0.99". They just say, "the price of your hamburger is $0.99 and that is what you have to pay." They know they have to pay credit card processing fees but they've already accounted for them in the selling price of their items. And that is what you must do as well.

Final Tips
On the right side of the calculator you can see a reference chart of all PayPal fees that could possibly apply to you. One quick way to change your fee rate is to simply click on the fee percentage that applies to you. For example, if you live in the United States and you receive between $3,000 and $10,000 per month and you know your fee rate is 2.50% + $0.30 and not the default 2.9% + $0.30 you can simply click on the 2.50% to switch the calculator into using that lower fee rate. The fee rate the calculator is applying in its calculations will always be highlighted in green.

What is the PayPal Fees Chart?
The PayPal Fees Chart is used to see at a glance what your PayPal fees would be for common amounts. You can choose to print the chart out or simply view it on your screen. Because PayPal fees vary by country the chart can be configured to work for any country. The way you configure the chart is by using the Fee Calculator. All of the options set on the Fee Calculator also apply to the Fee Chart. For instance, if I set my country to United Kingdom on the Fee Calculator then click over to the Fee Chart, I would be looking at a PayPal UK Fees Chart with fee amounts measured in pounds (£). If I click "Back" and change my country to France then click over to the Fee Chart, I would now be looking at a PayPal France Fees Chart with fee amounts measured in Euros (€). The chart is universal and can work for any country.

You can enter whatever options you like in the Fee Calculator and when you click over to the Fee Chart those options will be applied. Common amounts from $1 to $2000 are included in the chart. If you want to use the fee chart offline or change the amounts shown in the chart you can optionally purchase the spreadsheet version of the calculator which includes the Fee Chart as a bonus.

What information is displayed in the Fees Chart?
1. The Amount column displays an amount you could potentially receive a PayPal payment for. (Only editable in the spreadsheet version)
2. The PayPal Fees column displays what your fees would be if you were to receive a payment for that amount.
3. The Net Amount column displays what you would receive after fees if a person were to send you that amount.
4. The Reverse Price column displays what you would need to charge in order to receive that amount after fees.
5. The Reverse Fees column displays what your fees would be if a person were to send you the Reverse Price amount.
6. The Total Fee % column displays what your total PayPal fee is as a percentage of your item price.

It's important to realize that the Total Fee % column is not what PayPal is actually charging you, it's simply a mathematical ratio of your fee amount compared to your item amount. For example, the fee amount on a $1.00 payment is $0.33 and $0.33 is 33% of $1.00. This doesn't mean that PayPal is charging you a 33% fee, it just means that mathematically speaking your fee amount $0.33 is 33% of your item amount $1.00, for that particular amount.

What is the PayPal Fees Log used for?
The PayPal Fees Log is used to calculate the cumulative cost of receiving multiple PayPal payments. For instance, if you were considering using PayPal to accept 10 payments for $5 each the Fees Log could tell you the total cumulative cost of receiving all payments. You can calculate the cost of receiving 1 payment or 10 payments or 1,000 payments or however many you like. The web-version of the Fees Log cannot save your entries. If you would prefer to save or print your entries for offline use you would need to buy the spreadsheet version of the calculator. The Fees Log looks very similar to a spreadsheet. You enter the name and amount of your item and the Fees Log automatically calculates the fees for that item, and adds them to an ongoing fee total at the bottom. If you want to add more than 10 items to your list you can click on the Add New Item button to add another entry to your list.

IMPORTANT
In the web version your entries will be lost the minute you close your web browser window. If you want to save what you've entered, you must purchase the spreadsheet version of the calculator, which includes the Fees Log as a bonus.

What is the Reverse Fees Log used for?
The Reverse Fees Log is used to figure out what to charge to receive the amount you want after fees for multiple items. It allows you to keep an ongoing list or "log" of what prices to sell your items for to receive the amount you want after fees. For instance, if you wanted to sell one item and receive $10 after fees and sell another item and receive $20 after fees you would need to charge $10.61 for the $10 item and $20.91 for the $20 item. The Reverse Fees Log allows you to keep track of both of those amounts at the same time. The web-version of the Reverse Fees Log is only meant to be used as a scratchpad for quick fee calculations. If you would prefer to save or print your entries for offline use you would need to buy the spreadsheet version of the calculator. The Reverse Fees Log looks very similar to a spreadsheet. You enter the name of your item and how much you want to receive after fees in the "Desired Net" column and the calculator fills in the "Amount to Charge" column with the amount you would need to charge to receive that amount. If you want to add more than 10 items to your list simply click on the Add New Item button to add another entry to your list.

Both the Fees Log and the Reverse Fees Log use the same options as the Fee Calculator. So if you were to set your country to "France" in the Fee Calculator for example, then click over into the Fees Log, the Fees Log would use the PayPal France fee rates. All fee amounts would be measured in Euros (€) and the European currency notation would be used (€12,34). If you selected United States, the dollar symbol ($) would be used and the American currency notation would be used ($12.34).

What is the PayPal Button Generator used for?
The PayPal Button Generator is used to generate all of the necassary HTML code you would need to put a PayPal button on your website. You may think, "doesn't PayPal already have a tool for this?". And yes, they do. PayPal has an official Button Generator which is located here...

Visit the Official PayPal Button Generator

But I feel their tool could use some improvements so I decided to write my own. My tool supports all countries, currencies, languages, and button types that PayPal supports. It gives you more image choices than PayPal's tool does and gives you much better control over the advanced variables of the button. It can generate code in both HTML format and E-mail link format.

What can this tool do?
This tool can generate standard, clear-text HTML button code for use with Website Payments Standard
It can generate Add to Cart, View Cart, Buy Now, Pay Now, Donate, Gift Certificate, Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Payment Plan, and Checkout buttons

What can this tool not do?
This tool cannot generate "saved" buttons (buttons that are saved on PayPal's servers)
This tool cannot generate "encrypted" buttons (buttons that are encrypted by PayPal to prevent against tampering)
This tool cannot generate Express Checkout buttons (which require additional coding and use of the PayPal API)

How do I generate PayPal Button Code?
1. First choose which type of button you would like to create from the Button Category list at the top.
2. Then choose a specific button image you would like to use from that category.
3. Then enter the variables you would like to use with that button.
4. Then optionally preview and test your button in the "Button Preview" pane.
5. Finally copy & paste the generated HTML code for that button into your website.

"Variables" are simply pieces of information about your button that you give to PayPal, for instance the amount of the item you're selling or the e-mail address of the recipient. All variables have both a name and a value. For each button category I've set up a chart that provides the names of all possible variables. All you have to do is fill in values for the variables you're using. If you don't know what a particular variable is used for you can move your mouse over the little question mark icon next to the variable's name to see a tooltip describing what that variable is used for. In the textbox where you type the value of the variable I've also included a short description that prompts you on what to enter. For example, in the business variable the prompt says "Enter your PayPal e-mail address here..." to help you remember that the business variable is used to tell PayPal the e-mail address the payment is going to.

Any variable with it's name in bold is a required variable. That means you must fill in a value for this variable for your button code to work. Any variable who's name is not in bold is an optional variable. That means you do not need to fill in a value for this variable but you can if you want to.

Any variable that is left blank or ends with "..." will not be included in your button code.

Once you've entered values for all the variables you would like to use, your button's HTML code is automatically generated. There's no need to press a "Generate" button because your button's code is automatically generated as you type. The "Button Preview" section shows you a live preview of what your button will look like to your buyer and below that the HTML Code section displays the HTML Code you would need to copy and paste onto your website. By default it uses XHTML syntax but if you would prefer to use HTML syntax instead simply uncheck the "Use XHTML Syntax" checkbox. If you would prefer to generate testing code you can use on the PayPal Sandbox you can click on the "Use PayPal Sandbox" checkbox. This affects both the live preview and the generated HTML code. The PayPal Sandbox is a testing environment PayPal has set up for programmers to test their code. It looks and acts exactly like the real PayPal only no actual money changes hands. Use of the PayPal Sandbox requires that you register at developer.paypal.com.

What is the MassPay File Generator used for?
MassPay is short for Mass Payments. Mass Payments is a system PayPal has set up that allows one individual to pay many other individuals at the same time. For instance if I wanted to pay 500 people $1 each, I would only have to send out one Mass Payment, rather than doing it the normal way and sending out 500 individual payments. Sending out 500 individual payments would take hours, with Mass Payments you could do it in a matter of minutes. But, in order to use Mass Payments PayPal requires that you upload them a tab-delimited TXT file (what they called a "payment file") containing your recipients payment information. People often forget the exact format of this file, what should be in it and how it should be arranged.

To help with this, I've created a tool that will create that Mass Payments TXT file for you. You simply enter your recipient's payment information then press the "Generate Payment File" button and it will give you a TXT file in the exact format PayPal is expecting. Then you just upload that file to PayPal and your Mass Payment is sent. What's important to realize about Mass Payments is that the recipient doesn't pay any fees. The person sending the payment pays the fees and the fee is always 2% of the payment amount. Each payment is limited by a maximum or "cap" depending on which currency is used. For U.S. Dollars, the cap is $1.00 USD per payment. If 2% of the payment amount comes out to be more than the maximum, then the maximum fee ($1.00) is used instead.

Another very important thing to realize about Mass Payments is that the only funding source PayPal allows you to use is your existing PayPal balance, in other words money that is already sitting in your PayPal account. You cannot send Mass Payments using a credit card and you cannot send them using a bank account. You must have enough money already sitting in your PayPal account to cover both the payment amount and the fee. For instance to send one $10 Mass Payment you would need to have $10.20 in your PayPal account ($10.00 plus a $0.20 fee).

How do I use the MassPay File Generator?
First you choose your country from the Country dropdown which changes the links on the page to be better suited to your locality. Then you choose which currency you will be sending the payments in. Often times your currency will be automatically filled it in for you based on your country selection. Then you choose whether you want Single Line Mode or Multi Line Mode.

Use Single Line Mode if you want to enter your recipients one at a time.
Use Multi Line Mode if you want to paste in a large list of recipients all at once.

For each payment recipient, enter in their e-mail address and the amount you want to send them. The currency code column will be automatically filled in for you with the currency you selected earlier. For example, if you selected U.S. Dollars the currency code USD will be automatically filled in for you.

The Unique ID column is OPTIONAL. It can be used to enter an optional 30-character unique customer id. It cannot contain any spaces.
The Note column is also OPTIONAL. It can be used to include an optional note you want to send to your recipient.

Once you're done click the "Generate Payment File" button, save the file to your computer, then upload the file to PayPal at this address...

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_batch-payment

You will need to be logged into your PayPal account to upload the TXT file to PayPal. If you are just logging in for the first time you may have to click the link a second time to be brought to the right page.

How has this calculator changed over time?
This calculator was first put online on May 17, 2005. It has undergone 5 major revisions since then.

Version 5.0 (May 04, 2011)
	•  Updated user interface   •  Added Argentine Peso (ARS) currency   •  Added Brazilian Real (BRL) currency   •  Added Israeli New Shekel (ILS) currency   •  Added Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) currency   •  Added Mexican Peso (MXN) currency   •  Added New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) currency   •  Added Philippine Peso (PHP) currency   •  Added Thai Baht (THB) currency   •  Added Turkish Lira (TRY) currency   •  Added support for Mass Payments   •  Added support for Virtual Terminal Payments   •  Added a spreadsheet version of the calculator

Version 4.0 (January 26, 2009)
	•  Updated user interface   •  Added flag icons for country selection

Version 3.0 (October 06, 2008)
	•  Made fee percentage editable   •  Added currency converter   •  Added support for Micropayments   •  Added Czech Koruna (CZK) currency   •  Added Danish Krone (DKK) currency   •  Added Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) currency   •  Added Hungarian Forint (HUF) currency   •  Added New Zealand Dollar (NZD) currency   •  Added Norwegian Krone (NOK) currency   •  Added Polish Zloty (PLN) currency   •  Added Singapore Dollar (SGD) currency   •  Added Swedish Krona (SEK) currency   •  Added Swiss Franc (CHF) currency

Version 2.0 (September 01, 2007)
	•  Updated user interface

Version 1.0 (May 17, 2005)
	•  Initial Release   •  Added Australian Dollar (AUD) currency   •  Added Canadian Dollar (CAD) currency   •  Added Euro (EUR) currency   •  Added Japanese Yen (JPY) currency   •  Added Pound Sterling (GBP) currency   •  Added U.S. Dollar (USD) currency

Are there any books written on the subject of PayPal?
Yes, there have been a number of books written on the subject of PayPal. Here are the ones I've been able to find.

PayPal For Dummies By: Victoria Rosenborg Publisher: For Dummies List Price: $23.50 430 pages, ISBN: 9780764583926 (April 1, 2005) Buy on Half.com  |  Buy on eBay  |  Preview on Google Books Here's how PayPal can help your business succeed E-mail money, save money, make money, and enhance your Web site PayPal's a practical partner, and this handy handbook introduces you to its many identities. It can act as your banker, charge card, cashier, shipping clerk, and a whole lot more. Here's how to set up and use your account, plus tips on adding PayPal to your business Web site and even exploring its PayPal Web Services. Discover how to     •  Establish the account you need     •  Use PayPal like an ATM     •  Set up multi-user access     •  Accept payments in multiple currencies     •  Ship merchandise using PayPal     •  Create a shopping cart and buttons

PayPal Hacks By: Shannon Sofield, Dave Nielsen, Dave Burchell Publisher: O'Reilly Media List Price: $24.95 368 pages, ISBN: 9780596007515 (September 7, 2004) Buy on Half.com  |  Buy on eBay  |  Preview on Google Books If you've bought or sold items through eBay, or through hundreds of other online sites, then you're familiar with PayPal, the online payment service. With PayPal, a valid email address, and a credit card or bank account, you can easily send and receive payments online. Not a bank or financial institution itself, PayPal describes its service as one that builds on the financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards, and using advanced propriety fraud prevention systems, creates a safe, global, real-time payment solution. Put simply, PayPal provides the means for people to conduct financial transactions online, instantly and securely. But there's more to PayPal than meets the eye. PayPal Hacks shows you how to make the most of PayPal to get the most out of your online business or transactions. Authors Shannon Sofield of Payloadz.com and PayPal evangelist David Nielsen guide you through the rigors of using and developing with PayPal. Whether you're building an ecommerce site using PayPal as a transaction provider, or simply trying to pay for an eBay auction without getting burned, PayPal Hacks will give you the skinny on this leading global online payment service. The collection of tips and tricks in PayPal Hacks shows you how to find or even build the right tools for using PayPal to buy and sell on eBay or as a transaction provider for ecommerce on your own site. Written for all PayPal users, from those just starting out to those developing sophisticated ecommerce sites, this book begins with the basics such as setting up your account, then moves quickly into specific tips and tools for buyers, sellers, and developers. With PayPal Hacks, you can:     •  Learn extra steps to help protect yourself while buying or selling on eBay     •  Save time and money with advanced tips and undocumented features     •  Learn dozens of easy-to-follow procedures to help you request and receive payments and fill orders     •  Use PayPal to handle subscriptions, affiliate systems, and donations     •  Create and customize your customers checkout process     •  Effortlessly integrate PayPal s shopping cart system into your own website     •  Implement digital fulfillment with Instant Payment     •  Notification (IPN) and Payment Data Transfer (PDT)     •  Develop and distribute ecommerce applications with the PayPal API Each hack consists of a task to be accomplished or a creative solution to a problem, presented in a clear, logical, and task-oriented format. PayPal Hacks provides the tools and details necessary to make PayPal more profitable, more flexible, and more convenient.

Happy About Website Payments with PayPal: Answers to Over 40 of the Most Commonly Asked Questions By: Stephen Ivaskevicius, Patrick O'Neil Publisher: Happy About List Price: $19.95 144 pages, ISBN: 9780963330260 (June 1, 2005) Buy on Half.com  |  Buy on eBay  |  Preview on Google Books PayPal has 300,000 merchants and developers as customers. The Pareto rule applies where 20% of them generate 80% of the revenue. This book's target audience is the 80% that generate only 20% of the revenue. That's an audience of 240,000 merchants and developers who we'd like to increase their ability to generate revenue. PayPal is an easy way to deploy e-commerce for your website. As easy as it is for a non-technical person to deploy, there are many situations where a little extra know how is needed. Instead of reading the manuals or cruising the developer boards filled with over 10,000 posts, you can read this book. It's easy-to-read and full of tips and techniques that can be applied immediately. If you want to make more money with PayPal, this is the place to start.

The PayPal Wars: Battles With eBay, the Media, the Mafia, And the Rest of Planet Earth By: Eric M. Jackson Publisher: World Ahead Publishing List Price: $15.95 270 pages, ISBN: 9780977898435 (November 30, 2006) Buy on Half.com  |  Buy on eBay  |  Preview on Google Books When Peter Thiel and Max Levchin launched an online payment website in 1999, they hoped their service could improve the lives of millions around the globe. But when their start-up, PayPal, survived the dot.com crash only to find itself besieged by unimaginable challenges, that dream threatened to become a nightmare. PayPal's history – as told by former insider Eric Jackson – is an engrossing study of human struggle and perseverance against overwhelming odds. The entrepreneurs that Thiel and Levchin recruited to overhaul world currency markets first had to face some of the greatest trials ever thrown at a Silicon Valley company before they could make internet history. Business guru Tom Peters, author of "In Search of Excellence," called the hardcover edition of The PayPal Wars "a real page turner" that featured what he called "the best description of business strategy unfolding in a world changing at warp speed." This new paperback edition features updated material and even more insights on the state of internet commerce.

Pro PayPal E-Commerce By: Damon Williams Publisher: Apress List Price: $59.99 312 pages, ISBN: 9781590597507 (March 9, 2007) Buy on Half.com  |  Buy on eBay  |  Preview on Google Books Pro PayPal E-Commerce contains the most comprehensive collection of information on the latest PayPal technologies available. It takes the approach of PayPal as a digital money platform, and shows how its a dynamic service that offers far more than just payment processing. With its breadth of technologies and APIs, the PayPal platform is a basis for development and innovation for an unlimited number of possibilities. It offers a wide range of payment technologies, but its not always easy to decipher which technology is the best choice for a web site. This book gets under the hood to show you how the different technologies work, how to choose the right solution, and how to implement the solution complete with real-world PayPal success stories. Youll learn how to integrate PayPal directly into web sites to make use of its payment technologies. This allows you, no matter what language you program in, to build shopping carts or similar channel products with PayPal as a payment option. You can also use this book to learn about the basics of e-commerce, where PayPal fits in, and how you can meet your own e-commerce needs. This book covers     •  How PayPal works     •  Using the PayPal API     •  Website Payments Standard     •  Website Payments Pro     •  Instant Payment Notification     •  Payment Data Transfer     •  Encrypted Website Payments     •  Administration     •  Reporting     •  Fraud protection     •  Payflow Gateway