Instant Payment Notification warning

I've suddenly begun getting emails from Paypal saying that our Express Payment option will be revoked if we don't fix a problem. I see that there are several threads about this in the past, but the most recent is several years old and not something that would apply to us. Nothing on the website has changed recently, so I don't understand why we're suddenly getting this notice.

Hello, Helene Wallis
Please check your server that handles PayPal Instant Payment Notifications (IPN). IPNs sent to the following URL(s) are failing:

https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newnaturalsonline.com%2Fipn_main_handler.php

If you do not recognize this URL, you may be using a service provider that is using IPN on your behalf. Please contact your service provider with the above information. If this problem continues, IPNs may be disabled for your account.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue.

I have looked at the url referenced in the email, and ipn_main_handler.php does exist there. I've also looked at the logs and don't see any warnings or errors relating to the IPN handler. Paypal doesn't say how it's failing, so I don't know what else to look for. Can anyone help?

Sometimes, the problem is that the file exists but does not match the www or non-www of the website.

If your site is "pushed" to secure-non-www (https://yoursite.com), then the ipn handler file should match.

It does not appear to be pushed, but that's one thing to check. Right now, it appears your site will accept either www or non-www. (Another topic)

If you are using Express you shouldn't need to check the settings in PayPal.

A bunch of my clients (on various hosts) have recently started getting this too. It's quite annoying. It's not http/https or www/non-www.

That was the case with one of our clients.

Others we have found, had not set up as a business or did not have the proper IPN settings in their account. A couple were actually selected as disabled.

Those using one PayPal account for multiple stores worked well when the IPN was not disabled and the return file was correctly placed/named in the root.

dbltoe:

That was the case with one of our clients.

Others we have found, had not set up as a business or did not have the proper IPN settings in their account. A couple were actually selected as disabled.

Those using one PayPal account for multiple stores worked well when the IPN was not disabled and the return file was correctly placed/named in the root.

We've had Paypal Instant Payment for years, and nothing has changed in the period leading up to when we began getting these emails. We do not have multiple stores.

dbltoe:

Sometimes, the problem is that the file exists but does not match the www or non-www of the website.

If your site is "pushed" to secure-non-www (https://yoursite.com), then the ipn handler file should match.

It does not appear to be pushed, but that's one thing to check. Right now, it appears your site will accept either www or non-www. (Another topic)

If you are using Express you shouldn't need to check the settings in PayPal.

Yes, my site will accept either www or non-www. But that has always been the case.

I searched on Paypal and found this response is their Business Help section:

Why did I get an email with the subject "PayPal Instant Payment Notification Warning"?

You’ve received this IPN warning email because PayPal is having trouble delivering IPNs to the URL or URLs in the email.

First, check your IPN settings. Ensure that the URL is set correctly and that the IPN script is in the correct location on your server, as specified in the IPN settings on your PayPal account or in your PayPal-integrated payment processing software.

Here's how to check your PayPal account's IP history to see which IPNs are failing:

Click Account Settings.  
Click Notifications under "Business Profile" on the left of the page.  
Click Update beside "Instant payment notifications."  
Click IPN History Page. (This appears only if you have IPN enabled.)  
On the IPN History page, look for those IPNs that are in a retrying or failed state to learn which IPN script is failing. Click the Message ID for each IPN to see the message that was sent, the number of retries, and the URL that received the message.

So I did all those things and found an https response code of 200 for each transaction in the IPN history. That's supposed to mean the request succeeded. I also read through the transaction messages for several of them and do not see anything that indicates a problem. So now I am truly confused. Paypal's own records indicate that each of the recent instant payment transactions has gone through properly. I will contact Paypal customer support and report back, but I can't see any problem.

Might the problem be that paypal is being stupid? hmmmm

I'm shocked, SHOCKED that you would impugn the fine name of PayPal!

I had this for some days after I switched from .de to .com

It was sent to the .de mail domain

I just ignored it and it stopped after some days

Shop Suey:

I had this for some days after I switched from .de to .com

It was sent to the .de mail domain

I just ignored it and it stopped after some days

Nothing about my website has changed. But I did not get a warning email today. The only thing that is different is that I contacted Paypal support, which has always been very helpful in the past. This time, all that happened is that the person sent me three emails. The first one told how to go to the settings to see your notifications (I had told her upfront that I'd already done that). The second email had an incorrect referral to what IPN's are, and which I had also already seen. The third email was basically a copy of the one I'd gotten already multiple times, the one I was calling about to find out WHY I was getting it. In other words, totally unhelpful. I don't know whether she did anything on my account or not, but the emails appear to have stopped.

HeleneWallis:

Nothing about my website has changed. But I did not get a warning email today. The only thing that is different is that I contacted Paypal support, which has always been very helpful in the past. This time, all that happened is that the person sent me three emails. The first one told how to go to the settings to see your notifications (I had told her upfront that I'd already done that). The second email had an incorrect referral to what IPN's are, and which I had also already seen. The third email was basically a copy of the one I'd gotten already multiple times, the one I was calling about to find out WHY I was getting it. In other words, totally unhelpful. I don't know whether she did anything on my account or not, but the emails appear to have stopped.

I have personally on several occasions had just that happen with PP. Go to them they deny it's them... then it's magically fixed.

~Melanie

mprough:

I have personally on several occasions had just that happen with PP. Go to them they deny it's them... then it's magically fixed.

~Melanie

Yup, that was my assumption too.

Hopefully its not too late to chime in here. My IPN emails stopped after the 16th November. Nothing on my website has changed and I have not received any warning emails from PayPal to suggest that there is a problem. My IPN settings on PP are to enable and my URL is set to (https://www.jaysmodelkits.com/ipn_main_handler.php)
When looking at the IPN history the status for every IPN is SENT, so if they have been sent and I'm not receiving them then where are they going? I get other emails from PP like Payment Request confirmation emails and money received via a payment request. But not the IPN emails resulting in sales.
Do I need to contact PP? I've read through the other posts here but I didn't read any clear resolution to the problem.
Any help/guidance would be appreciated.
Cheers.