Should I use *only* Paypal Express checkout?

Hi - I have been reading on the forums about the problems with the Paypal IPN and coupons. I am sending out a lot of coupon codes right now because I'm trying to move my customers away from my Etsy.com site and over to my zen cart site. Do you recommend disabling the Paypal IPN completely and using only the express checkout option? Is there any reason to keep the Paypal IPN as a checkout option?

thank you
Lis

Your option - but I would use one or the other and not both

Okay, so I should pick one. That's good to know. Are there downsides to Paypal Express?

There is a support thread for it as there were a few issues initially but I believe that these have been corrected via patches that you will have to get (see the thread).

It does provide better tracking of what was purchased

Hi - I installed the patches a while ago. :) I guess I was asking more from a customer's point of view, are there downsides? They can use their credit card and echecks and all that with paypal express, right?

I guess I'm confused about why both options exist in the zen cart installation. Is it because you have to have a business account to use paypal express?

IPN has been included for a time - PPE is relatively new and still transfers the customer to PP but the detail of the order is itemized and looks better fron the customer point.

PayPalProFlow is the best but I am not sure that it is fully stable/works at this time...customer never leaves you site with this one - but there is a monthly minimum charge

Lisk:

Hi - I installed the patches a while ago. :) I guess I was asking more from a customer's point of view, are there downsides? They can use their credit card and echecks and all that with paypal express, right?

I guess I'm confused about why both options exist in the zen cart installation. Is it because you have to have a business account to use paypal express?

I believe the main benefit of the IPN option is that the customers can use a credit card without having a PayPal account. A link appears on the left hand side of the checkout page that states this. Express Checkout can be used by customers that have an existing PayPal account (or they will have to sign up for one to use the Express Checkout option).
I use IPN only at this point.
Good Luck!

MysticHarbor:

I believe the main benefit of the IPN option is that the customers can use a credit card without having a PayPal account. A link appears on the left hand side of the checkout page that states this. Express Checkout can be used by customers that have an existing PayPal account (or they will have to sign up for one to use the Express Checkout option).
I use IPN only at this point.

To clarify:
If you use PayPal IPN, your customers will be able to pay by credit card without a paypal account.
If you use Express Checkout, your customers will need to make or use a PayPal account. PayPal wants to get customers to create accounts.
If you want to process credit cards without customers creating accounts, you'll need a different service.

Thanks Dr.
I thought customers were only allowed to use an existing PayPal balance in express checkout. Thanks for clarifying!

MysticHarbor:

Thanks Dr.
I thought customers were only allowed to use an existing PayPal balance in express checkout. Thanks for clarifying!
As a matter of fact, I'm going to try rolling with Express and see how it works out. Thanks again Dr!

MysticHarbor:

Express Checkout can be used by customers that have an existing PayPal account (or they will have to sign up for one to use the Express Checkout option).

MysticHarbor:

I thought customers were only allowed to use an existing PayPal balance in express checkout.

In fact, you are correct.
Sorry, I mis-stated what I was thinking.

Hi, I have a question about this:

To clarify:
If you use PayPal IPN, your customers will be able to pay by credit card without a paypal account.
If you use Express Checkout, your customers will need to make or use a PayPal account. PayPal wants to get customers to create accounts.
If you want to process credit cards without customers creating accounts, you'll need a different service.

Is this no longer accurate? I cleared my Paypal cookies and checked on a site using Express Checkout, and I do see the credit card form on the Paypal site.

Also, other threads seem to say that the opposite is true - that customers don't need a Paypal account to check out:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showpost.php?p=412809&postcount=5

It seems like customers really don't need an account. Is that the final word?

Thanks!

I'm using express checkout now on my site. When taken to the paypal login page, the text on the left hand side says: "Pay with Credit Card or Log In". It has all the fields to manually enter credit card info.
There is a link that allows the user to save their info with paypal (create an account). However, it is not necessary.
When I first starting using Zen, I could have sworn that IPN was the only way to fly to accept orders from non paypal members, and so I never used Express Checkout. Maybe paypal changed this recently.
Long story short: Looks like Express Checkout is an option even for non PayPal members.

Also,
The link provided in your post, shows DrByte to be correct.

This is straight from paypal:

"When PayPal Account Optional is turned on, your customers who are new to PayPal will no longer be required to create a PayPal account to complete a purchase—they will go through an alternate checkout, and will have the option to sign up afterward. Customers who already have PayPal accounts will continue to enjoy the privileges of those accounts, such as payment history and integration with eBay Auctions, and their checkout experience will remain the same.

This feature is available for Buy Now, Donations, and Shopping Cart buttons, but not for Subscription buttons."

Hope this helps and does not confuse the issue further!

MysticHarbor:

Also,
The link provided in your post, shows DrByte to be correct.

This is straight from paypal:

"When PayPal Account Optional is turned on, your customers who are new to PayPal will no longer be required to create a PayPal account to complete a purchase—they will go through an alternate checkout, and will have the option to sign up afterward. Customers who already have PayPal accounts will continue to enjoy the privileges of those accounts, such as payment history and integration with eBay Auctions, and their checkout experience will remain the same.

This feature is available for Buy Now, Donations, and Shopping Cart buttons, but not for Subscription buttons."

Hope this helps and does not confuse the issue further!

I am confused. In this post you are saying that Dr. Byte is right, but this bit from PayPal says he's wrong.

I have PayPal Account Optional turned on, and my cart lets customers without PayPal accounts use PayPal Express to pay without creating a PayPal account, essentially, making Express Pay better and faster than PayPal IPN with no drawbacks compared to PayPal IPN. So, I can't find a single reason to have PayPal IPN installed while using PayPal Express.

If anyone thinks this is wrong, speak now or forever hold your peace, because I am about to drop PayPal IPN altogether (and backup your opposing position with a reference of fact, please :-) )

Thanks, all!

If I may say so, I'm correct.

I don't see where that quote contradicts in any way.

And, to answer your concern, you don't need IPN if you're using Express Checkout.

DrByte:

To clarify:
If you use PayPal IPN, your customers will be able to pay by credit card without a paypal account.
If you use Express Checkout, your customers will need to make or use a PayPal account. PayPal wants to get customers to create accounts.
If you want to process credit cards without customers creating accounts, you'll need a different service.

Why does it say customers don't need to sign up for a Paypal account when using express checkout on this page:
http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=15 ?

Account optional is turned on in my Paypal profile, but still when I checkout on my site, the first Paypal screen I get is a log on screen, and off to the left is a little link that says sign up for a Paypal account and continue checkout.

When I use the PayPal Express checkout, my customers have the option of using a CC to pay without having to make an account...

Could anyone possibly take a look? Maybe the Paypal page that comes up is the one that's supposed to, but it doesn't look right to me. There's the option to log in, and off to the left in tiny print that most customers probably won't see, it says "Sign up for a PayPal account and continue checkout."
My store is here http://www.boutique.hotpinkflamingo.net
What could I possibly have configured wrong? I have account optional turned on in my Paypal settings. I only have two payment modules activated, Paypal Express and check/money order.
Thanks for any help. :)