PayPal Instant Payment Notification Warning

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  • ENF
    Senior Member
    • Apr 2002
    • 2677
    • 3.8.11

    #16
    Originally posted by MacroPhotoPro
    I am having this same trouble too, and am getting no response from the Ticket system. This is very serious, because (like the OP) the entire reason I purchased this software was to get paid subscriptions, and if the system shuts down that is a deal-breaker.


    Does this dummy URL still work for you ENF?

    Any updates?

    Once again I thank you for your time,

    Jack
    As of this moment, it still works with vb4.1.11, I'm still receiving payments as usual and it's being fed back to vBulletin successfully.

    I can run a test and post a screenshot of it if you'd like. It will match those I posted in: http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBIV-11168

    Nothing has changed from those screenshots.
    To be updated...

    Comment

    • MacroPhotoPro
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2012
      • 266
      • 4.2.x

      #17
      So you are, LITERALLY, using http://www.example.com/forums/paymen...?method=paypal

      Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

      Comment

      • ENF
        Senior Member
        • Apr 2002
        • 2677
        • 3.8.11

        #18
        Originally posted by MacroPhotoPro
        Literally.

        Honestly, you can put anything in there. The API will set it's own IPN feedback URL when a payment is made. It's more or less just a place holder. (at least for vBulletin's case.)
        To be updated...

        Comment

        • MacroPhotoPro
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2012
          • 266
          • 4.2.x

          #19
          Sincerely appreciate your help again.

          However, apparently I can't put in anything, because when I put in the correct URL it fails

          Why would that be, I wonder?
          Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

          Comment

          • ENF
            Senior Member
            • Apr 2002
            • 2677
            • 3.8.11

            #20
            Originally posted by MacroPhotoPro
            Well, apparently I can't put in anything, because when I put in the correct URL it fails

            Why would that be, I wonder?
            That... I have no idea. That is interesting...

            I checked a second PayPal account for a different site and we're just using the domain like this:

            http://example.domain.com

            ...and it still works.
            To be updated...

            Comment

            • MacroPhotoPro
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2012
              • 266
              • 4.2.x

              #21
              That is absolutely bizarre.

              Did you ever try putting in your correct http://www.yourwebsite.com/forum/pay...?method=paypal to see if the proper URL worked?

              If so, what happened?
              Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

              Comment

              • ENF
                Senior Member
                • Apr 2002
                • 2677
                • 3.8.11

                #22
                Originally posted by MacroPhotoPro
                That is absolutely bizarre.

                Did you ever try putting in your correct http://www.yourwebsite.com/forum/pay...?method=paypal to see if the proper URL worked?

                If so, what happened?
                Oddly, it works for me.

                I put this exactly as you see it (domain name masked here) into the IPN address box:

                http://forum.domaingoeshere.net/vb4/payment_gateway.php?method=paypal

                The IPN page takes it but I haven't tested a payment on it. Although, I'm sure it would work.

                Just get something in there and run a payment through to see if everything works.
                To be updated...

                Comment

                • MacroPhotoPro
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2012
                  • 266
                  • 4.2.x

                  #23
                  I believe the problem has been solved.

                  With the help of a Paypal rep, who was very helpful and friendly, the problem seems to be stemming from sites which offer products other than just the subscription service to the forum through vBulletin. I have been selling books, DVDs, etc. for years through Paypal with no problem. Only when I set up the IPN with vBulletin is when the problems generated.

                  The failures were coming from vBulletin when my other products were being ordered. I have several different emails associated with my main site, all selling a different kind of product, and all funneled through my one Paypal account. So when these "other emails" were used to order other products (which were different from the yearly membership to vBulletin), the vBulletin site was in fact rejecting the IPN sent back by Paypal, as it is not built into the vBulletin system to accept anything other than it's own pre-programmed yearly subscription via the only email vBulletin is set up with. Everything sold by my Paypal account was being bounced back to the vBulletin site, which was the cause of the failures.

                  Apparently, the dummy site that you suggested ENF was just a way to prevent the meltdown. The solution I chose was to create a new Paypal account for my other products, and have a Paypal account with my only my board subscription carry the IPN, which (fingers crossed) has worked so far. As long as other emails (and other product info) aren't being bounced back to the vBulletin URL by Paypal, the default method works just fine.

                  Therefore, I believe the other member here (who started this thread) was probably selling products other than his subscription to his board too, and when the IPNs for these different products/figures/emails were being bounced back to the vBulletin site they were being rejected.

                  The 3 solutions are 1) build custom code in the IPN not to send anything to vBulletin except the subscription, 2) a dummy URL, or 3) choose to sell your other products through another Paypal account, and keep a Paypal account with the IPN for vBulletin strictly separate.

                  Hope this helps someone,

                  Jack
                  Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

                  Comment

                  • ENF
                    Senior Member
                    • Apr 2002
                    • 2677
                    • 3.8.11

                    #24
                    That's some very good feedback. Thanks for your research on this.

                    In our particular case, through vBulletin, we only sell the subscriptions to paid/premium content. Nothing more.

                    On two other sites, where tangible items are sold, we use a different system to handle those processes and therefore wouldn't have run into this issue (yet).

                    Again, thanks for taking the time to post that detailed information.
                    To be updated...

                    Comment

                    • Zachery
                      Former vBulletin Support
                      • Jul 2002
                      • 59097

                      #25
                      FWIW, vBulletin doesn't require the IPN url be set to anything. We pass the correct callback url via the admincp.

                      Comment

                      • MacroPhotoPro
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2012
                        • 266
                        • 4.2.x

                        #26
                        Originally posted by Zachery
                        FWIW, vBulletin doesn't require the IPN url be set to anything. We pass the correct callback url via the admincp.
                        Yes, but the fact of the matter is when other products are ordered through the same Paypal account, with different emails etc., they are ALL getting sent through the vBulletin IPN ... and the different emails, etc. are not recognized by the vBulletin board ... and are getting bounced back to Paypal as errors.

                        This is according the the Paypal technical team, who looks at all of the errors, and sees the problem for what it is.

                        Jack
                        Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

                        Comment

                        • Zachery
                          Former vBulletin Support
                          • Jul 2002
                          • 59097

                          #27
                          You shouldn't set the vBulletin url in the IPN info on the paypal account. Its not required.

                          Comment

                          • MacroPhotoPro
                            Senior Member
                            • Feb 2012
                            • 266
                            • 4.2.x

                            #28
                            Originally posted by Zachery
                            You shouldn't set the vBulletin url in the IPN info on the paypal account. Its not required.
                            Then it shouldn't be in the vBulletin instructions to do so.

                            Jack
                            Website | Facebook | Flickr Photostream

                            Comment

                            • Ludachris
                              Senior Member
                              • Feb 2002
                              • 312

                              #29
                              Zachery, where is it not required - in the vB settings or in the Paypal account settings? I tried removing the URL from the Paypal settings in my Paypal account and Paypal spit back an error saying that a URL is required. Should I just enter a random URL in the Paypal IPN settings field in my Paypal account like it was suggested above? Something that isn't even relevant to my domain? As I'm having trouble getting Paypal to communicate with vBulletin when subscriptions payments are made - not all the time, but almost half the time. And it doesn't look like there are any good solutions to this anywhere that I can find.

                              I'm using 3.8 still and ran the communication test and it says it's fine. But I keep getting members who are set up on auto renewal complaining that their memberships are getting reset, even though their auto payment was made via Paypal. I check the IPN history in Paypal and see that about 25% of the Message ID's there is no Transaction ID displayed - I'm guessing that means the notification isn't making it through about 25% of the time. So I need to find a way to fix it.

                              Comment

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