I am trying to buy a file from my symbio stock site. I've signed up as a user and use a friend's paypal so I experience the whole thing as a user. After paying on Paypal I have to click on a link that says return to site (is this correct?) and then when I arrive back on the site I receive this:

Items still in your cart, and not in your download area?
Wait a few seconds and refresh the page. Sometimes paypal takes a few minutes to notify us. If you still have problems, please contact us.


What is wrong?

I get the money in paypal, it's just the user (which in this case was me as well) doesn't get to download the file. What is wrong?

Hi Cathy.

I don't have any security plugins installed, and I've looked through a bunch of other posts, but have yet to find the issue.

Could it be some settings at Paypal?

Also do I have to manually create the folder symbio_ipn ?

I too got this email

Please check your server that handles PayPal Instant Payment Notification (IPN) messages. Messages sent to the following URL(s) are not being received:

http://myawesomestocksite.com/symbiostock_ipn/

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.

Could it be that I put in the wrong notification URL on Paypal? Right now it's just www.mysite.com

If you have a personal paypal account you dont have to put anything in the blank on paypal. SY will send the correct ipn when the user checks out. If you have a business paypal account, maybe someone will jump in with the exact settings you need for paypal. I had the exact same problem as you and created a thread about it because it even affects early SY-ers who entered settings in paypal that were changed in a later theme update. Check out that thread, it has more specifics.


http://www.microstockgroup.com/symbiostock-technical-support/
how-to-set-your-paypal-ipn-information-in-sy-theme-and-in-paypal/

(Sorry, copying and pasting on ipad doesnt work well here)

Cathy:

I have a business paypal account and when I try to delete to URL I put in the box, it doesn't let me.
The URL I have entered on Paypal is the my site.com/symbiostock_ipn/ is this correct?

Cathy:

I have a business paypal account and when I try to delete to URL I put in the box, it doesn't let me.
The URL I have entered on Paypal is the my site.com/symbiostock_ipn/ is this correct?

You don't NEED to enter any URL in your Paypal admin area. Only if you want to redirect the customer after the purchase to a certain page of your website (like the customer area) then you may set an auto return URL. If you're not sure about this stuff, just leave it alone for now.

You will however need to set the Paypal IPN directory URL inside your WP -> Symbiostock -> Settings -> Email and Payment Process Communication to http://yourdomain.com/symbiostock_ipn/ . And make sure the radio button is set to "Live" when you actually want to process real payments.

Hi guys. I have done all of the above mentioned things. It's still a negative from here I'm afraid. I wonder why this is?

Have you removed the IPN settings inside your Paypal admin area?

What exactly is not working? Your purchased file isn't available for download or what is the issue?

Hi guys. I have done all of the above mentioned things. It's still a negative from here I'm afraid. I wonder why this is?

I wish I could help more but I use a personal account so don't exactly know what the settings should be.

You said you were using a friend's paypal account. Could that be the problem? Do you have the account name correct in the SY settings? Attached is a screenshot of mine. So the Paypal email should be the paypal email of your friend's paypal account. That's about the only other thing I can think might be wrong. If you have that entered correctly, I am stumped.

If you are arriving back at your SY site, then the only other thing might be that you don't have the correct URL of the page you need to return to, and you are returning to a wrong page or a duplicate page you created. The page you want to return to is:

yoursite.com/customer-licence-and-file-management-area/     <---unless you changed the name of the page. I did, because Licence is mispelled. Then it should be what your permalink is for that page.

(Christine mentioned in her post above)

I have the PayPal redirect on the PayPal site set to the Customer license and file management page.  Whether that works or not I'm not sure I wasn't able to perform a test purchase yet.

Your PayPal settings in your SY theme the email needs to be your PayPal email.

But the OP is not using his/her own paypal account, they are using a friends account. So the email should be the email for the Paypal account being used. But that creates a problem because unless the OP also has access to the friends' email account, he/she isnt going to get any of the notification emails at his/her own email. They will instead go to the friends. Because typically the email for the Paypal account IS the person who has the account's actual email address.

If I am setting up a SY website with the intent of selling images, I would just go ahead and set up my own paypal account. That's the part I'm not getting...why use a friend's account. That might get a little sticky, from Paypal's point of view.

I get the money in paypal, it's just the user (which in this case was me as well) doesn't get to download the file. What is wrong?

That's the OP's main problem. That doesn't sound like a Paypal issue anyway.

He's using his friends paypal account to purchase the file not to receive the payment.

You are right...I am confused. I am going to bow out of the conversation now. 

IPN = Instant Payment Notification.

Paypal posts the sale to the site's IPN area. In some cases its blocked or doesn't go through, and thus the problem with your download.

Hi guys. Thanks for taking the time to help me with my problem.

Off all the things you guys mentioned, the only thing I think could be the problem is on the Paypal side, in the Notification URL I've entered mysite.com/symbiostick_ipn - is this wrong? I've tried to delete it again, but Paypal doesn't let me leave it blank. Could this be the culprit?

I've checked my plugins, and can't find any of the aforementioned troublesome plugins.

 So, is it the URL entered on Paypal that's bugging me?

Hi guys. Thanks for taking the time to help me with my problem.

Off all the things you guys mentioned, the only thing I think could be the problem is on the Paypal side, in the Notification URL I've entered mysite.com/symbiostick_ipn - is this wrong? I've tried to delete it again, but Paypal doesn't let me leave it blank. Could this be the culprit?

I've checked my plugins, and can't find any of the aforementioned troublesome plugins.

 So, is it the URL entered on Paypal that's bugging me?

Go to https://developer.paypal.com/ login with your paypal credentials, go to the dashboard, import your paypal account and you get a sandbox account based on your real account. Then you can do whatever you want without breaking or messing up your real PayPal account.

Also, show us screenshots, where did you put the IPN link? In the IPN box on your PP account, or in the auto return section? Also when you delete the URLs make sure the IPN and/or auto return options are DISABLED, if you leave them enabled, PayPal keeps asking for a URL.

Sure

Site is www.happystockphotos.com

Screenshots here.

Just now I tried turning IPN messages off for the sake of it, hence the Paypal screenshot.
Just before when it was on it wasnt working either.

HI Cathy, yup I just tried that now with no luck

I wonder what the issue is, it's driving me nuts

I wonder what the issue is, it's driving me nuts

Read PM and let me know your server settings.

I don't think so, my site has disabled too, and paypal works.

It was only to be sure, that curl module is working as expected (it is used during paypal transaction too). Network results are shown, so it is ok.

How do I check those?

I have a web hotel, I don't have my own server. But not sure what settings to check etc.

Mmmm, you can only check the server logs if you have your own server.

But you can do the following:

1. Log in to you PP account and under MyAccount > History > IPNHistory you can see what paypal says about the problems. Either the IPN goes through, then it says something like "Sent". Then you know that from paypals side and your server permissions everything is fine. OR it says something like "Failed" or "No response" then Paypal cannot access the URL specified by the script. If this is the case try the following:
Copy
yoursite.com/symbiostock_ipn/
in the browser adress field and hit enter...curious what the browser says...just a blank screen? An error code? Can the browser access the URL?
Try the same with
yoursite.com/symbiostock_ipn/index.php

Maybe the IPN URL is not accessible form the outside...so you can check the file permissions of your folders in your FTP client (or the webmin/cpanel/whatever file manager you should find in the management area of your hosting company). Usually in your FTP client or File manager there is something like "Info" or permissions when you click or right click on a Folder or File. Typically the Folder "Symbiostock_ipn" should have the permissions set to "755"  and the files inside to "644". If the permissions are too restrictive the server may block reading access to the ipn url.

Third Idea: Check the .htaccess file on the top level of your installation and compare it to another symbio installation. The file is invisible, so you may have to check "show invisible files" in your FTP. But I don`t think the problem is there.

OK I tried with paying out to a different Paypal account, didn't work.

Folders and file permissions are fine.

Is there ANY way of diagnosing the problem?

Spectral: Can I reinstall it without having to upload all my photos again?

I forgot to add that I don't receive any email from Symbio confirming the sale either. Maybe this gives some sort of reason as to what could be wrong?

After returning from paying on Paypal the url ends with &item_number=
Does this means it never got the item number from Paypal?

What SY theme version are you on? I had this same issue yesterday after upgrading to 2.6.1. If you are on the latest version, maybe its a bug and not anything you are doing wrong?


Also, it would be helpful if you add your site url to your profile sig here. That way, we dont have to keep scouting to look at your site. 

Go thru the RESOLVED Problems with 2.6.4 thread.


I had a personl paypal acct. i was told to remove all ipn info from paypal and i did. But i suspect that created problems with paypal. I opened a brand new paypal business account (its free to open, but i think they will take a small percentage of your sales). I DID NOT touch the ipn area or change anything else on paypal. I only filled in the info necessary to open the account. Once i had the account open, i made a test purchase and it worked.


You are allowed to have one personal and one business account with paypal. Maybe you are having the same issue?


If you open a new account, be certain to change your email address in the symbiostock settings area.

Just opened a new business account. Same problem.
 

So sorry. I thought you might have had the issue as i.     Try PMing Leo and maybe he can help get it sorted.

Also I have never received any download notification emails from SY so it seems it's not registering at all the purchase although it is charging the customer