I am made of derp. Could someone check something on my website for me?

[Sulischild]

Hey guys,

Would anyone be able to check something on my website for me?  

There's a page on my blog where I (attempt to) sell readings.  However, the system I have been using was quite clunky and I'm pretty sure I lost a few buyers  due to that.  So I'm trying to put in 'buy now' paypal buttons instead to make everything shiny.

However, I can't actually test it because it just tells me 'this is your own PayPal account, you fool!'

Don't buy anything.  If you do want a reading, just drop me a PM and I'll do one for free because Cauldronites are awesome.  This is NOT a sales pitch, I promise.

But could someone please click on 'buy now' and let me know if there's a 'message to seller' box, or some sort of option to send a message with your payment anywhere?  (And then cancel, so you don't actually buy anything.)  The little text box above the button is too small to be useful, so I'm hoping there's another bigger message box somewhere else I can use.

I don't actually have anyone IRL who can help with this, because the people I know well enough to ask are all in Queensland, which is in the midst of a major natural disaster.  And I'm far too rubbish at the technical side of things to work it out for myself.

Really sorry about this, and again I promise I'm *not* hunting for sales here.  Just need a fresh set of eyes to try to get this wretched thing working.

Big thanks!

[Catherine]

But could someone please click on 'buy now' and let me know if there's a 'message to seller' box, or some sort of option to send a message with your payment anywhere?  (And then cancel, so you don't actually buy anything.)  The little text box above the button is too small to be useful, so I'm hoping there's another bigger message box somewhere else I can use.

 
Well, the "buy now" buttons work, but I couldn't get any further than that because it's making me create a paypal account and I really don't want one. Usually, there's an option to continue  without an account, but I don't think yours is set up that way.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[Sulischild]

Well, the "buy now" buttons work, but I couldn't get any further than that because it's making me create a paypal account and I really don't want one. Usually, there's an option to continue  without an account, but I don't think yours is set up that way.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Thanks ever so much for trying.

I've found the PayPal make-a-button thingie quite hard to use, to be honest.  I wonder if the Aussie site is different from the US one, because various US folk I've met around the web seem to be able to do all sorts of slick and impressive things with ease, whereas just getting to this (fairly crap) stage took me a fair bit of work and googling.

I might just go back to doing it the old way (which redirected to a separate online shop) since it really doesn't seem to be working...

[Catherine]

I might just go back to doing it the old way (which redirected to a separate online shop) since it really doesn't seem to be working...

 
It's hard to say, it might be working just fine so long as you either have, or want a paypal account. Hopefully someone who already has one will come along and give it a go.

[Sulischild]

It's hard to say, it might be working just fine so long as you either have, or want a paypal account. Hopefully someone who already has one will come along and give it a go.

 
Eventually I'd like to have a proper shopping cart thing where people can put their credit card details in directly, so I'm not dependant on any third-party stuff - but getting one requires a merchant bank account, which requires being a registered business, which requires... a whole lot of stuff I'm just not in a position to commit to right now.  If ever.  

Once I'm free to do cash in hand readings at markets, I might wind the whole online side of things down.  I do like doing long distance readings - I 'get' a lot more than I do in person because there's no interpersonal shenanighans to distract me - but finding a way to do it that isn't either expensive, complicated, or crap, is proving quite a challenge!

[RandallS]

It's hard to say, it might be working just fine so long as you either have, or want a paypal account. Hopefully someone who already has one will come along and give it a go.

I've found the option for a message from the buyer to be unreliable. It seems like some people don't see them. I've never figured out how "some people" (that is, is ii people in some countries, people using browser X, etc.) is determined, but not everyone seems to have the messaghe box on their form. Most people do, enough that it makes me wonder if it isn't just that some people miss seeing it in their hurry to finish the form, but there's no way to tell that.

[Catherine]

I've found the option for a message from the buyer to be unreliable. It seems like some people don't see them. I've never figured out how "some people" (that is, is ii people in some countries, people using browser X, etc.) is determined, but not everyone seems to have the messaghe box on their form. Most people do, enough that it makes me wonder if it isn't just that some people miss seeing it in their hurry to finish the form, but there's no way to tell that.

 
Whenever I donate to TC or Lyric's cancer fund, I get the option to leave a message for you. I think it's on the purchase conformation page.

I can also pay without creating a paypal account. Did you have to set that up, or was it automatic?

[RandallS]

I can also pay without creating a paypal account. Did you have to set that up, or was it automatic?

Not that I remember. I think it was automatic. Whether it is automatic (or even a feature) might depend on what country the seller and/or purchaser is in (guessing here).

[Elani Temperance]

Would anyone be able to check something on my website for me?

 
Alright, I have a paypal account, so I tried. I don't get a textbox option, I can only pay. Hope that helps.

[Sulischild]

Alright, I have a paypal account, so I tried. I don't get a textbox option, I can only pay. Hope that helps.

 
Thanks so much for your help, guys!  I really appreciate it.

I've given up for now, and changed it back to the old system.  It might be clunky, but at least it works.  It also has $US and $AUD options, which was another thing PP wasn't letting me do without much palaver.

I'm very tempted to bin the whole pricing structure and just go to an honesty box 'pay what you can, how you can' system, but I've just donated a bunch of gift vouchers to a local charity and I can't really do that til they've been used...