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The Advantage of Using a PayPal Add-On

Gravity Support Forums » Plugin Support » Gravity Forms PayPal Add-On

  1. LisaBell
    Member

    Hello,
    My intent on using the GF is to collect media files for making videos for the clients. I am trying to figure out whether to use a PayPal Add-On - and why would I possibly want to do it.

    The flow as I see it:
    - blog post describing a video template with an Order Now button taking the visitor to pay using PayPal
    - PayPal redirects them to a corresponding page with Gravity Form to submit their media
    - I get the payment, a client get a confirmation with a link to the form submission, I know that it is paid for;
    - A client goes to a page and submits media
    - I get notification now from GF that the files are submitted.

    ~~~ What value does having a PayPal Add-On adds to this?

    Thank you very much!

    Posted 13 years ago on Thursday July 21, 2011 | Permalink

  2. Carl Hancock
    Administrator

    The way the Gravity Forms PayPal Add-On works is the user submits the form FIRST and then is redirected to pay using PayPal.

    Once the payment is completed, PayPal then communicates back to your site via their IPN system that payment was received and it updates the Form Entry and marks it as Approved (Paid) and includes the PayPal Transaction ID and Payment Amount.

    You can also configure the PayPal Add-On settings so that the email notifications are only triggered when payment has been confirmed. So you know it's been paid for based on receiving the admin notification email AND you can also see it's been paid for by viewing the form entry in your WordPress Dashboard.

    There is no setting up buttons in PayPal itself or using PayPal generated buttons. It's handled entirely by the form you create using the Pricing Fields and the PayPal Add-On. So you could embed your order form in the blog post describing the video template itself rather than having them click away from the page.

    It's true 2 way integration with Gravity Forms and PayPal communicating back and forth. The other way there is no real interaction between Gravity Forms and PayPal other than redirects which don't provide true integration.

    Posted 13 years ago on Thursday July 21, 2011 | Permalink

  3. LisaBell
    Member

    Carl, thank you so much for your explanation.

    So, with the integrated approach the client has to have all the media ready for submission before I can get paid. With un-integrated approach they could pay me first and then submit the media later.

    There is certainly a great advantage in integration, but then again, if they don't have ALL of their ducks in a row ready for submission, I might not get paid (as fast), right?

    In other words, for easy stuff where they don't have to think much about what image goes where etc, I am better off with integration, for the templates that require more thought on their part, I'd take the payment first.

    The question to you then - CAN I MAKE THE PayPal ADD-ON CHOICE ON A FORM-BY-FORM BASIS?

    Thank you again!

    Posted 13 years ago on Thursday July 21, 2011 | Permalink

  4. Carl Hancock
    Administrator

    Correct. The form submission takes place before payment is received. So it depends on entirely on how you want the work flow to work. Use what works best for what you want to do.

    Posted 13 years ago on Thursday July 21, 2011 | Permalink

  5. LisaBell
    Member

    Thank you again!

    Posted 13 years ago on Thursday July 21, 2011 | Permalink

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