Errors faced during PayPal Setup

Troubleshooting PayPal Setup and Transaction Errors

If you encounter errors while connecting PayPal to your Yapsody account or processing payments, please refer to the following troubleshooting steps.

Issue 1: Authentication Failed During Setup

If you see the following error message while performing a test transaction during setup:

"PayPal was unable to authenticate your account. Please verify that the credentials you have entered are accurate or re-enter your credentials by copying and pasting from your PayPal account screen. If this problem persists, please contact PayPal for assistance as there is likely a problem with your PayPal merchant account."

Recommended Actions:

• Verify Credentials: Double-check your API credentials. We recommend copying and pasting them directly from your PayPal account to avoid typos.

• Check Merchant Account Status: Ensure your PayPal account is set up as a Business Account and is fully verified.

Issue 2: Authentication Successful, but Payment Failed

If your account authenticates during the test transaction but fails when a customer attempts a purchase, you may see this error:

"PayPal was unable to complete the transaction. Please try using a different credit card or accepted PayPal form of payment. If this problem persists, please contact PayPal for assistance as there is likely a problem with your PayPal merchant account."

Recommended Actions:

• Payment Method: The customer may need to use a different card or payment method within their PayPal account.

• Account Restrictions: There may be a security block or limitation on your PayPal merchant account preventing it from receiving funds.

Issue 3. "Security Header Not Valid" Error

This error occurs when the payment gateway cannot authenticate your credentials because the information entered into Yapsody is incorrect or contains hidden formatting.

Recommended Actions:

• Check for Spaces: Ensure there are no extra spaces before or after your credentials when pasting them.

• Use a Plain Text Editor: To avoid formatting issues, copy your credentials from PayPal and paste them into a plain text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit) first. Then, copy them from the text editor into Yapsody.

• Re-verify with PayPal: If the error persists, log in to your PayPal account to confirm your API details are current.