eBay/PayPal not playing fair

[asa_carter]

Hi,

I am creating an auction web site in the UK. I had planned on using paypal to exhange funds between users.

When listing an item on eBay, the sellers are given an option to sell using paypal (even if they do not have a paypal account).

On my site, if a buyer wishes to purchase an item from a seller who does not have an email address registered with paypal, an error message is shown. I contacted paypal developers site and they say that a seller must be registered with paypal before listing an item. Although, I cannot find a way to check if the seller is registered with paypal or not.

So.. is there a way in php, to check the output of paypal checkout page to see if it shows a valid page or an error page, then redirect to a custom error message if there is an error?

Thanks

Asa

[shareaweb]

There is a PayPal API that you can use for the checkout pages. The documentation form the developer site is extensive on its capabilities and it fits in line with your problem.

The only reason folks on EBay do not need to be registered is because EBay owns Paypal, and has special API's in place only between their sites.

Since you are based in the UK, seems you would be better off to choose Moneybookers as your processor anyway.

😉