Using PayPal to accept payments

Adding PayPal buttons to a regular page in lieu of using connected Squarespace + PayPal accounts with Squarespace Commerce tools

This is what PayPal “Smart Button” code looks like on a regular Squarespace page. This particular PayPal-generated button code allows for variable payment, meaning the customer can type in the amount to be paid.

Note that this differs from a PayPal invoice email link or a PayPal invoice PDF, both of which are tagged to a specific payment amount. The user has to type in the amount in this “on page/non-commerce” scenario.

The on-page button also differs from setting up actual PayPal commerce sales / payments which go through the Squarespace’s commerce functions — with the possible addition of Squarespace processing fees.

IMPORTANT: An alternative way to implement a variable payment via Squarespace’s commerce tools is to couple it with Stripe which may be able to override the “set price for a set product/service” aspect of the native Squarespace commerce functionality. This would require the assistance of a Stripe/Squarespace guru.

Invoice Number

Please enter a description

$ USD

Please enter a price

Please enter an Invoice ID

FYI: These buttons are for visual demonstration purposes only. The attached PP account is not set up to take payments.

HIPPA compliance

Neither PayPal or Stripe are HIPPA compliant. Both integrate with Squarespace Commerce directly (variable payments still being an issue / programming hurdle + potential processing costs from Squarespace).

Square is HIPPA compliant, as is Ivy.

Here is a link to a good article from the American Psychological Association dealing with this payment / invoicing / data security issue for the healthcare professions:

“Which payment processing platform performs best?”
https://www.apaservices.org/practice/business/technology/tech-column/best-payment-processing-platforms

Invoicing via PayPal if HIPPA is not an issue

The first screen shot shows what invoice creation via PayPal is like. A PayPal Business account may offer additional options.

IMPORTANT: Notice the HIPPA disclaimer.

PayPal’s Invoicing instructions PDF have a soup-to-nuts description of how to set up and manage invoicing within PayPal: Download the PayPal Invoicing Users Guide 1.2MB

Options available to sending invoice to the customer.

This is what the resulting invoice looks like when the customer clicks on an invoice link sent via email. In terms of an invoicing/payment system, it is clean, direct, and bypasses Squarespace altogether, along with potential Squarespace commerce fees.

Here’s a link to see what the PDF version of a PayPal invoice looks like: Download the PDF (121KB)

NOTE: This PDF version of the invoice is shows as cancelled. I set up the invoice as an experiment, then cancelled it. At least this way you know it is possible to do so. :)