Getting started in eCommerce can be tricky. Even with all the wonderful eCommerce software like Shopify and WooCommerce, it still takes hours of setup even if you’re tech-savvy. What if you just want to start selling online without all the hassle?
Thankfully, PayPal has a very user-friendly option for entrepreneurs with a single product to sell. The idea is simple: you set up a PayPal Business Account and then you add PayPal Buy buttons to your website.
Seriously, that’s it! The configuration couldn’t be simpler and it’s a great stopgap to use before your business is large enough to justify setting up something more permanent, like a Shopify store.
So without any more preamble, let’s talk about how you can add PayPal Buy buttons to your website.
1. Create a PayPal Business account.
Before you can follow any of the steps in this guide, you will need to set up a PayPal Business Account. You can do that by going here and following all the prompts.
2. Log into your PayPal account and click App Center.
After you’ve set up your PayPal Business Account and logged in, you will see a home page like the one above. Click on App Center to proceed.
3. Click PayPal Checkout.
4. Click choose a way to integrate.
5. Scroll down to the Button generator section and click Start Setup.
6. Customize Button details.
There are three button types: fixed price, single-select list, and variable price. The type of button you choose to create will determine which other fields are available.
For example, if you select fixed price, then you will be prompted to enter an item description, an item price, currency, shipping fee, and tax rate.
If you select single-select list, you will be prompted to add an item description, shipping fee, currency, and tax rate. You’ll then be asked to add one or more options with different prices.
Single-select list is a great option for allowing users to pick between different options, such as shirt sizes.
You can also create a variable price button type. If you do that, you will be prompted to add a description field label, amount field label, currency, and optional Invoice ID label. This is a good choice if your business uses a “name your price” business model.
7. Customize Button style.
You can also customize the way the PayPal buttons look. You can choose to display them vertically in multiple rows or horizontally in a single row.
You can choose rectangular buttons, which is what you see above or “pill” buttons which have rounded corners. You can choose between five colors: gold, blue, silver, white, and black.
8. Copy the code and paste it on your website.
When you’re done customizing the button, click copy code. PayPal will generate an HTML code and copy it to your computer’s clipboard. You can then paste this code anywhere on your website to add the button to your page.
This part is a little tricky since how you add this code snippet depends on which website software you are using to manage your website. Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like on one of my client’s websites, where they use WordPress.
To clarify what exactly is going on above: I added the HTML code for the PayPal buttons right below a text box that says “$19.99” in large print. The first screenshot shows what it looks like in the WordPress editor. The second shows what it looks like on the actual shopping page.
Pretty neat, right?
Final Thoughts
There you go! Adding a PayPal button to your website is one of the fastest ways to start selling items online.
Remember: if you need help storing and shipping items once they start selling, Fulfillrite can help. We provide order fulfillment for businesses like yours. You can request a quote to learn more.
You’ve done everything by the book. Your Kickstarter campaign is almost ready to launch.
You made a great product. Built an audience. Set up a campaign page.
But how do you ship it?
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