PayPal

When can you give the customer what they bought?

When PayPal confirms the capture, the step that collects the money. Imagine selling a downloadable planner. The buyer approves the order in PayPal, then your app’s server asks PayPal to collect the money. While that payment is pending, keep the order waiting and leave the download locked.

Save the PayPal order and capture references with your own order. Have your server check the amount and currency against what the customer ordered and confirm completion before it unlocks the download. If you use a webhook, a message PayPal sends to your server, verify it and handle repeat notices without delivering the order twice.

Can your business accept PayPal payments where it operates?

Check the business-account rules for your country, the payment methods you need, and how your business can withdraw funds. Country support for one payment method does not establish that every checkout option is available.

With ordinary PayPal Checkout your business is the seller and PayPal processes the payment. Plan for your own customer terms, refund decisions and any taxes your business needs to handle.

How can you test a download without charging anyone?

Use a separate copy of the app and PayPal’s sandbox, its practice environment. Before trying checkout, confirm the actual PayPal credentials and address are for the sandbox and that the order database, webhook destination, download access and email all point to disposable services. Use a sandbox business account as seller and a sandbox personal account as buyer. If you cannot confirm those connections, sketch the two order paths below on paper.

1. 1
   Approve one sample purchase

   Buy a fictional planner with the test buyer. Check the completed capture in PayPal and verify the matching sample order unlocks the download for that buyer. Reload the confirmation page and check that it still shows one order.
2. 2
   Cancel a different sample

   Start another order and back out before approving it. Check that the second order stays unpaid and never opens a download. Reopen the first sample order to check its completed purchase is still intact.

What happens after you start a refund?

Use the capture reference from the original purchase to return all or part of a captured payment. Track the refund separately from the original sale and check whether it completes before you mark the refund as complete in your app.

Decide what a full or partial refund means for the app. For example, a full refund could remove future access to the planner, while a partial refund for a pricing mistake could leave access in place. PayPal updates the payment records. Your app implements that access decision.

What do you pay and how do you match it to the sale?

As of November 12, 2026, PayPal’s US standard rate for domestic PayPal Checkout payments received in US dollars is 3.49% plus US$0.49 per transaction. Use your own market’s fee table. Cross-border charges, conversion and withdrawal method can change what reaches your bank.

Check your withdrawal options and expected timing separately from the payment status. Export PayPal’s Activity Download report for the sales period and keep your own order and access records. Your app’s order reference connects the customer’s purchase to the payment and any later refund.