Resolving errors with PayPal

In this article:

Linking your PayPal account with Sellfy to accept payments

Common PayPal error messages at checkout

Why is my customer's order Pending?

How to edit PayPal currency settings

Linking your PayPal account with Sellfy to accept payments

If you’re experiencing issues setting up your PayPal account with Sellfy for payment collection, make sure that:

• Your PayPal account is verified and you have a valid credit card associated with the PayPal account. If you have not confirmed your details with PayPal, log into your PayPal account and verify your information, or contact PayPal directly.
• Your active PayPal account is linked to your Sellfy account (if you've recently changed your PayPal email, you need to update your PayPal email address in your Sellfy account, too). To update your PayPal email address for receiving payments from customers, go to Store settings > Payment settings.
• The country where you're located allows PayPal transactions for both selling and buying. 
• Your PayPal account is set up to receive payments in different currencies. (For example: if your PayPal account is set to operate in USD, but you wish to sell your products in a different currency, you'll need to enable the relevant currencies in your PayPal account.)

Why is my customer's order Pending?

When a customer's order is marked Pending, it means that PayPal has not yet processed the payment. This is a status set and controlled by Paypal. It happens from time to time and is due to specific security measures that PayPal takes to prevent fraudulent transactions.

The Pending status means that the money has left the account of the customer but has not yet been received by the seller. So, with this payment, you'll see that the money has been deducted, but not yet deposited. Once it's been deposited, then it is  Completed. 

In this case, the payment is "unclaimed". So you'll need to claim it in your PayPal account. Typically, this is not the case, so you may need to update a setting or such in PayPal. Please read here to see what unclaimed means. Then, here you can see how to accept the payment manually.

Common PayPal error messages at checkout

You are able to resolve most errors by yourself following the action steps we've provided. But if you aren't certain if it's resolved, or are still having trouble, please try contacting PayPal directly.

These error messages are examples of possible issues customers may encounter when attempting to purchase a product in your store using PayPal:

We’re sorry, the merchant doesn’t accept payments in your currency. Please return to the merchant and choose another way to pay.

• If a customer is receiving this message, it means they are located in a country (i.e. India) where PayPal does not allow USD payments but only payments using the local currency. Unfortunately, there's nothing you (the sellers) can do to fix this issue as it's an issue with the buyer's PayPal account.

• Please check that your PayPal email address is correct in your Sellfy settings, try using another PayPal account (by changing the PayPal email address in Payment Options) OR advise your customers to make the payment using Stripe (if you enabled Stripe payments for your store).

The primary receiver is based in a country that isn't enabled to send payments using a balance.

• This error message appears when you're located in a country where PayPal does not support payments. 

Account [email protected] isn't confirmed by PayPal.

• To solve this, you need to log into your PayPal account and confirm the information you have provided. If you can't figure out what's missing, write directly to PayPal's support for guidance.

The receiver [email protected] does not accept payments in this Currency.

• Head to the next section for instructions on how to edit your currency settings in PayPal.

Internal error

• This is a temporary PayPal payment error. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to resolve this issue. This error happens because of technical problems with PayPal. They typically get resolved in a few hours or less.

Your payment can't be completed. Please return to the participating website and try again.

To solve this problem, please follow the steps below:

1. Log into your PayPal Account
2. Click Profile
3. Click More Options
4. Select My Selling Tools
5. Click Block Payments
6. Under the Payment Receiving Preferences, find the Block payments from users who section
7. Uncheck the Initiate payments from the Pay Anyone subtab of the Send Money tab option
8. Click Save

If the problem persists, it is because the credit card your customer is using is associated with an existing Paypal account, and the transaction will always fail.

How to edit PayPal currency settings

You can only sell your products in the same currency that your PayPal account is set up to receive. However, your customers may try buying your products with a different currency, depending on their location. 

If you want to enable clients to purchase products using currencies that differ from the primary currency in your PayPal account, please follow the instructions below:

1. Log in to your PayPal account
2. In the top bar menu, click Wallet 
3. From the Payment methods drop-down menu, click PayPal Balance   
4. Click Add a currency
5. Select the currencies you want to add from the list