Mark items Sold after PayPal payment

What is the best route to take if items need to be marked sold after a PayPal payment is complete?
These are one of a kind items, so inventory is always just one of each item.
Right now, the database has a column for each item that is called "Status". It's either "Available" or "Sold".

Currently the user uses a "Buy Now" button, fills out their information, goes to PayPal and pays. The problem is that some items end up being purchased more than once and that needs to be addressed.

Ideally, they would pay at PayPal and the item would be marked "Pending" followed by "Sold" once the payment was confirmed.

I'm confused about the process. Is PayPal Standard ok or do they need Pro.

Thanks,
TroyD

doing this with paypall standard is problematic and not very easy.

when the checkout page posts to the confirm page, the order summary and details are stored in the database, you could update the product table at this time also, then the user goes to paypal for payment and is returned to your site after completing payment.


the problem with standard, is that it is not a real time gateway. you need to configure an IP page that will accept the IPN post from paypal once the transaction goes through and update the product to sold at that time.



with payments pro, it's much easier, because it is a real time system, when the confirm page posts the details to the paypal gateway, the transaction is processed, if the funds are successfully sent to your account from the merchant bank, the order summary and details are stored, you could update the product status to sold at this time.

Thanks Jason,

This particular client uses PP Standard but I will encourage them to move towards the Pro account. But in the mean time, if I were to continue with the Standard setup, please tell me if I have the workflow correct.

With a PayPal Standard account using the IPN, the checkout process would be the same as usual, (Products page > Shopping Cart Page > Checkout page > Confirm page > PayPal site).
...then following the completion of the PayPal payment, they would be sent to the "Thank You" page back at the site, and at the same time a notification would be sent to a separate hidden page (IPN).
That IPN page would then have some kind of Update behavior on it that would mark the item's table column for Status as "Sold"? Is that a correct summary?

If this is correct, do I simply use the sample IPN code that PayPal has for PHP on their site as a starting point and then add the recordset and Update behavior?

I know that within the PayPal account their is a location for me to enter the URL for the IPN page once I create it, but do I also need to include any information back at the checkout form for this part?

Thanks,
TroyD

  then following the completion of the PayPal payment, they would be sent to the "Thank You" page back at the site, and at the same time a notification would be sent to a separate hidden page (IPN).  

you have the flow right up to this point. the timing of the post to the ipn page is an unknown, it wont happen at the same time as the user being directred to the thank you page, it will happen at a later time. when the user is dierected back to the thank you page, the payment is entered into a queue for pay[al to process with the merchant bank, it may take a few seconds for the transaction to process, it may take minutes, or hours even.

  That IPN page would then have some kind of Update behavior on it that would mark the item's table column for Status as "Sold"? Is that a correct summary?  

Yes, that is correct

  If this is correct, do I simply use the sample IPN code that PayPal has for PHP on their site as a starting point and then add the recordset and Update behavior?  

you are correct again

  I know that within the PayPal account their is a location for me to enter the URL for the IPN page once I create it, but do I also need to include any information back at the checkout form for this part?  

no nothing special needs be done to the code on the site for IPN except for setting up the IPN receiving page.

Thanks again Jason,

I am working on a test version using the PP Sandbox and will report back with any successes or failures. And I am sure I will have a few other questions.

Thanks
TroyD