Help with advanced variables.

[JunacaCreations]

Hello, I am sure this has been covered somewhere before but I am having trouble locating the specific variables I need to use to accomplish my goal.

The example I will be using is of soap, the bars are sold for 3.50ea or 3/10$. I can easily have a drop down menu with these options. The trouble comes when a customer wants 3 bars of soap from different scents, obviously I can't create buttons that hold every possible combination, that would be over 30 buttons for one product line. Is there a way paypal can see that 3 different soaps were chosen and auto-deduct the .50c from the total? How do I do this?

Secondly, what is the best/most popular way to calculate shipping, I thought I had it figured out using flat-rate boxes, by determining maximum weights I can stuff into each box. However, I have one product with weight low enough for one tier, but the shape forces me to put it into a large box. Is there a variable or some way I can tell a single product to use a different pricing scale. I see that there are many way I can do shipping, but unsure exactly how to force only certain options if the need arises.

I hope this makes some sense, thanks for any and all help you can provide.

[snowshoe · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately what you have in mind concerning your first question can't be done using the online button creator.  There's no way to auto-deduct the amount on the PayPal Checkout Screens.  What's required is some custom scripting on your web page or site that does the needed calculations and then the end results are passed to PayPal.  I agree, you don't want 30 buttons. What would work is more like a mini-cart whereas all the choices, quantities and discounts or special pricing is done with one button.  What options do you have?  You may find a 3rd party shopping cart that has all the features you need or you may want to work with a developer if coding your own buttons is not your thing.

As for your second question.  You can use the shipping override variables for unique situations that won't work with your Account Profile Shipping method.   Here's a few tips:

You can override the shipping charges on a button by including the following variables:  "shipping" and/or, "shipping2".   Note, the shipping variables are related to the item it is associated with, not the entire shopping cart.   The "shipping" variable is the cost of shipping the first item.   The "shipping2" variable is the cost you would charge for additional numbers of the same item.   Let's say you charge $1.00 to ship the first item, but you might give a price break for the anything beyond the first item.   So, for purchasing more of the item you would charge $.50 per item (2 through x). 

 For example: 

 For non-hosted item button code, you can override the Profile Shipping Table calculations by adding the following lines to your extisting button code: 

 <input type="hidden" name="shipping" value="1.00"> 
 <input type="hidden" name="shipping2" value=".50"> 


 If using the Online Button Creator: 

 For "hosted" or "encrypted" item button code you need to modify button code using the "Advanced Variables" in Step 3.   Note the text box near the bottom of the page.  There you can insert extra variables.   For example, to insert the "shipping" and "shipping2" override variables just enter: 

 shipping=1.00 
 shipping2=.50 

 There's no HTML extras, just the name of the variable, an equal sign and the value. 


 How to check to see if you have the shipping override enabled. 

 Note, you have to have at least one shipping method setup for the shipping override variables to be recognized.   If you don't have at least one shipping method setup, you must set one up first.   Additionally, when using the override variables, you will not see the Estimate Shipping and Tax box on the PayPal Checkout Screen. 

 * Log in to your PayPal Account. 
 * Select Profile. 
 * Select My Selling Tools. 
 * Under Shipping my Item, you will see Shipping preferences and Shipping Calculations. 
 * Click on Update next to Shipping Calculations. 
 * On the next page, look for "Override Shipping Methods Per Transaction".   It should be "ON". 
 * If not, you need to Edit your settings. 
 * Look for "Use the shipping fee in the transaction instead of my calculator's settings:" 
 * Select "Yes". 
 * Save changes. 


 Notes concerning the use of the "handling_cart" variable and the "handling" variable.   The "handling_cart" variable is used with Add to Cart Item Buttons and unlike "shipping" and "shipping2" it's value applies to the entire shopping cart.   The value will only be applied one time.   You can include the "handling_cart" variable with multiple item buttons but, it will only be applied by the first button thats selected.   All other selections will be ignored for that shopping session.   Should you use different values for this variable, depending on which one is applied first, the Shipping amount displayed may be different than expected. 

 The "handling" variable is used with Buy Now Item Buttons.   With either variable, "handling_cart" or "handling", the value will be included with the Shipping amount on the PayPal Screens and not displayed as a separate line item. 

[JunacaCreations]

Thanks for all the help SnowShoe!!!! I guess I will just attach a note for them to specify flavors for my first concern. The shipping information is exactly what I was looking for thank you very much, most helpful.

[snowshoe]