Why turn a shopping cart into a web service?

Because the world needed it badly! Payvment removes the need to ever purchase, install or develop a shopping cart system ever again.

Is the shopping cart a widget of some kind?

Absolutely not. It is not a widget or silly popup of any kind. The web service places the shopping cart system directly into your web page just like a shopping cart you would have to install or develop without any of the installing and developing parts. When your customer clicks an Add to Cart button anywhere on your website, Payvment's web service is told that your customer needs a shopping cart and delivers one into your website instantly!

What is this about my customers being able to complete their purchase even if they are no longer on my website?

Unlike shopping carts of the past, a consumer's cart items stays with them across any website using the web service. The consumer has the ability to purchase your items in their cart even if they have already left your website. Plus the consumer can have a cart that includes items that belong to multiple retailers with a single checkout that pays you and all other retailers in one transaction. No kidding!

What does it cost to use the shopping cart web service?

It's free. Payvment does not charge anything nor do we take any cut of your sales revenue.

Wha..? Free? What's the catch?

No catch. It's free and your Payvment account will remain that way. We like money just like everyone else but right now we are more concerned with building great technology and getting your feedback to help us do that. If you are dying to give your money to someone, there are some great charities out there.

Can I customize the shopping cart to melt into my website's design?

Yes. You can completely customize the entire shopping cart via CSS. Details can be found here.

Do I have to install or download anything?

Nope. There is nothing to download or install.

Do I have to be tech-savvy to add it to my website?

No technical skills needed. Adding the shopping cart to any web page is as simple as copying a single line of code (called the Cart Request) into your web page's source code. See the tutorial here. You can also use our Auto-Builder feature to make your Add To Cart buttons or Affiliate/Referral product links. If you need help or have a question. Click the 'Feedback' tab on the left of the Payvment website. We're happy to help.

Does it matter what language my website is built in? HTML? PHP?

It doesn't matter. The shopping cart web service works no matter what programming language your website was built in.

Does the shopping cart web service work in all browsers?

Yes. It has been tested in all modern browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari and Chrome.

How many places can I use the shopping cart?

There is no limit. Make your products available to purchase everywhere.

Do I need a merchant account to sell my products with it?

You do not need a merchant account. All you need is a regular PayPal Personal or Business account which is free if you don't have one. You can get one here.

Are my customers making purchases directly from me or is Payvment involved in the purchase some how?

Payment is not involved in the purchase. Your customers are making purchases directly from you. Your store will be on both the receipt emailed to the purchaser as well as the merchant of record in the Purchaser's PayPal account. Not Payvment.

What payment methods can my customers use to purchase my items?

Currently the checkout supports making purchases via PayPal. PayPal enables your customers to purchase with a credit card or their PayPal funds.

What currencies does Payvment support?

Payvment supports almost all major world currencies. Supported list below. Besides launching sales in any currency, Payvment's shopping cart also enables your customers to view their cart contents in the currency of their choice even if different that the currency you are using for your items. The cart instantly converts pricing using the latest foreign exchange rates. It's time to go International!

AUD – Australian Dollar
CAD – Canadian Dollar
CZK – Czech Koruna
DKK – Danish Krone
EUR– Euro
HKD – Hong Kong Dollar
HUF – Hungarian Forint
ILS – Israeli New Sheqel
JPY – Japanese Yen
MXN – Mexican Peso
NOK – Norwegian Krone
NZD – New Zealand Dollar
PHP – Philippine Peso
PLN – Polish Zloty
GBP – Pound Sterling
SGD – Singapore Dollar
SEK – Swedish Krona
CHF – Swiss Franc
TWD – Taiwan New Dollar
THB – Thai Baht
USD – U.S. Dollar

Is it secure?

The shopping cart uses 256-bit SSL encryption for completely secure shopping.

Do my customers receive a receipt of their purchase?

Yes. Payvment does this for you automatically! After your customer makes a purchase, Payvment automatically sends them a receipt via email.

How am I notified of purchases?

You'll get an email instantly after a purchase that includes all the order information so you can ship your goods.

Can I use it to sell digital goods such as music or software downloads? What about selling virtual goods?

Currently the web service works with selling products, services or making donations. We will be adding support for digital goods and virtual goods soon.

Can I use the shopping cart web service on my Blog?

You can use it on any blog that let's you include code such as Wordpress. We might just make a Wordpress plugin as well unless someone beats us to it (hint hint).

Can I use it to sell my products on social networks such as Facebook?

Yes. ...but not by using Payvment's Cart Request script. Instead if you want to launch a e-commerce on Facebook, use our E-Commerce Storfront App. It's a complete storefront solution for Facebook and it's free. Support for other social networks is coming.

I am a Social Network. Can we utilize the web service to enable our users to launch e-commerce on their profiles?

Yes. All you need to do is add the Cart Request script for your users or build a custom shopping cart into your platform using our Developer API. Your users will then be able to add their own Add To Cart buttons to their profiles that work with your built-in shopping cart system.

I am a website/blog hosting company. Can we use it too?

Yes. That would be great! Same as above...

I am a retailer with an Affiliate/Referral program. Can we include it in our program?

Yes. It's a great way to enable your affiliates to increase sales! Plus the shopping cart web service works without altering your current affiliate Add-to-Cart or Referral URLs. This lets you add support for the cart without disrupting your current business. All you need to do is include the 'rel' tag in your product links (see tutorial). Once the tag is included, your products will utilize the shopping cart web service on whatever website includes the Cart Request. If the Cart Request isn't present, your links work as they do now with no problems.

I am a web designer/developer. Can I use it to add e-commerce to my client's web sites?

It sure does beat installing or developing shopping cart software!

What kind of systems are in place to make sure the web service is always available?

The web service runs on Amazon.com's server network and utilizes an array of multi-location load-balanced servers with the ability to auto-scale based on traffic and cart requests. This system was designed so that the shopping cart web service is always available.

I have a question that isn't on this FAQ. What do I do?

Just ask it! Use the 'Feedback' tab on the left of the Payvment website to quickly reach out with any questions we forgot to include here.