Search code examples
paypalpaypal-ipn

Will `Notify_URL` override previous set IPN data


I am building an IPN extension for a website, but the service provider for the cart used at the moment has the option Notify_URL set (in the paypal submission form) for its own internal handling (which is somewhat flawed). If an IPN URL is set on the PayPal sellers profile, will both be used, or only one?


Solution

  • There appears to be some confusion on this subject. Some are claiming that both will work. They claim it should notify both in this situation. Though it appears that with subscription based payments, PayPal will only use the IPN URL set in your PayPal profile.

    However, on the official PayPal documentation:

    You can specify an IPN listener for a specific payment; this is the only way to receive IPNs associated with Adaptive Payments. In this case, PayPal sends the IPN message to the listener specified in the notification URL for a specific button or API operation instead of the listener specified in your Profile.

    Which seems to suggest that the notify_url will override the profile settings. I would assume that it would be better to follow the PayPal documentation then something that may be working even though it isn't intended to.

    Source: PayPal Documentation

    It's also worth noting that if you disable IPNs in your PayPal account, neither will work.