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PayPal Setup Guide

About 5 minutes. You'll create a REST API App in PayPal Developer Console and paste the Client ID + Secret into autoGOM.

Why we ask for these keys

autoGOM never holds your funds. When a joiner pays, money goes directly to your PayPal account — we just issue invoices on your behalf so payments auto-match to orders.

The keys grant only invoice creation + payment notifications. We can't see your balance, transfer money, or change your account.

You can revoke access in 1 click from PayPal Developer Console at any time.

How we keep payments safe
  • G&S preferred — F&F discouraged

    Paid plans send every payment through PayPal Goods & Services. Friends & Family is discouraged because it violates PayPal's TOS and can result in account locks.

  • Purchase Protection preserved

    Joiners keep PayPal's dispute and chargeback rights on every order — the processing fee shown at checkout is what funds that coverage.

  • PayPal credentials never stored

    autoGOM uses OAuth + webhooks. We never see your PayPal password, balance, or transaction history — and you can revoke access in one click.

  • Refunds routed through PayPal

    If a GO is cancelled or can't be fulfilled, joiners get a full refund routed back through PayPal — no manual chase, no waiting in DMs.

  • We never hold your money

    Payments go directly from joiner to GOM. autoGOM is a tool, not a middleman — the funds never touch our balance.

  1. 1

    Sign in to PayPal Developer Console

    Open PayPal Developer Console and sign in with your PayPal account. You don't need a separate developer account — your regular PayPal login works.
  2. 2

    Choose environment (Sandbox or Live)

    Toggle at the top of the page:

    • Sandbox — for testing. No real money. Use this first to make sure the integration works.
    • Live— for production. Real payments. Switch to Live only when you're ready to receive actual orders.
  3. 3

    Create a REST API App

    Click "Create App". Give it any name (e.g., autoGOM). Choose "Merchant" as the type.

    On the app detail page, you'll see Client ID and Secret(click "Show" to reveal). Copy both.

  4. 4

    Enable Invoicing scope

    Scroll down to "Features". Make sure "Invoicing" is checked. If not, check it and save changes.

    Without this scope, autoGOM can't create invoices on your behalf and verification will fail at step 4.

  5. 5

    Paste into autoGOM

    Go to Settings → PayPal Connection. Choose the same environment (Sandbox or Live), paste your Client ID + Secret, and click Connect & Verify.

    Verification runs 4 automated checks (~5 seconds). If anything fails, you'll get the exact step + a link back to PayPal to fix it.

  6. 6

    Set your account to receive USD

    autoGOM issues all invoices in USD. To receive the full listed price, set your PayPal account to hold USD balance rather than auto-convert. Auto-conversion adds a ~3-4% PayPal currency conversion fee on receive, which reduces the surplus built into our Processing fee.

    See the Processing fee guide for how the fee is calculated and what you receive on each order.

Troubleshooting

Step 1 fails — "Invalid credentials"
Double-check the Client ID and Secret. If both look right, verify your environment selection matches the keys (Sandbox keys won't work in Live mode and vice versa).
Step 4 fails — "Invoicing scope missing"
Go back to your app in PayPal Developer Console, enable Invoicing under Features, save, then re-verify in autoGOM.
My account is in a different country
PayPal restricts some features by region. autoGOM doesn't enforce regional limits — if PayPal accepts your keys, we accept them too.