[Seaside] Posting to a Seaside app

[Nevin Pratt]

Nevin Pratt wrote:

>
>
> However, now I have another need for the ability of a non-Seaside app 
> to post data to my Seaside app.  Specifically, I want to create an 
> html "Checkout" button that I can include on eBay auctions.  When 
> clicked, it will take the user to my own website, and automatically 
> have the item (and it's price) in their shopping cart.  They then 
> proceed to checkout in the normal fashion direclty on the site.
>

Incidentally, even though "Bountiful Baby" does indeed take PayPal 
payments, if a user instead uses my site for checkout, there are a 
number of advantages for me:

1. If a customer pays at my site, the computer automatically handles the 
inventory level adjustments, whereas if they pay via PayPal, the 
computer doesn't know about the transaction in order to adjust 
inventory.   Inventory levels then need to be manually adjusted.

2. If a customer pays at my site, the money is automatically deposited 
to my company bank account by the credit card processor.  With PayPal, I 
have to manually initiate the transfer.

3. If a customer pays at my site, my machine sends my son (and me) an 
email notification of the order.  My son uses the email as a "picking 
ticket" to pick the merchandise, package it, and ship it, because he 
knows if he gets the email, the product is already payed for, and payed 
for *in full*.   There is no such guarantee with PayPal, plus PayPal 
requires more manual intervention to even know what was ordered.

4. I pay 2.02% fee for most credit card transactions run through my 
site, while PayPal charges me 3%.

In short, payments via PayPal is demanding more of my/our time than we 
care to give it, plus it costs me more.  In contrast, payments on the 
site are quite automated now, thus demanding less of my time.

Incidentally, "the_sharper_image" will only accept eBay auction payments 
via their web site.  They don't take PayPal *at all*.  It's easy for me 
to see why-- with the auction volumes they generate, they can't manage 
it any other way.

Likewise, while I don't (yet) want to phase PayPal out, I want to 
encourage customers to pay via my site rather than PayPal whenever 
possible.  Thus, I need to create a site "Checkout" button that can be 
included in the auction, and will allow them to checkout at my site 
rather than PayPal.

Which leaves me wondering how to post data from an external non-Seaside 
site into a Seaside app.  Has anybody done that?

Nevin

-- 
Nevin Pratt
Bountiful Baby
http://www.bountifulbaby.com
(801) 992-3137