PayPal testing without using Sandbox

Question

I am developing a website in PHP that accepts PayPal payments. It uses the IPN from PayPal and has a custom payment template etc etc. It all works great through the Sandbox server but when it comes to showing my client, I don't want to have to tell them to login to/create a Sandbox account, create a buyer account and make a payment - he hasn't got time for that and probably won't be able to do it.

Therefore, my question is - is there any simple way that I can show my client the PayPal integration in "test mode" without him using the sandbox? I realise that I can set the transaction value to 0.01 and just test on the live PayPal server but that isn't an ideal solution.

Cheers!

Edit: Just to better explain what I mean, this is what my client sees when he first goes to checkout;

alt text http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2545/67913734.png

As you can see, he has to login to his Sandbox account before then purchasing the item using the buyer email that he sets up. It's just confusing and totally non user-friendly.

Answer 1

Unfortunately there isn't a way around this problem via paypal. Their sandbox will always require you to be logged in to actually demo.

Here are the solutions I have taken especially with remote clients.

• Use Skype or similar service so I can share my screen as I demo how it works. This solution seems to work fairly well, and eliminates the need for them to take the extra steps required.
• When working on something I want to quick demo for a client and get their take, I have started using http://www.jingproject.com/ It allows me to make a quick video of the process. It uploads it to their server and provides a url I can send the client to watch what I did.

Wish I could provide a more elegant solution.