Small Farm Central

Small Farm Central uses a service called Google Checkout to process credit cards. While the user's shopping cart is created on your own Small Farm Central site, credit card processing is completed at the secure Google Checkout area.

You do have the option of choosing "invoice-only" checkout processing, which is the non-credit card route if you don't want to give your toll to the credit card man!

These instructions are for farmers who are choosing to process credit cards.

Google Checkout for Member Assembler

As of December 2010, we have removed support for Google Checkout in our Member Assembler CSA member management software. Support for Google Checkout was removed because of their unfriendly stance towards the CSA model -- they were taking large reserves and making unreasonable demands of our farmers. For credit card processing under the Member Assembler, please use Paypal or our automated scheduled billing service.

Create a Google Checkout Account

Visit http://checkout.google.com/sell to create your account. To insert the funds back into your account, they will ask for bank account information such as account and routing numbers. The verification can take 3-5 business days, so get started as soon as possible.

Your bank account does not have to be verified to start taking Google Checkout orders, but you will not receive any funds until it the process is completed.

Add Google Keys to Your Small Farm Central Site

Login to your Google Checkout account at http://checkout.google.com/sell. Once logged in click on "Settings," on the resulting screen, in the left hand menu, click on "Integration."

On the right side of the resulting screen, you will see an area marked "Account Information." It will look a bit like this:

Account Information

Google Merchant ID

111111111111111

Google Merchant Key

mkfYl-jDfjJFgsirFJO-CG-Q

If using the ecommerce extension: 

In a separate window, login to your Small Farm Central control panel and navigate to: Sell / Configure / Integration

If using the Member Assembler:

In a separate window, login to your Small Farm Central control panel and navigate to: Member Assembler / Configure / Checkout

You will see a heading marked "Set API Keys for Google Checkout" that mirrors the settings you found in Google Checkout. Copy and paste from Google Checkout to Small Farm Central. Change server type from "sandbox" to "production" and then click Save Settings at the bottom of the page.

Finish Checkout Integration

Google Checkout can communicate back with Small Farm Central to control inventory and create user accounts.

In the same area of Google Checkout as above (Settings / Integration) there is a box for "API Callback URL." Use the following URL:

https://sfc.smallfarmcentral.com/scripts/google_checkout/google_response...

If you are using the Member Assembler, you will find your full API Callback URL on the Checkout Settings page: Member Assembler/Configure/Checkout

You do need to know your "fid," which is a unique identifier for your farm's website. Please contact us to learn your identifier and replace it with XXX above.

Test!

Now it is very important to go through the whole ordering process from creating a cart to processing a credit card (just cancel the sale after you are done) yourself and make sure everything is working. This will accomplish two things:

a) You will find any problems with the integration

b) You will become comfortable with the process in the event that your customers ask you about how it works

Let us know if you have any questions!