geppert

Follow-up: Root cause identified after source code analysis

I’ve had a chance to dig into the plugin source code (v9.0.60) and can now provide a more precise description of what’s happening.

Root cause

The bug originates in ppcp_regular_create_order_request() inside class-ppcp-paypal-checkout-for-woocommerce-request.php.

When a customer pays via direct credit/debit card entry (not PayPal login), process_payment() in class-ppcp-paypal-checkout-for-woocommerce-gateway-cc.php calls ppcp_regular_create_order_request($woo_order_id) (line 232). This function correctly fetches order details via ppcp_get_details_from_order() (line 2343), which reads $order->get_shipping_total() — so the shipping amount is present in $cart['shipping'] at this point.

However, the entire amount.breakdown block — including the shipping field — is wrapped inside a send_items gate (line 2376):

PHP

if ($this->send_items === true) {
    // item_total, shipping, tax_total, discount are all set here
}

If send_items is disabled in the plugin settings, the entire breakdown is skipped. The amount.value still uses $cart['order_total'] from ppcp_get_details(), which correctly includes shipping in the total — but since the breakdown is absent, PayPal receives a total that includes shipping with no breakdown to account for it, causing PayPal to record shipping: 0.00 internally.

Additionally, even when send_items is enabled, the ppcp_get_details() reconciliation logic (lines 1202–1260) can produce a negative ship_discount_amount to balance rounding differences, which may further suppress the shipping value in the breakdown.

The trigger: SET_PROVIDED_ADDRESS mode

The issue is specifically triggered during the checkout page flow. ppcp_shipping_preference() (line 264) returns SET_PROVIDED_ADDRESS when $page === 'checkout' (line 302). In this mode, PayPal does not recalculate shipping from its own address data — it relies entirely on what the plugin sends in the breakdown. If the breakdown is missing or incomplete, PayPal silently records shipping: 0.00.

In contrast, the GET_FROM_FILE mode (used for cart/product page PayPal button flows) triggers a PayPal-side shipping recalculation, which is why those orders are processed correctly.

Affected code paths

• class-ppcp-paypal-checkout-for-woocommerce-gateway-cc.php → process_payment() → ppcp_regular_create_order_request()
• class-ppcp-paypal-checkout-for-woocommerce-request.php → ppcp_regular_create_order_request() lines 2376–2415
• class-ppcp-paypal-checkout-for-woocommerce-request.php → ppcp_shipping_preference() lines 264–306

Suggested fix

The shipping amount should be added to the breakdown unconditionally when SET_PROVIDED_ADDRESS is used and $cart['shipping'] > 0, regardless of the send_items setting. The send_items flag should control whether line items are sent, but should not suppress the shipping amount in the breakdown — these are two separate concerns.

A minimal targeted fix would be to move the shipping breakdown assignment outside of the send_items block in ppcp_regular_create_order_request():

PHP

// Outside of the send_items block:
if (isset($cart['shipping']) && $cart['shipping'] > 0) {
    $body_request['purchase_units'][0]['amount']['breakdown']['shipping'] = array(
        'currency_code' => apply_filters('wpg_ppcp_woocommerce_currency', $this->ppcp_get_currency($woo_order_id), $cart['shipping']),
        'value' => $cart['shipping'],
    );
}

This same issue likely affects ppcp_create_order_request() (line 483) for the same reason.