Common Issues payments

Payments Go Through but Orders Don't Appear

Your customers are paying — you can see the charges on your Stripe or PayPal dashboard — but the orders aren't appearing in your app. Customers are reaching out saying they paid but didn't receive confirmation, and you have no record of what they ordered.

This is a critical issue because you're taking people's money without delivering what they bought. It damages trust, creates refund requests, and can lead to chargebacks that cost you extra fees. Every hour this goes on, you're creating angry customers and potential legal problems.

The root cause is usually a disconnect between your payment processor confirming the charge and your app recording the order. The payment works, but the step after it fails silently.

Error Messages You Might See

No error visible to the customer — the payment succeeds Webhook delivery failed (in Stripe dashboard) 500 error on webhook endpoint Order not found No confirmation email received
No error visible to the customer — the payment succeedsWebhook delivery failed (in Stripe dashboard)500 error on webhook endpointOrder not foundNo confirmation email received

Common Causes

  • Webhook not set up or broken — Stripe/PayPal sends a notification when payment succeeds, but your app isn't listening for it or the webhook URL is wrong
  • Success page code failing — The code that runs when a customer lands on the "payment successful" page has an error and silently fails
  • Database write failing — The payment succeeds but saving the order to your database fails due to a connection error or validation issue
  • Customer closes page too early — The customer closes the browser after paying but before the confirmation page finishes processing
  • Webhook secret mismatch — Your app has the wrong webhook signing secret, so it rejects legitimate payment notifications from Stripe

How to Fix It

  1. Check your payment provider's webhook logs — In Stripe Dashboard, go to Developers > Webhooks to see if webhooks are being sent and if they're succeeding or failing
  2. Verify the webhook URL is correct — Make sure the URL in your Stripe webhook settings points to your live app, not localhost or an old URL
  3. Check your app's error logs — Look for errors happening around the time of payments that might explain why orders aren't being saved
  4. Process missed orders manually — Cross-reference your Stripe dashboard with your app's orders to find and manually fulfill any missing orders
  5. Set up a fallback — Use both webhook-based AND redirect-based order creation so if one fails, the other catches it

Real developers can help you.

Rudra Bhikadiya Rudra Bhikadiya I build and fix web apps across Next.js, Node.js, and DBs. Comfortable jumping into messy code, broken APIs, and mysterious bugs. If your project works in theory but not in reality, I help close that gap. Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs. BurnHavoc BurnHavoc Been around fixing other peoples code for 20 years. Dor Yaloz Dor Yaloz SW engineer with 6+ years of experience, I worked with React/Node/Python did projects with React+Capacitor.js for ios Supabase expert hanson1014 hanson1014 Full-stack developer experienced in fixing and deploying AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt.new, Cursor, and Replit. I specialize in debugging Supabase integration issues (auth flows, RLS policies, database connections), fixing broken deployments, resolving routing/blank screen problems, and cleaning up messy React/Vite codebases. I also build production apps with the Claude API and have shipped a Mac desktop dev tool (Nexterm from scratch. Based in Hong Kong, fast turnaround. Krishna Sai Kuncha Krishna Sai Kuncha Experienced Professional Full stack Developer with 8+ years of experience across react, python, js, ts, golang and react-native. Developed inhouse websearch tooling for AI before websearch was solved : ) Omar Faruk Omar Faruk As a Product Engineer at Klasio, I contributed to end-to-end product development, focusing on scalability, performance, and user experience. My work spanned building and refining core features, developing dynamic website templates, integrating secure and reliable payment gateways, and optimizing the overall system architecture. I played a key role in creating a scalable and maintainable platform to support educators and learners globally. I'm enthusiastic about embracing new challenges and making meaningful contributions. Richard McSorley Richard McSorley Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures. Basel Issmail Basel Issmail ’m a Senior Full-Stack Developer and Tech Lead with experience designing and building scalable web platforms. I work across the full development lifecycle, from translating business requirements into technical architecture to delivering reliable production systems. My work focuses on modern web technologies, including TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, and cloud-based architectures. I enjoy solving complex technical problems and helping teams turn product ideas and prototypes into working platforms that can grow and scale. In addition to development, I often collaborate closely with product managers, business analysts, designers, and QA teams to ensure that solutions align with both technical and business goals. I enjoy working with startups and product teams where I can contribute both as a hands-on engineer and as a technical partner in designing and delivering impactful software. Franck Plazanet Franck Plazanet I am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience building high-availability enterprise systems and scaling high-performing technical teams. My focus is on bridging the gap between complex technology and business growth. Core Expertise: 🚀 Leadership: Managing and coaching teams of 15+ engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 🏗️ Architecture: Enterprise Core Systems, Multi-system Integration (ERP/API/ETL), and Core Database Structure. ☁️ Cloud & Scale: AWS Expert; architected systems handling 10B+ monthly requests and managing 100k+ SKUs. 📈 Business Impact: Aligning tech strategy with P&L goals to drive $70k+ in monthly recurring revenue. I thrive on "out-of-the-box" thinking to solve complex technical bottlenecks and am always looking for ways to use automation to improve business productivity.

Describe what's wrong in plain English. No technical knowledge needed.

Get Help

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a webhook and why does my app need one?

A webhook is like a phone call from your payment provider to your app saying 'hey, someone just paid.' Without it, your app has no reliable way to know when a payment succeeds. It's the most important part of payment processing after the payment itself.

Customers already paid but orders are missing. What do I do?

First, check your Stripe or PayPal dashboard for all successful payments. Cross-reference with your app's orders. Manually create any missing orders and reach out to those customers with an apology and confirmation.

Related Common Issues Issues

Can't fix it yourself?
Real developers can help.

You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.

Get Help