Title: Failed Order Process Then Processed Causing Duplicate Order
Last modified: May 7, 2026

---

# Failed Order Process Then Processed Causing Duplicate Order

 *  [Richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * (@richard_vc)
 * [2 days, 12 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/)
 * We are seeing issues with the WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin during checkout
   and webhook processing.
 * Most transactions complete successfully, however there are repeated inconsistencies
   involving:
    - Webhook processing
    - Order matching
    - Duplicate checkout/order creation
    - Temporary failed captures requiring payer action
 * This appears to affect some customers during PayPal checkout return and approval
   processing. Main Symptoms Observed 1. Webhook unable to find WooCommerce order
 * Repeated warnings such as:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       WC order ID was not found in webhook event
       ```
   
 * Examples:
    - PayPal Order: `5E7416708W258280F`
    - PayPal Order: `67339715EY926311L`
    - PayPal Order: `9JV18449SL950614A`
 * The PayPal webhook arrives, but WooCommerce cannot initially associate it with
   a Woo order.
 * Later in the process the order is patched with:
    - `custom_id`
    - `invoice_id`
 * and then captured successfully. 2. Duplicate or repeated order processing attempts
 * Several transactions show:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Order is already being processed (lock active)
       ```
   
 * and later:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       already has transaction ID, skipping payment processing
       ```
   
 * This suggests:
    - webhook retries
    - race conditions
    - duplicate processing attempts
    - delayed order linkage
 * 3. Duplicate WooCommerce order creation risk
 * One checkout flow appears to have generated multiple Woo orders for effectively
   the same transaction.
 * Examples:
 * Woo Orders:
    - `243773`
    - `243777`
 * Associated PayPal Orders:
    - `5E7416708W258280F`
    - `9C321708UB7660102`
 * This may indicate:
    - checkout retry behaviour
    - failed return handling
    - duplicate order generation after interrupted approval
 * Need confirmation whether this is expected behaviour or a plugin issue. 4. Temporary
   capture failure
 * Observed PayPal API response:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITYPAYER_ACTION_REQUIRED
       ```
   
 * Example:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Failed to capture order.Issue: PAYER_ACTION_REQUIRED
       ```
   
 * The order later completed successfully after retry.
 * Need clarification:
    - why capture was attempted before payer completion
    - whether plugin retry handling is working correctly
 * Additional Notes Environment
    - WooCommerce
    - WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin
    - Live PayPal API
    - Webhooks enabled and verified successfully
 * Webhook signature verification itself appears to work correctly.
    1. Why are webhook events arriving before WooCommerce order linkage is complete?
    2. Why do some webhook events fail to find the WooCommerce order initially?
    3. Is duplicate Woo order creation expected during interrupted PayPal approval 
       flows?
    4. Are race conditions known within WooCommerce PayPal Payments webhook handling?
    5. Is there a recommended fix for:
    6.  - duplicate processing attempts
        - delayed webhook linkage
        - repeated capture retries
    7. Are there known issues with:
    8.  - `CHECKOUT.ORDER.APPROVED`
        - `PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED`
          webhook timing?
 * Example Log Entries Order matching failure
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Warning - WC order ID was not found in webhook event
       ```
   
 * Processing lock
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Order is already being processed (lock active)
       ```
   
 * Duplicate processing prevention
 *     ```wp-block-code
       already has transaction ID, skipping payment processing
       ```
   
 * Failed capture
 *     ```wp-block-code
       UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITYPAYER_ACTION_REQUIRED
       ```
   
 * Is this
    - expected
    - cosmetic logging only
    - or indicative of a plugin/order synchronisation issue that risks:
       * duplicate Woo orders
       * abandoned captures
       * failed fulfilment
       * customer confusion
 * Thanks in advance
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Ffailed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

 *  Plugin Support [Krystian Syde](https://wordpress.org/support/users/inpsydekrystian/)
 * (@inpsydekrystian)
 * [2 days, 12 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18901281)
 * Hello [@richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * Please follow these steps to share your system status report with us:
    1. Navigate to the `WooCommerce / Status` section in your site’s admin panel.
    2. Click on the `Get system report` button and then click `Copy for support`.
    3. Paste the report into our [PrivateBin](http://privatebin.syde.com/).
    4. After uploading, please share the link here so we can review the details thoroughly.
 * We are waiting for your system reports to proceed with the analysis.
 * Kind regards,
   Krystian
 *  Thread Starter [Richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * (@richard_vc)
 * [2 days, 12 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18901283)
 * [https://privatebin.syde.com/?05e0358f90dfdc83#EDXpFpU2Jwev2bs9NPVSBQMB7kpWjbUd2hFszFGhXqk4](https://privatebin.syde.com/?05e0358f90dfdc83#EDXpFpU2Jwev2bs9NPVSBQMB7kpWjbUd2hFszFGhXqk4)
 *  Plugin Support [Krystian Syde](https://wordpress.org/support/users/inpsydekrystian/)
 * (@inpsydekrystian)
 * [2 days, 12 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18901296)
 * Hello [@richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * These are **PayPal Payments logs**, not a system report, so they don’t give full
   visibility into your WooCommerce setup. However, I also reviewed your frontend(
   checkout and related pages), and I can share a likely direction here. In your
   case, the most likely cause of the duplicate order/processing is the PayPal button
   on the **cart page**. This can sometimes initiate parallel flows (especially 
   combined with redirects and webhook timing), which leads to duplicate order creation
   in some cases
 * You can disable the PayPal buttons on the cart page directly from the plugin 
   settings:
    1. Go to **WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → PayPal → Styling**.
    2. Under **Button Styling**, locate the **Location** dropdown.
    3. Select **Cart Page** and uncheck the option **“Enable payment methods in this
       location.”**
 * We are aware of cases like this, and limiting the entry points (removing the 
   cart button) often stabilizes the flow.
 * Additionally, I noticed that there is **no visible PayPal button on the checkout
   page**. If that is not intentional, please let me know.
 * If the issue persists after removing the cart button, the next step would be 
   to run a controlled test with a simplified setup to confirm whether any third-
   party plugins or customizations are contributing to this.
 * Kind Regards,
   Krystian
 *  Thread Starter [Richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * (@richard_vc)
 * [2 days, 11 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18901321)
 * System report now added. [https://privatebin.syde.com/?14fcab2e9d6972a5#EqDWE5MZkVZhFnJiHJUAcR4QYHREAzoMWH18nczhec5T](https://privatebin.syde.com/?14fcab2e9d6972a5#EqDWE5MZkVZhFnJiHJUAcR4QYHREAzoMWH18nczhec5T)
 * Also, I have unchecked that box.
 *  [wpfixpath](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpfixpath/)
 * (@wpfixpath)
 * [17 hours, 54 minutes ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18903302)
 * After disabling the PayPal button on the cart page, I would run one controlled
   test and compare the log sequence before/after.
 * The thing to verify is whether you now have only one PayPal entry point into 
   the order flow.
 * Test path:
    1. Clear PayPal/WooCommerce logs or note the current timestamp.
    2. Start checkout only from the normal WooCommerce checkout page.
    3. Complete one low-value live or sandbox transaction.
    4. Check whether these log messages disappear or reduce:
 *  - `WC order ID was not found in webhook event`
    - `Order is already being processed`
    - `already has transaction ID, skipping payment processing`
    - duplicate Woo order IDs for one PayPal transaction
 * If the duplicate order behavior stops after removing the cart PayPal button, 
   the likely issue was competing entry points: cart express flow + checkout/order
   flow + webhook timing.
 * If it still happens, the next useful evidence is a timestamped mapping table:
    - Woo order ID
    - PayPal order ID
    - PayPal capture ID
    - first Woo order note timestamp
    - webhook event type
    - whether customer returned to the site successfully
    - whether the same browser/customer retried checkout
 * Without that mapping it is very hard to separate harmless webhook retry noise
   from actual duplicate order creation.
 *  Thread Starter [Richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * (@richard_vc)
 * [11 hours, 54 minutes ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18903373)
 *  thank you for that. I have already been working through some test orders and
   the problem is not re occurred on the logs are not showing any issues. I will
   monitor again.
 *  thank you for your reply

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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## Tags

 * [duplicate order](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/duplicate-order/)

 * 6 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [Richard_vc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richard_vc/)
 * Last activity: [11 hours, 54 minutes ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/failed-order-process-then-processed-causing-duplicate-order/#post-18903373)
 * Status: not resolved