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nottooshabby

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 12, 2008
411
83
So assume my app sells for $1 for simplicity. Do I need to sell 250 copies before apple pays me or do I have to sell 357 copies so that I net $250 after apple takes their 30% cut? Assuming I do make it to the point that apple pays me, do I have to sell another $250 worth to get paid again?
 

Delirium39

macrumors regular
May 19, 2008
205
0
So assume my app sells for $1 for simplicity. Do I need to sell 250 copies before apple pays me or do I have to sell 357 copies so that I net $250 after apple takes their 30% cut? Assuming I do make it to the point that apple pays me, do I have to sell another $250 worth to get paid again?

It's $250 post cut, within a pay period, which is about a month. If you don't get $250, it just gets added to the next pay period.
 

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
In addition, it is $250 -per region- and there are 7 regions I think (U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, UK, and Rest of World).
 

dean1012

macrumors regular
Jul 10, 2008
130
1
$250?

Hi all,

I'm in the $99 developer program and have my commercial contract submitted and waiting for approval. no apps delivered yet.

Am I missing something in my contract (IE, did I not read something right?)?

I don't recall seeing anything about $250. Can you clarify what you mean? Does this apply to the $99 developer program?

Thanks
 

TripleJ

macrumors regular
Jul 30, 2008
128
0
Hi all,

I'm in the $99 developer program and have my commercial contract submitted and waiting for approval. no apps delivered yet.

Am I missing something in my contract (IE, did I not read something right?)?

I don't recall seeing anything about $250. Can you clarify what you mean? Does this apply to the $99 developer program?

Thanks

As far as I remember, it'll tell you if you log into itunes connect and hit the financial reports button. Basically, you need to earn the equivalent of $250USD before they pay you anything. The count is separate for each region as well, so if you earnt $251 in US sales and $31 in European sales, you'll only be paid the $251 and the $31 will carry over to next month until it's reached $250 or more :)
 

Greencardman

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2003
490
2
Madison, WI
dean1012, they're talking about earnings. Apple only pays you once your earnings reach a certain amount. So don't worry that you missed something, its still only $99 to be accepted into the program to put up your app.
 

nottooshabby

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 12, 2008
411
83
I can see putting a minimum payment in, I'm just hoping I don't get stuck at $200 and apple just keeps the money. They should at least pay you the $99 you shelled out for the developer program before the $250 requirement goes into play. Hopefully I keep selling 10-15 a day and I get paid, but since it's post cut and I'm only selling for $0.99 I need to sell 361 copies to get paid. That seems ridiculous.
 

Jeremy1026

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2007
2,215
1,029
I can see putting a minimum payment in, I'm just hoping I don't get stuck at $200 and apple just keeps the money. They should at least pay you the $99 you shelled out for the developer program before the $250 requirement goes into play. Hopefully I keep selling 10-15 a day and I get paid, but since it's post cut and I'm only selling for $0.99 I need to sell 361 copies to get paid. That seems ridiculous.

You'd be surprised on sales numbers. My apps are selling about 6-8x better then I was expecting. As long as your app(s) aren't crap, they will sell.
 

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate
I need to sell 361 copies to get paid. That seems ridiculous.

It's worse than that: you need to sell 361 copies in a single region. So if you sell 200 copies in the US and 161 copies in the UK you won't get a payout. I believe there is a time-limit after which the pay you regardless of whether you've reached $250.

Bottom line this is in the contract you signed up to. If you didn't like it you shouldn't have signed up.
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
BTW this limit is for the benefit of everyone. Apple will not have to waste resources sending money for like 2 digit amounts, plus it's deterrence if some people want to be cheap and sell for say $1 when the app should be free.
 
L

Lau

Guest
...if some people want to be cheap and sell for say $1 when the app should be free.

As opposed to the people who are cheap enough to want an app to be free when it would only cost a dollar? Or is that a different thing entirely? ;)
 

Greencardman

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2003
490
2
Madison, WI
I don't think Apple gets to keep your money if you never make enough, so for those of your worried about that, don't. But they can get you to agree to a schedule, which is actually fairly common. They don't want to be sending tiny checks out all the time. A $250 threshold is somewhat high, but its not outlandish. Basically, if your app is a slow seller, you're just going to have to wait. If you ever stop selling, I'm pretty sure you'll get a check, no matter how much the amount.
 

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate
Is one dollar not the same as free?

More or less. Even accounting for the Dollars recent recovery in the markets.

I think this is part of the problem. So many apps are $1 and people see that and go, "$1, why not just make it free, you're not going to make much money out of charging $1 anyway". And thus the whole art of crafting a well made app is devalued. So us developers should realise this and ensure no app we make is sold for less than $5.

This lesson has been learnt before.

Of course I intend to sell my first app for the UK equivalent of $1...
 

calculus

Guest
Dec 12, 2005
4,504
5
So us developers should realise this and ensure no app we make is sold for less than $5.

I think this is right, there is too much of a culture of not valuing things (and the work that people put into them) at present. This is also true in the music field where so many people expect to get it for free.

Of course I intend to sell my first app for the UK equivalent of $1...

So 'free' then...
;)
 

DavidLeblond

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2004
2,322
599
Raleigh, NC
Wow, I've sold 608 copies of my App, but only 319 of them to the US. The other regions on their own don't add up to $250. So I'll only get paid for about half of my sales.

How nice.
 

Pring

macrumors 6502
Sep 17, 2003
310
0
Wow, I've sold 608 copies of my App, but only 319 of them to the US. The other regions on their own don't add up to $250. So I'll only get paid for about half of my sales.

How nice.

It is a problem yes, and I wonder if there's a time limit on how long Apple can hold the money.

If I've earned $200 and they keep it for the next 100 years at 5% interest that's $26000! ;)
 

fa.ce

macrumors 6502
Oct 8, 2006
324
3
Apple send only check ?
Or is it possible to ask for a Bank money transfer ?

The 99$ fee is it to pay once for all or ... each year ? :confused:
 

mccannmarc

macrumors 6502
Aug 15, 2008
270
0
Manchester, UK
I just can't see where people get the motivation from to pay $99 for a developers license and then release apps for free. It makes absolutely no sense unless you are a big company using the apps to promote products or generate revenue via advertising.

Nothing gets on my nerves more than seeing someone release a good paid app and then a free one pops up a few days later that someone has made it seems to p*ss off the developer of the paid one and to harm their sales.
 

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,107
1,345
Silicon Valley
I just can't see where people get the motivation from to pay $99 for a developers license and then release apps for free.

Lot's of people pay thousands of dollars for computer equipment and then write free software. Some people program for fun, or for themselves, and see no reason to hide the resulting apps.

Charity of various forms is over 2% of the total GDP last I checked.

Unless you have a patent, of some other form of government or natural monopoly, there's no guaranty that some clever person won't undercut any current product or business model.
 
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