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Apps must not have unreasonably high prices. The price $10 is too high. Yet a Nigerian scammer continues offering an app for $300, even after an employee repo

by SSNLF 3y ago

Apps must not have unreasonably high prices. The price $10 is too high. Yet a Nigerian scammer continues offering an app for $300, even after an employee reports it.

Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
TBF. losing $300 to a Nigerian scammer is pretty cheap (when compared to other scams out there) :-P EDIT: however, you should be allowed to set the pricing of your app however you like.
- thih9 3y ago
  > you should be allowed to set the pricing of your app however you like. What about being allowed to curate apps in your app store however you like?
  - Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
    Sure, but it doesn't seem like they are rejecting the app because of its functionality or quality, but the price point. Software that serves a niche isn't going to get the mass downloads required to fund the development a low price point per sale requires. There is a use case for apps costing more than $10. The Samsung store allows for in-app subscriptions, at 2 bucks a month the app is going to cost the user more than $10 over the span of a year, heck even over the course of 6 months. But yeah, if Samsung doesn't like it, I say screw 'em and just put it on the Play Store instead.
ppetty 3y ago
Prices just have to be consistent so as long as most scams stay in that price range? But would love to see that rejection: “This scam is underachieving and will be blocked until the price exceeds $300.”
CaptainZapp 3y ago
Well, there's the I Am Rich app[0], which essentially did nothing and cost US$999.99. The crux was, however, that the developer was totally upfront about what you got for the price and apparently there still were douchebags around forking over the cash to buy "status". Apple yanked the app due to the publicity. Which I thought was wrong. It didn't violate any App store rules and it was honest and up front in the description of the app. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich
- TazeTSchnitzel 3y ago
  I suspect they might actually have yanked it due to the high rate of refund requests and chargebacks. Not the developer's fault, but not something Apple want to have to deal with.
- vcg3rd 3y ago
  I usually go with stupid before malevolent, but is this a possible way to launder money? Just have a really hard time believing people are that stupid.
  - doublerabbit 3y ago
    I just buy domain names on the whim, personally I see them as monopoly cards. Own a .org, .net and .com of the same URL and your a winner. Yearly renewal is around €2k and I only use eight :/
  - margorczynski 3y ago
    How would you launder money with this approach? The amount of downloads/purchases is verifiable as the whole flow of money from buyer to seller. If I sell it 10 times (10 downloads and 10 wire transactions that cover them) how do I put the unaccounted money into the system?
    - JimDabell 3y ago
      Buy App Store gift cards for cash.

by SSNLF 3y ago

Apps must not have unreasonably high prices. The price $10 is too high. Yet a Nigerian scammer continues offering an app for $300, even after an employee reports it.

Crosseye_Jack 3y ago

TBF. losing $300 to a Nigerian scammer is pretty cheap (when compared to other scams out there) :-P EDIT: however, you should be allowed to set the pricing of your app however you like.

thih9 3y ago
> you should be allowed to set the pricing of your app however you like. What about being allowed to curate apps in your app store however you like?
- Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
  Sure, but it doesn't seem like they are rejecting the app because of its functionality or quality, but the price point. Software that serves a niche isn't going to get the mass downloads required to fund the development a low price point per sale requires. There is a use case for apps costing more than $10. The Samsung store allows for in-app subscriptions, at 2 bucks a month the app is going to cost the user more than $10 over the span of a year, heck even over the course of 6 months. But yeah, if Samsung doesn't like it, I say screw 'em and just put it on the Play Store instead.

ppetty 3y ago

Prices just have to be consistent so as long as most scams stay in that price range? But would love to see that rejection: “This scam is underachieving and will be blocked until the price exceeds $300.”

CaptainZapp 3y ago

Well, there's the I Am Rich app[0], which essentially did nothing and cost US$999.99. The crux was, however, that the developer was totally upfront about what you got for the price and apparently there still were douchebags around forking over the cash to buy "status". Apple yanked the app due to the publicity. Which I thought was wrong. It didn't violate any App store rules and it was honest and up front in the description of the app. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich

TazeTSchnitzel 3y ago
I suspect they might actually have yanked it due to the high rate of refund requests and chargebacks. Not the developer's fault, but not something Apple want to have to deal with.
vcg3rd 3y ago
I usually go with stupid before malevolent, but is this a possible way to launder money? Just have a really hard time believing people are that stupid.
- doublerabbit 3y ago
  I just buy domain names on the whim, personally I see them as monopoly cards. Own a .org, .net and .com of the same URL and your a winner. Yearly renewal is around €2k and I only use eight :/
- margorczynski 3y ago
  How would you launder money with this approach? The amount of downloads/purchases is verifiable as the whole flow of money from buyer to seller. If I sell it 10 times (10 downloads and 10 wire transactions that cover them) how do I put the unaccounted money into the system?
  - JimDabell 3y ago
    Buy App Store gift cards for cash.