App prices changes between Marketplace and Checkout

[admay]

Ok, this is weird and I can't find an explanation. There are a lot of apps in the Android Marketplace that advertise a price but when I select buy and accept the permissions the final amount is different. Usually a bit higher (eg 85p goes to 99p) but sometimes lower. I have seen two 85p apps where one goes to 84p and the other to 86p so it is not a processing charge or tax.

Why?

If not evident already I should add that this is in the UK.

Andrew

 

[RyanB]

My guess would be that the Market is giving you an approximation of the rate of exchange for purchasing apps from developers that don't live in your country. When you go to purchase, you get something closer to the actual cost

 

[Zebulon]

Yeah, the payments are direct to the developer/company, and not charged to Google the way that the iTunes app store is set up. Thus, the posted charges reflect an approximation of the exchange for the cost of the app.

In my experience, the cost usually goes down a bit when checking out. $2.99 apps will usually ring up for $2.64 or so.

 

[admay]

Yeah, the payments are direct to the developer/company, and not charged to Google the way that the iTunes app store is set up. Thus, the posted charges reflect an approximation of the exchange for the cost of the app.

In my experience, the cost usually goes down a bit when checking out. $2.99 apps will usually ring up for $2.64 or so.

Ahh. That would make sense. I have just looked at a string of apps at the same price and all from the same developer and all appear at the checkout at the same price.

It's kinda odd though there is no mention of this that I have found in the marketplace. Usually if you offer a product to overseas customers priced in a local currency it is the supplier who takes the hit or benefit in the currency conversion. Why make things difficult for the poor consumer?

Andrew