How to Sell Your Apps and Tours: A Complete Setup Guide

Ever dreamed of turning your app development skills into a steady revenue stream? Selling your apps or offering in-app purchases can transform your passion project into a profitable business. Before you can start collecting payments, however, you'll need to properly configure your accounts on both major platforms.

App Store Connect Setup Process

Apple's ecosystem requires specific financial details before you can start selling apps or implementing in-app purchases. The process involves several important steps within App Store Connect.

1. Log in to App Store Connect using your developer account credentials

2. Navigate to the "Agreements, Tax, and Banking" section from the main dashboard

3. Locate and click on "Set Up Tax and Banking" to begin the configuration process

4. Complete the required tax forms based on your country of residence

• U.S. developers typically complete a W-9 form

• International developers usually need to provide a W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or W-8ECI form

5. Enter your banking details to receive payments

• Ensure your bank account supports receiving international transfers if you're outside the U.S.

• Verify all account numbers and routing information carefully before submission

6. Submit your information for review and verification

Apple reviews all tax and banking information before approval, which can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. You'll receive confirmation once your account is ready to process transactions.

Google Play Store Setup Process

To sell paid apps and in-app purchases on Google Play, you need to set up a profile in the Google payments center. After you create a payments center profile, it's automatically linked to your Play Console. You can then manage app sales, view sales reports, receive payments from sales, and more in your Play Console.

To link your Play Console to a payments profile:

1. Sign in to your Play Console.
   
2. Go to the Payments settings page (Settings >> Payments profile).
3. Click Create payments profile. Make sure to have your business info available to set up your payments profile.
4. Under "Payments profile," click the down arrow and select Create payments profile.
5. Name and address: 
   1. Enter the legal name of your business as you want it to appear on your payments profile. This info is shown to your customers and on your receipts. 
   2. Provide your legal business address as it appears on official documents. Later, you'll need to make sure that your bank account is registered in the same country listed in your payments profile. Learn more about bank account requirements.
6. Primary contact: Enter the name of an authorized representative for your company who Google can contact if we have questions about your payments profile. Provide an email address and a phone number (optional).
7. Enter the following public business information, or choose to match your public merchant profile and payments profile information:
   • Enter your business website.
   • Select the category of products that you sell.
   • Your customer support email.
   • The business or product name that'll appear on your users' credit card statements
   • Tip: To help customers remember what they purchased and keep chargebacks to a minimum for you, use an appropriate credit card statement name.
8. When you finish, click Submit.

Tip: You can't change your business location country but you can change your public merchant and payments profiles later.

After you've set up your payment profile, make sure your apps are sold using the proper tax for your location.

If you aren't located in any of the supported locations for merchants and don't own the required bank account for receiving payments, Google may not be able to pay for the sales in that account by any other means.

If you've previously set up a payments profile or Merchant Center account, it's already linked to your Play Console.

Important Considerations for Global App Sales

Selling apps globally introduces several additional considerations that can impact your business strategy and revenue potential.

Tax Implications

Different countries have varying tax requirements for digital products. Both Apple and Google handle most of the tax collection and remittance processes, but you should understand:

• Value-Added Tax (VAT) in European countries

• Goods and Services Tax (GST) in countries like Australia and Canada

• Sales tax in applicable U.S. states

• Withholding taxes on international earnings

Consulting with a tax professional who specializes in digital products can help ensure you're meeting all requirements and optimizing your tax strategy.

Payment Processing Timeframes

Understanding when you'll receive payments helps with financial planning:

• Apple typically processes payments within 45 days of the month's end

• Google Play payments generally processes within 15 days after the month ends

• Both platforms have minimum payment thresholds before releasing funds

These timeframes mean you should expect a delay between sales and receiving revenue, which is important to factor into your business planning.

Supported Countries and Currencies

Not all countries have equal access to selling on these platforms:

• Apple supports merchant accounts in approximately 175 countries

• Google Play allows merchants from about 145 countries

• Some regions have restrictions on certain types of apps or payment models