Apple took $44 from my $81 sales, and I’m actually HAPPY about it. Here is why. 🍎💸

Hey PH Family! 👋

Following up on my "deleted feature" post that went viral in the newsletter (thanks for the love! ❤️), I wanted to get brutally honest about the numbers.

I just hit $81.72 in total sales for OptiClear this week. But when I checked my "Proceeds" tab, I saw $37.42.

At first glance, seeing Apple and taxes take more than 50% of your hard work feels like a punch in the gut. 🥊 But as an indie maker from Türkiye, here is the "gossip" on why this is actually a win:

1️⃣ The "Global Tax" Fee: For $44, Apple handled the VAT in Ireland, sales tax in Australia, and secure payments in the US. I didn't have to hire a single accountant or lawyer to sell globally.

2️⃣ The Trust Factor: My first "Lifetime" sale came from Australia 🇦🇺. Would they have given $55 to a random website? Probably not. They gave it to the App Store.

3️⃣ Momentum is Currency: That 200% growth spike in my proceeds chart is worth more than the commission I paid.

But I have a question for the veterans here: At what point does it make sense to move to a web-based checkout (like Paddle or Stripe) to keep more of that "Proceeds" pie? Or is the "App Store Trust" always worth the 15-30% cut?

Let’s talk about the real cost of being an indie maker! 👇