This article answers a variety of common questions related to publishing on the Firefox Marketplace.
Account administration
How do I change my developer account information?
Go to the Firefox Marketplace, make sure you are signed in to your account, hover over the gear icon, and click Edit Account Settings.
How do I change my developer payment information?
Go to the Firefox Marketplace, make sure you are signed in to your account, hover over the gear icon, and click My Submissions. Find the app you want to change payment information for, and click Set Up Payments.
Where can I find reporting and reconciliation information for my sales?
In the Firefox Marketplace, click the "My Apps" link on the home page settings menu (the gear icon), and select the app you want to find data on.
How do I manage access to account information for multiple members of my team or company?
In the Firefox Marketplace, click the "My Apps" link on the home page settings menu (the gear icon), and select the app you want to change team details on.
Can I rename an app?
If you change the name of your app after the Marketplace has approved it, you will have to submit your app for approval again. See Updating apps for further details.
How do I access the Firefox Marketplace debug settings?
While logged in, go to the Firefox Marketplace, type ":debug" into the search form, and submit it.
This should bring you to the debug screen for your Marketplace account, where you can clear cookies and localStorage associated with the Marketplace site, submit logs, view settings and activity logs, and more.
How can I view apps I submitted in a region different to where I currently am?
If you have published an app in a region other than where you are currently located or have a SIM for, you can view it by:
- Going to the Firefox Marketplace debug settings (see previous question.)
- Selecting your desired region and/or carrier using the "Region Override" and "Carrier Override" select menus (these settings will update as soon as you make a selection.)
- Reloading the Marketplace.
You should try selecting the category your app resides in, to make sure the setting updates have had the desired effect.
App submission and review process
How can I submit a new app?
For a detailed guide, consult Submitting an app to the Firefox Marketplace.
What is the approval process?
See the Marketplace review criteria guide for a full list of the criteria used in our review process.
Is there an expedited review process? Are there different criteria for this?
Developers can request expedited reviews if they're trying to catch their own great opportunity, or if they need to release critical fixes. To do this, post to our group mozilla.appreview or join the #app-reviewers IRC channel on irc.mozilla.org and explain the situation. We'll do the best we can to accommodate expedited requests, but there's no guarantee that a reviewer will be able to meet any specific timeframe.
Note: Expedited reviews of your own apps is also one of the perks of contributing to the app review team. Anyone interested can apply for consideration using our Firefox app reviewer application form.
Do my apps need to comply with a content policy?
Yes. See the "Content" section in the Marketplace review criteria for details on Mozilla's content policy.
How do I submit an appeal for a rejected or removed app?
To appeal an app rejection, either reply to the rejection email (the footer of every Marketplace notice says you can reply to the email if you have questions or concerns) or come talk to us in the #app-reviewers IRC channel on irc.mozilla.org.
Payments
How do payments work in the Firefox Marketplace?
Mozilla offers several payment models, including paid apps, freemium apps, and in-app payments. For more information, read our Marketplace Payments guide.
What is the developer's revenue share?
Developers receive 70% of the pre-VAT and fee amount. For instance, if the US price is $.99 (Tier 10), the Euro price is €.89, and the VAT is 20% (based on a UK standard VAT rate), the pre-VAT price is €.74, which is around $.99 (sometimes the equivalent price tier may be higher and sometimes lower). Developers receive 70% of the €.74.
For more information on price tiers and pricing, read App pricing.
Does Mozilla take a share of the revenue?
Yes, to support the operation of the Firefox Marketplace and to improve our apps platform, as well as to cover the transaction fee associated with each purchase. Mozilla automatically receives a share from the 30% pre-VAT revenue, which is split between Mozilla, the mobile network operator, and the payment provider (e.g. Bango).
Do I have to use the Firefox Marketplace payments system?
The Firefox Marketplace payments system is required for paid downloads from the Firefox Marketplace. We don't require the Marketplace payments system for in-app purchases, but currently the only implementation of the navigator.mozPay() function (used for in-app purchases) is in Firefox OS, and it uses the Firefox Marketplace payments system. Eventually you will be able to use any payment system you choose for in-app payments.
What are the transaction fees associated with offering my app on the Firefox Marketplace?
30% of the pre-tax price. In other words, since the Marketplace tax-inclusive price tiers already have VAT built into the prices (where applicable), the VAT is taken out on settlement and the developer is given 70%.
Do I have to set a sales tax or VAT rate?
No. The Marketplace price tiers include VAT in areas that are "tax-inclusive." For sales tax, it is added to the bill by the payment provider.
How do I manage split payments?
The Firefox Marketplace cannot split payments at this time.
Can I submit a free app? Am I charged?
Yes, free apps are very welcome in the Firefox Marketplace. Mozilla does not take a share or charge for any free app downloads.
Can a paid app also have in-app payments?
Yes.
What is the chargeback process?
Chargebacks are refunds. They can be initiated by a mobile operator (cellular company) in the case of mobile billing, or by a credit card company, or by the payment provider (e.g. Bango). For mobile billing, the refund policy is up to the operator. Currently, none of them give refunds. Bango is the front line support for credit cards. For developers, any refunds are deducted from their earnings.
There is a refund policy in the Terms of Service and the Developer's Agreement. Generally, the Marketplace can't give refunds but can request that Bango give a refund. For operator billing the purchaser must ask the mobile operator and protest a charge to their bill.
How are fraudulent purchases handled?
TBD
How are multiple currencies handled on the Marketplace?
A price is shown in the default currency for the region that the user has selected. On payment, if in fact the user is not in the region they have set it to, they will be billed in their billing region (for their SIM) or based on their location. This is done to prevent scamming.
What is the payout schedule? How often will I be paid my portion of app sales?
This is up to the payment provider, which is currently Bango for all regions. Developers have a direct relationship with Bango, and will receive a self-billing invoice each month. The payout rates vary since the mobile operator must collect from the end user and remit these funds. It will vary by country. Most likely for credit cards, payment will happen quickly. For operator billing, it might take 30 to 90 days.
How do I process refunds?
See Refunds for more details.
Will the Firefox Marketplace allow for temporary sales or price changes?
We are planning to support price tier changes that would allow developers to set different prices for "trial" periods or "sales".
Can I sell Firefox add-ons too?
At this time, only apps can be sold in the Firefox Marketplace. We hope to make payments available to other types of content soon.
Technical questions
Who hosts the app?
You host all the files for your app on your own server. When you submit an app to the Firefox Marketplace, you provide the URL of your app's manifest file, which the Marketplace reads and verifies. You can upload icons, screenshots, etc. to promote the app on the Firefox Marketplace; see Submitting an app to the Firefox Marketplace for more details.
How can I launch the Marketplace from my app?
You can use Web Activities to launch the Marketplace from your website or app. The activities that the Marketplace supports are documented on Github.