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By the way, it should be easy for Android users to locate websites where they can side-load the Flappy Bird APK file onto their device. Let me know in the comments below if you would be willing to pay $100,000 on eBay for me to come to your house and do that service.
Several eBay sellers I’ve spoken with have had their auctions removed from the online marketplace due to violations of eBay’s listing policies. In general, it is not acceptable to sell copyrightable content (such as an app) without the creator’s consent, in this case Dong Nguyen.
Though there have been a lot of headlines this week about smartphones running the now-banned Flappy Bird app selling for up to $100,000 on eBay, it’s unlikely that any of those transactions have actually occurred.
You can find the relevant eBay policy here, and below is part of an e-mail from eBay to one of the sellers in question, which I obtained:
So there it is. That seems to eliminate any possibility that folks are making six figures off their old phones with a really simplistic but addictive game installed. At least not on eBay. There does seem to be several Flappy Bird phones for sale by Amazon sellers, though — at least for now.
A sequel to Flappy Bird would most likely start at the top of the charts, with both new and returning users clamoring to get their hands on the app. Remember that the original still brings in $50,000 a day, or almost $20 million annually.
The list is endless, but consider the economics involved before you shake your head at how absurd it all seemsFlappy Bird was a free app, after all. Any reduction in supply will inevitably result in an increase in price. eBays (EBAY 1. a significant number of auctions (64%) will only result in higher prices in the secondary market.
Not many things have captured the attention of the Internet in 2014 like Flappy Bird. The two-dimensional, side-scrolling gameplay of the early 2000s Helicopter Game is combined with our undeniable fondness for adorable little birds in the mobile game TUAW, which we’ve dubbed a “digital drug” (there really isn’t a better term). But what really makes the game so addicting are its extreme difficulty right from the start (most players are content with a high score of 10) and its superb pacing.
It’s obvious that America was the source of the first demand shift, but if you’re wondering why, good luck figuring it out. Nguyen has acknowledged that he didn’t advertise the game in any way, and claims that he used bots to increase the app’s ranking and create fictitious traffic are still unproven. Flappy Bird might have just gone viral, and part of the excitement might have been caused by a lighthearted Twitter competition to share the most interesting, in-depth game review.
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