Selling a Shopify business: what needs to transfer?

Define the business being sold

Start with the brand and its commercial operation. Write down which products, stock, domains, trademarks, creative assets, supplier agreements and other rights are included. If more than one brand shares a store or company, identify what belongs to each before discussing a transfer.

Agree the proposed sale structure with the appropriate advisers. The store’s technical transfer and the legal transfer of a business are separate workstreams. They need to match the completion arrangements so neither party is left relying on informal access or assumptions.

Explain performance beyond the dashboard

Prepare consistent monthly sales, refunds, product margin and cost records. A store dashboard can explain order activity, but it does not capture every cost of the business. Reconcile the store data with payments and accounts, and make the treatment of tax, shipping and refunds clear.

Show the contribution of different channels and the cost of running them. Include apps, agency work, content production and founder time. A buyer should understand what must continue after the handover and what resources are needed to keep the store trading.

Check Shopify’s current ownership requirements

Shopify provides routes to change ownership to an existing user or transfer a store to a new owner. Only the store owner can initiate the ownership change. Use the current Help Center instructions for the store’s plan and circumstances rather than sharing the founder’s personal login.

Shopify’s guidance also identifies transfer considerations involving its financial products and payment information. Check outstanding Shopify Capital or Credit arrangements early, and contact Shopify Support where required. A custom domain also needs its own ownership transfer. Confirm those requirements before setting a completion date.

Source: Shopify: changing or transferring store ownership

Create a register of the other assets

List the systems that keep an order moving: fulfilment, inventory, customer support, email, analytics and advertising. For each, record the account owner, administrator, renewal date and provider’s transfer rules. Some arrangements may require a new account or supplier consent rather than a simple change of password.

Keep a separate record of image, video, copy, design and software rights. Knowing where a file is stored does not establish that the business owns it. Check contractor and licence arrangements, and make the handover of source files explicit.

Plan continuity for customers and open orders

Choose a handover plan that keeps support, dispatch and returns working. Record open orders, supplier commitments, gift cards, subscriptions and unresolved customer issues. Agree who handles each item across the completion date and how the parties will communicate if something goes wrong.

Treat customer-data handling as a separate planning question with your advisers. Agree what needs to be shared, how access will be controlled and how the post-sale business will manage its records. Avoid placing unrestricted customer exports in a general sale pack.

Check the first working day, not just the login

Agree acceptance checks before the handover: the right owner has access, a test order can be processed, notifications reach the right people and fulfilment and support can respond. Check the relevant provider requirements before changing payment settings.

Schedule practical training with the outgoing founder, including supplier ordering and exception handling. Set an end date and scope for support so both parties know what is included. A successful handover gives the new operator a functioning business and a clear record of outstanding actions.