What should I know about buying a store with an online shop attached?

Start with ownership. Websites, domains, marketplace accounts, social pages and payment accounts are often registered in a person’s name, sometimes a staff member’s or a former web designer’s. Ask for proof of who holds each login and how they can be moved to you, and ask for the transfer to be a condition of closing.

Then separate the numbers. Ask for sales, returns, shipping costs, advertising spend and fees for the online channel on their own lines. If the shop shares inventory with the store, find out how that is tracked and who packs orders. A site that quietly depends on the seller’s evenings may not run the same under you.

Finally, look at how customers reach it. Does traffic come from search, from paid ads, or from the store’s regulars? Paid traffic stops when spending stops. Ask what the seller would do differently, and whether the customer list may move to a new owner. Your lawyer can advise on that. Ask for a walk-through of a real order, from click to doorstep, so you see every step that someone has to do.

Key takeaways

• Confirm who owns the domain, accounts and logins before anything else.
• Ask for online sales, costs and returns reported separately.
• Find out how stock and packing are shared with the store.
• Check where customers come from, and what stops if advertising stops.