Answers

How long should the seller's handover period be when buying a website?

Short answer: For most small content sites, two to four weeks of seller support after the last asset moves is a fair starting point. Allow 60 to 90 days for a SaaS, a store with suppliers or a business the owner runs day to day. Write down the hours, response time and scope, and tie part of the price to completion.

Updated 25 October 2026 · Figures checked against their sources on 25 October 2026 · By Joan Murphy (pen name) · How we check · Corrections

What does a handover period cover?

The handover (or transition) period is the time after closing when the seller is still obliged to help. It has two jobs. The first is mechanical: moving the domain, hosting, code, payment processor, email list, ad and affiliate accounts, and any supplier or sponsor relationships into your name. The second is knowledge: how the business really runs, which tasks happen weekly or monthly, which tools are paid for where, and who to call when something breaks. Most handover problems come from the second job, because nobody wrote it down.

How long is reasonable for each type of business?

These are our rules of thumb for businesses priced roughly $10k to $150k, not market data. The longer end applies when the seller works more hours, or when an outside party has to approve a transfer.

Content or affiliate site: 2 to 4 weeks. Most of the work is account moves and a walk-through of the publishing routine.
Newsletter: 30 to 60 days, long enough to cover at least one full sponsor cycle and introduce you to repeat sponsors.
Ecommerce or Amazon FBA store: 60 to 90 days, long enough to place at least one reorder with each main supplier while the seller is still reachable.
Small SaaS or app: 60 to 90 days, including a code and infrastructure walk-through and at least one release or billing cycle with the seller on call.
Paid community or a business built on the owner's name: often 3 to 6 months, with the seller visible to members, and part of the price tied to retention. See how to buy a paid community.

If the listing says the owner works more than 10 hours a week, plan for the longer end, and read why owner hours matter.

What should the agreement say about it?

Start date: the day the last listed asset is in your name, not the day you sign. Otherwise slow transfers use up the support time.
Hours and response time: for example "up to 5 hours a week, replies within two working days", so neither side argues later about what "help" meant.
Channel: email, a shared chat channel or scheduled calls.
Scope: a list of tasks the seller will show you, documents they will write (passwords, supplier contacts, a monthly task list) and introductions they will make.
Extension: an hourly or weekly rate if you want more help afterwards.
Access removal: the date the seller's logins are removed and any personal accounts are disconnected.

How do you make sure the seller actually helps?

Tie money to it. A common approach is to hold back part of the price, through escrow or as a short seller note or earnout, and release it when every account has moved and the handover tasks are done. Keep the condition objective, such as "all listed accounts transferred and the task list delivered", rather than "buyer is satisfied". Write it into the letter of intent from the start; it is harder to add later. See what to include in an LOI.

Is a longer handover always better?

No. A long, vague handover keeps you dependent on the seller and delays the moment you find out whether you can run the business alone. A short, specific one with a written task list, then a paid extension if needed, usually works better. If you cannot picture running the business without the seller after 90 days, the price should reflect that, because some of the profit is the seller's own work. The true payback calculator lets you price in paying someone for those hours.

Before you agree a handover, paste the listing into the free red-flag checker to see which flags (owner hours, platform dependence, a young site) should change its length.

Frequently asked questions

Should I pay extra for the handover?

A basic handover is normally part of the price. Pay extra only for support beyond what the agreement covers, at a rate agreed before closing.

What if the seller stops answering during the handover?

That is what a holdback is for. If money is still held when the seller goes quiet, you have leverage; if everything was paid at closing, you mostly have a legal claim.

Does the handover period include a non-compete?

No, they are separate clauses. The non-compete usually runs longer than the handover (the composite example in our LOI answer uses 12 months) and covers starting a rival business or approaching the same customers.

Sources

FirstPass Memo, red-flag checker rules, our own rules, published as /rules.json
FirstPass Memo, free buyer calculators, our own calculators; the formulas are on each page

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Composite examples are invented and labelled. Figures from other sites are quoted with a link and the date we read them; FirstPass figures are asking prices and seller-stated profit, not sale prices. Informational screening only, not investment, legal or tax advice.