Is it safe to sell an app to someone I found online?

It is, if you check who they are, keep detailed numbers behind an NDA, and don’t start the transfer until the full price is in a reputable escrow service you opened yourself. The buyer’s promise is never the safeguard; escrow is.

Should I give the buyer my developer account login?

No. Apps move through Apple’s or Google’s official app transfer, which never needs your login. A buyer who asks for it is a red flag.

What is proof of funds in an app sale?

A document showing the buyer has the money, such as a bank statement or a bank letter, usually shared after an NDA on larger deals. It shows the deal is realistic; the money in escrow is what actually protects you.

Who pays the escrow fee?

It depends on the agreement; it’s often split. When you sell to me, I pay it.

What happens if the buyer disappears after I transfer the app?

If the money was in escrow before the transfer, the escrow service’s process decides what happens, not the buyer’s goodwill. That’s why the order matters: money secured first, then the app.

Is It Safe to Sell My App to a Private Buyer?

What can actually go wrong?

Four things, and each has a known fix:

Risk	What it looks like	What prevents it
You don’t get paid	The app is transferred, the money never arrives	The full price in escrow before you start the transfer
You get paid less than agreed	Instalments that stop, an earn-out that never pays out	Full payment at closing, written in the agreement
Your numbers leak	Revenue, keywords or the app name passed on to others	An NDA before detailed numbers; share the name only when you choose
The buyer isn’t who they say	A fake identity, a fake escrow site, a login request	Checking who they are, opening escrow yourself, never sharing account logins

A deal that falls through is annoying but not unsafe: if nothing has moved yet, you lose time, not the app. Why deals stall, and how to avoid it, is in why app deals fall through.

Where is the risk at each step?

First message. Almost none. Share the numbers a buyer needs to judge the app, keep the name and screenshots for later if you like. What to send is in what to send to buyers.
Detailed numbers. Your data is the risk here. Ask for an NDA before App Store Connect screenshots, keyword data or code.
Offer and agreement. The terms are the risk: how much is paid at closing, what has to happen first, what you promise after the sale. Read the app purchase agreement before you sign.
Handover. The biggest risk, and the one escrow solves: the app and the money must not move on trust.
After closing. Small. Agree how long you’ll answer questions after the transfer, and that’s it.

How do I check that a buyer is real?

A real name and a history you can look up: a LinkedIn profile, apps they’ve built or bought, a website that has been around for more than a month.
A company behind the deal for anything but the smallest sale, named in the purchase agreement and listed in a public company register you can check.
A video call. Twenty minutes on camera tells you more than a week of email. A serious buyer agrees without being pushed.
Someone who sold to them, once talks are serious. A buyer with past deals can usually put you in touch with a founder who sold to them.
Questions about the app, not only about the price. A buyer who asks nothing about users, traffic or code isn’t planning to run it.

How do I check that a buyer can pay?

Two ways, and the second one is the one that counts:

Proof of funds before you share everything. For a larger deal, it’s fair to ask for it after an NDA: a bank statement or a letter showing the buyer has the money. It tells you the deal is realistic before you spend weeks on it.
The money in escrow before you move the app. This is the real proof. When the escrow service confirms the full price is deposited, you know you’ll be paid; until then, nothing leaves your account.

Be careful with offers that depend on money arriving later: instalments, an earn-out tied to the app’s revenue after the sale, or “we’ll pay once our funding closes”. They can be fine, but they’re a promise, not a payment.

In what order should money and app move?

You and the buyer sign the purchase agreement.
The buyer deposits the full price with a reputable escrow service. Open the escrow site yourself, never through a link the buyer sends.
The escrow service confirms the funds are secured.
You start Apple’s official App Store transfer (or Google Play’s) and hand over the code and assets.
The buyer confirms they received everything.
The escrow service releases the money to you.

That is the order Escrow.com describes for every transaction: the buyer pays in, the seller delivers, the buyer accepts, and only then are the funds released. Your developer account login is never part of this. The app moves on its own, and your account and other apps stay yours; see how an App Store transfer works. The escrow side, with fees and timing, is in app sale escrow.

What are the red flags?

They ask for your developer account login.
They want the transfer before the money is in escrow.
They suggest an escrow website you’ve never heard of.
They “overpay” and ask you to refund the difference.
They push for speed but ask nothing about the app.
They have no name, no history and no public profile.
They say the money will come after you sign: “once our funding closes”, “when my investor confirms”.

Any one of these is reason enough to stop. More detail on each in how to avoid app-sale scams.

Is a marketplace safer than a private buyer?

The safety comes from the same things either way: escrow, a written agreement and the official transfer. Marketplaces build some of that into their process; with a private buyer you insist on it yourself, and a serious buyer agrees without discussion. What a marketplace adds is more buyers to screen, a listing many of them can see, and fees of about 3–15% on the price. A private sale with escrow is just as safe, more private, and leaves the whole price with you. The routes side by side: where to sell your app.

How do I handle each point?

This is how a sale to me works, point by point:

Who I am: Samet Teke, 6 years building apps, 20+ apps published. Acquisitions are made through my company, AppsHub Limited, registered in England and Wales (company number 13835351). A video call whenever you want one. More in who you’d be selling to.
Can I pay: proof of funds after an NDA, and the full price in Escrow.com before you start the transfer. I pay the escrow fee.
How I pay: in full, in cash, at closing. No instalments, no earn-out, no holdback.
After the sale: a narrow non-compete and a few weeks of handover questions, nothing more.
Your numbers: never published or shown to other buyers, and I sign an NDA on request.
The paperwork: I prepare the purchase agreement; you only need to read it (and have a lawyer look at it if you like).
The transfer: Apple’s official App Store transfer; I never ask for your account login.
A reference: once talks are serious, I can put you in touch with a founder who sold to me.

I reply within 1 hour, and a deal typically closes about 14 days after the first message, everything included. Send me your app.

Is it safe to sell my app to a private buyer?