Why screenshots aren’t enough
A screenshot of a dashboard, or a spreadsheet of monthly figures, can be edited in minutes. Neither proves anything. The goal is to see the figures yourself, at the source, and to trace them to cash in a bank account.
1. Get read-only access to every revenue source
Most platforms let an owner invite someone with limited permissions. Stripe has a view-only role, Google Analytics has a viewer role, Search Console lets owners add restricted users, and Shopify lets owners create staff accounts with limited permissions. None of these lets you change anything, so a legitimate seller has no reason to refuse.
Where a platform doesn’t offer limited access, ask for a live screen share. Have the seller log in while you watch, then ask them to click where you tell them. A pre-recorded video is no better than a screenshot.
2. Match payouts to bank statements
A dashboard shows what a platform says it paid. A bank statement shows what arrived. Pick three months yourself, ideally including one the seller wouldn’t expect, and match the payouts line by line. The seller can hide unrelated personal transactions, but the payouts themselves should be visible.
3. Look at the full history, month by month
Review at least 12 months, and 24 if the business has them. You’re looking for the pattern: steady, seasonal, growing or falling. Compare the dashboard figures with the seller’s P&L. They should match, allowing for the gap between when a sale is made and when it’s paid out.
Got a listing in front of you? Run its numbers through the free checker for a verdict, the red flags and a fair offer range.
4. Check refunds, chargebacks and reversals
Revenue that is later refunded, charged back or reversed by an affiliate programme isn’t really revenue. Look for these in the payment dashboard, and ask how many are still pending. Pending reversals can land after you’ve taken over.
5. Check that traffic and revenue tell the same story
Revenue should rise and fall with traffic. If income is steady while visitors are falling, or income jumped with no change in traffic, ask why. The honest answer might be a price rise or a new affiliate deal, and you should be able to see evidence of it.
6. Verify the costs too
Profit is revenue minus costs, and missing costs inflate profit just as effectively as fake revenue. Ask for invoices or receipts for every recurring cost, and check annual renewals such as domains, hosting and software licences.
If the seller won’t cooperate
Walk away. Read-only access costs the seller nothing and protects both sides. A seller who refuses it is either hiding something or will be difficult later, and you don’t want either.