> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.launchmystore.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Development stores and store transfer

> Build a complete store for a client before they have an account, work in it behind a password page, then transfer it to them: they set a password, their trial starts, and you earn on every payment.

A **development store** is a store a partner creates for a client who is not
on LaunchMyStore yet. It is free, it never expires, and its storefront sits
behind a password page until launch. When the store is ready, the partner
transfers it: the client sets a password, becomes the owner, starts a 7-day
trial and picks a plan when they are ready. The partner keeps collaborator
access and earns **20% of every plan payment** the store makes.

<Tip>
  Step-by-step guide in the Help Center:
  [Build a store for a client and transfer it to them](https://launchmystore.help.center/article/1168-build-a-store-for-a-client-and-transfer-it).
</Tip>

## Lifecycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create">
    **Affiliates → Stores → Create development store**, with a name and the
    client's country. The store gets a `*.launchmystore.io` address, the
    standard store defaults (sample catalogue, menus, checkout settings) and a
    random **storefront password**. A partner can hold up to 10 development
    stores at once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build">
    **Open store** starts a collaborator session into it (the same scoped
    session as [client store access](/partners/client-store-access), so plan,
    billing, payment gateways and staff stay closed). Everything else works:
    products, theme and theme editor, pages, menus, shipping, taxes, checkout
    settings, free apps.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preview">
    Visitors see an **Opening soon** page with a password field. The password
    is shown on the Stores tab and can be regenerated, which signs out
    everyone who used the old one. The theme editor preview is never locked
    out.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Transfer">
    **Transfer** sends a one-time link (valid 14 days) to the client's email.
    The email must not already have a LaunchMyStore account. One transfer can be
    pending per store; it can be cancelled and resent. The link is also returned
    to the partner in case the email does not arrive.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Accept">
    The client opens the link, enters a name and a password, and is signed in
    as the owner. From that moment the store is theirs: their email, their
    password, their billing. Its 7-day trial starts, the password page comes
    off, the partner is recorded as the referrer, and the partner's
    collaborator access stays until the owner removes it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What a development store is, technically

| Property | While in development | After transfer |
| - | - | - |
| Owner email / password | none; only partner sessions can open it | the client's |
| Plan | free trial with no end date (never expires) | 7-day trial from acceptance, then the plan the client picks |
| Storefront | password page for every path, including sections | open |
| Partner access | collaborator session, origin `build`, no approval needed | kept; the owner can revoke it |
| Referrer of record | — | the partner, so every plan payment earns 20% |
| First payment | — | 10% off, applied automatically when paid by card |

## Rules

* A transfer goes to a **new** email only. For a client who already owns a
  store, use [client store access](/partners/client-store-access) instead.
* Real transactions are not meant to run on a development store: it is
  password-protected and payment gateways cannot be configured from the
  partner session.
* A development store that was never transferred can be deleted by the partner.
  A transferred store belongs to its owner.
* Team members need the **Stores** permission to create, open, transfer or
  delete development stores — see [Team](/partners/team).

## Storefront password page

The page is served by the storefront for every store path while the store is
locked, with `Cache-Control: no-store`, and section requests answer `401`. A
correct password sets an HttpOnly cookie that is bound to the current
password, so it stops working when the password changes or the store opens.


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