Claiming or transferring a domain in use

A domain or sender address can only be connected to one Sellerlane store at a time. If the one you want is already attached to a different store, you don’t get a hard error — you get an ownership claim: a structured way to prove you control the domain and move it to your store, with a fair response window for whoever holds it now.

This page covers the full claim flow from both sides. Everything happens on Settings → Domains (the screen titled Domains and email), on the Claims tab. For first-time domain setup that has no conflict, see Custom domains.

What a conflict looks like

When you try to connect a domain that is already in use, the Connect domain flow stops and shows an Already connected notice instead of adding the domain. The notice explains that the resource is attached to another store and, when a claim is possible, shows a Create ownership claim button.

Conflicts can appear for three kinds of resource:

Storefront domain — the apex or subdomain another store serves its storefront from.
Email domain — a domain another store has authenticated for branded sending.
Sender email — an exact address (like [email protected]) verified by another store.

Start a claim and add the DNS challenge

A claim proves you control the domain by asking you to publish a TXT record only the domain’s DNS operator could add.

Start the claim. The fastest way is to click Create ownership claim right on the Already connected notice — that raises the claim immediately for the exact resource and scope you were trying to connect, no further input needed. Otherwise, open Settings → Domains → Claims and click Create claim.
If you opened the Create ownership claim form from the Claims tab, enter the Resource (for example example.com) and choose a Scope — Storefront domain or Email domain — then continue. (Claims started from the conflict notice skip this form.)
Submit. You’ll see “Claim created. Add the TXT record to verify control.” The new claim appears on the Claims tab with status Pending Verification.
Open the claim’s Challenge column (or the DNS records tab) to see the TXT record — its type, name, and value. Copy each with the inline copy button.
At your DNS provider, add a TXT record with the exact name and value shown. Save it.
Sellerlane checks for the record automatically. To re-check immediately, open the claim’s Actions menu and choose Refresh verification.

The challenge name uses a dedicated platform-prefixed label on your domain, so it won’t collide with other records. A claim allows up to 20 verification checks and stays open for 7 days by default — publish the TXT record well before it expires.

Verification and the response window

Once Sellerlane reads your TXT record, the claim moves to Verified, and what happens next depends on whether the domain is currently held by another store:

Nobody holds it (the conflict was a stale or partial record) — the claim is approved and the domain connects to your store.
Another store holds it — the current owner is notified and the claim moves to Pending Current Owner Response. They get a response window (default 3 days) to react before the transfer can proceed.

You can watch progress from the Claims tab. The Deadline column shows the current owner’s response deadline while one is open, otherwise the claim’s overall expiry. You don’t need to do anything during the response window — just wait for the owner to respond or the window to lapse.

If a claim is raised against your store

If someone claims a domain your store currently holds, the claim appears on your Claims tab too, marked Against My Account, and you’re notified that a response is required. Open its Actions menu and choose one of three responses before the deadline:

Reverify control — keep the domain. You’re given a fresh TXT challenge to re-prove control; publishing it resets the response window and blocks the transfer. You can re-verify more than once, but there’s an absolute ceiling: after roughly two response windows of repeated re-verification, the claim escalates to manual review rather than stalling forever.
Accept transfer — release the domain. The claim is approved and the transfer is queued immediately.
Request manual review — hand the dispute to Sellerlane staff (see below).

What transfers with the domain

A claim can carry more than the single name you entered. When you claim an apex storefront domain (like example.com) or an email domain, child resources move with the parent in inherited-only mode — so the subdomains served under that apex (for example shop.example.com) transfer with the domain when the claim is approved. A claim for a single subdomain moves only that one hostname.

This matters most if you’re the current owner deciding how to respond: accepting a transfer for an apex you hold releases the subdomains served beneath it too, not just the bare domain. If only part of a domain should move, request manual review instead so staff can sort out exactly which hostnames change hands.

Cancel a claim and what manual review means

Cancel a claim you started. If you created a claim and no longer need it, open its Actions menu and choose Cancel claim. You can cancel any time before it’s approved or transferred. Canceling also releases the current owner’s grant from the temporary disputed state right away, so their storefront and email recover immediately instead of waiting for the hourly reconciler.

Manual review. A claim moves to Manual Review when the current owner requests it, or when re-verification runs out of room. A staff member then resolves the dispute — approving, rejecting, or escalating it — outside the automatic flow. While a claim is in manual review, neither side can force it through; you’ll be notified of the outcome. The claim’s status badge and message tell you whether staff review is pending.

Claim statuses at a glance

Status	What it means
Pending Verification	Add the TXT challenge record to prove control.
Verification Failed	The TXT record couldn’t be read; fix it and refresh.
Verified	Control is proven; awaiting next step.
Pending Current Owner Response	The current holder has the response window to act.
Manual Review	A Sellerlane staff member is resolving the dispute.
Approved	The claim won; the transfer is queued.
Transferred	The domain has moved to the claimant’s store.
Rejected / Expired / Canceled	The claim ended without a transfer.

Troubleshooting

No “Create ownership claim” button on the conflict. The resource isn’t claimable through self-serve — most often an exact sender email. Contact support.
Claim stuck on Pending Verification. The TXT record hasn’t been seen yet. Confirm name and value exactly, wait for propagation, then Refresh verification.
The domain you want still isn’t connecting after approval. Transfers are queued and processed in the background; give it a few minutes, then check the Activity tab for the transfer event.
You released a domain by mistake. Once a claim is Approved or Transferred it can’t be canceled — start a fresh claim from the new holder’s side, or contact support.

Next steps

Custom domains

Connect, verify, and set a primary storefront domain — the normal, no-conflict path. Custom domains

Email & deliverability

Authenticate a sending domain with DKIM, SPF, and DMARC for branded email. Emails

DNS troubleshooting

Fix records that won’t verify and diagnose deliverability problems. DNS and deliverability