Selling Starlink? A Safe Hardware Ownership Transfer Checklist

Selling or handing a Starlink kit to someone else is different from moving your own service to a new address. The hardware, the subscription, the service address and the account login are separate things. Treat them separately and you are much less likely to leave your payment details attached, strand the buyer with an unusable kit or keep paying for service you no longer need.

This checklist is for a private sale or handover of one Starlink kit. Transfer eligibility, plan rules and menu labels can vary by country, hardware generation and account. Check Starlink's current hardware ownership transfer guidance before you promise a buyer that a transfer will succeed.

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First, decide what is actually being transferred

Write down exactly what the buyer will receive:

• Dish and stand or mount.
• Router and power supply.
• Starlink cable and any original adapters.
• Mounting hardware, cable clips or third-party accessories.
• The kit's model or serial information, kept private until it is needed for the official transfer.

Do not describe the sale as including your Starlink account. Your account email, password, two-factor authentication, saved payment method, support history and other subscriptions remain yours.

If a mount or cable is staying on the building, say so clearly before the sale. A buyer should not discover later that the kit is missing a part needed for a safe installation.

Check transfer eligibility before taking payment

Before listing the kit as ready to use:

1. Open Starlink's current ownership-transfer guidance and read the conditions for your region.
2. Confirm which physical kit and subscription are involved if your account has more than one.
3. Check whether the buyer will activate the kit in the same country or across a country boundary.
4. Make clear that the buyer must have an eligible service plan and address; a transferred dish does not guarantee availability, price or a particular plan.
5. Agree in writing on what happens if the official transfer or activation cannot be completed.

Do not assume that cancelling your subscription, changing the service address or handing over your login transfers ownership. A service-address change is for moving your own service. Use the separate transfer process for a sale or handover.

Protect your account and payment details

Keep your account under your control until the official transfer step has been accepted:

• Never give the buyer your Starlink password, email access or two-factor authentication codes.
• Do not remove a saved payment method until you have checked whether another service line still uses it.
• Do not send screenshots showing your full email address, payment details or support identifiers.
• Do not delete your account just because the hardware has left your home.
• If you use a third-party router, record its settings separately; they are not part of the Starlink account transfer.

Use the official account or support flow for the transfer, and send only the kit details the buyer needs through a private channel.

Complete the official transfer

Starlink's account screens can change, so use the current instructions linked above rather than relying on an old menu path. The safe order is:

1. Identify the correct kit and read the transfer conditions.
2. Submit the transfer through the official account or support flow.
3. Keep the transfer confirmation and any reference number.
4. Give the buyer the information needed to locate the transferred kit in their own Starlink account.
5. Ask the buyer to confirm that the kit is visible or ready for activation before you close the handover.
6. Check your account for remaining service lines, pending charges and the transferred equipment.

The buyer should create or use their own Starlink account, review the plan and price shown for their address, and activate the transferred kit under that account. Do not advertise the kit as including free service unless the official account flow explicitly shows that a service offer is included.

Prepare the hardware for handover

Once the transfer instructions allow you to finish the physical handover:

1. Power the system down normally.
2. Disconnect power before moving cables or equipment.
3. Photograph the kit and accessories so both sides have a record of condition.
4. Pack the dish, router, power supply and cables so plugs cannot be bent or crushed.
5. Keep the original cable route and connector notes with the kit.
6. Do not remove a roof or wall mount in unsafe weather or without suitable equipment.
7. If the dish is professionally installed, tell the buyer what the installer did and which parts are staying in place.

Do not scrape, drill, bend or force connectors to make the kit fit a different mount. The buyer should check the hardware for damage before accepting it.

Let the buyer activate before you erase settings

A factory reset and a transfer are not the same thing. Resetting the router can remove the existing Wi-Fi setup, but it does not prove that the kit has moved to the buyer's account.

Unless Starlink's current instructions tell you otherwise:

• Finish the official ownership transfer first.
• Let the buyer confirm that the kit can be activated.
• Then follow the app's current reset or Wi-Fi setup instructions if a reset is needed.
• Never leave your old Wi-Fi password in place if the kit will be used by another household.

The buyer should connect the dish and router, open the Starlink app, confirm the kit and account, set a new Wi-Fi name and password, and test one phone or laptop before adding switches, mesh nodes or a third-party router.

If activation fails

Stop and collect evidence instead of repeating the same action:

• Save the exact error message and a screenshot.
• Confirm that the buyer is using the correct kit information.
• Check that the transfer was submitted for the correct physical kit.
• Recheck country, service address and plan eligibility.
• Do not create several overlapping transfer requests.
• Keep the sale record, transfer confirmation and photos of the serial or model information.
• Contact Starlink support through the account that can see the relevant transfer or activation issue.

If the buyer sees that the kit is still assigned to another account, the seller should check the transfer status. If the seller still sees an active service line or pending charge, review the account before removing payment details or closing the service.

Final seller and buyer checklist

• [ ] The kit, accessories and any retained mount are listed clearly.
• [ ] Transfer eligibility was checked before the sale.
• [ ] The seller kept all account credentials and payment details private.
• [ ] The official transfer was submitted for the correct kit.
• [ ] The buyer has their own Starlink account.
• [ ] The buyer checked service availability, plan and price for the intended address.
• [ ] The handover includes safe packing and a record of condition.
• [ ] The buyer confirmed activation before the seller closed the handover.
• [ ] The seller checked remaining service lines, charges and equipment.
• [ ] Any router reset or Wi-Fi change followed current Starlink instructions.

For a permanent move of your own kit, see Moving Starlink to a New Address? A Service-Location Checklist. That process changes your service location; it does not replace the ownership-transfer process.

Answers for your next step

• What should I check before buying a used Starlink dish?
• What account steps should I take before selling my Starlink kit?
• Why does Starlink activation say my device is already assigned to an account?