Pro Shop
Pro Shop turns your Kingpin storefront into a fully branded shop. Connect a domain you own, switch on premium themes, add custom pages and CSS, schedule drops, and see better analytics — all without leaving Kingpin checkout, payments, and buyer protection behind.
What Is Pro Shop
Every Kingpin seller starts on the free Starter plan with a Kingpin-hosted shopfront. Pro Shop is a paid upgrade for shop owners who want their storefront to look and feel like their own brand while staying on Kingpin's trusted commerce rails.
Starter
- Kingpin-hosted shopfront
- Basic storefront profile
- Basic drops and listings
- Standard Kingpin checkout
Pro Shop
This guide- Everything in Starter
- Custom domains
- Advanced storefront customization
- Premium themes
Studio
- Everything in Pro Shop
- AI theme assistant
- Advanced launch controls
- Bigger catalog limits
Where to upgrade: open Shop Designer → Plans to compare plans and start Pro Shop. Prices and billing options are confirmed at checkout before anything is charged.
Connect a Custom Domain
The headline Pro Shop feature: point a domain you own — like www.yourbrand.com — at your Kingpin shop so shoppers reach you at your own web address. Custom domains require an active Pro Shop or Studio plan, and are managed by the shop owner in Shop Designer.
Domains you can connect
You can connect three shapes of hostname. A www or subdomain is the simplest to set up and is the recommended path.
Recommended. One simple CNAME record.
Great for a focused shop address. One CNAME record.
Supported, but root domains vary by DNS provider.
How connecting a domain works
Enter your domain
In Shop Designer → Domains, type a domain you own and select Add domain. Kingpin validates the hostname and starts provisioning it.
Add the DNS records Kingpin shows you
Kingpin displays the exact DNS records to add at your domain provider. Copy them across as shown — a CNAME for www or a subdomain, an A record (or ALIAS/ANAME) for a root domain, plus a one-time ownership record when required.
Verify
Select Verify. Kingpin re-checks domain ownership, that DNS is pointing correctly, and that a secure certificate can be issued. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so a first check may still show as pending.
Active
Once ownership is confirmed and DNS is configured, the domain flips to Active, an HTTPS certificate is issued automatically, and visiting your domain takes shoppers to your shop.
DNS records at a glance
Kingpin always shows the exact records for your specific domain in Shop Designer. This is what they look like:
| For | Type | Name / Host | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| www / subdomain | CNAME | www (or your subdomain label) | shops.kingpinmarket.com |
| Apex / root | A | @ | the address shown in Shop Designer |
| Ownership check (when shown) | TXT | shown in Shop Designer | the one-time value shown in Shop Designer |
Root domains vary by provider. If your DNS host does not support a bare A record on the root, use its ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME-flattening option — or simply forward the root to your www address and connect the www domain instead.
What each status means
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verifying ownership | Add the records shown, then verify — Kingpin is waiting to confirm you own the domain. |
| Pending DNS | Ownership is confirmed, but the records are not pointing correctly yet. Give DNS time to propagate. |
| Issuing certificate | Almost there — the secure HTTPS certificate is being issued. |
| Active | Verified and serving. The domain now routes visitors to your shop. |
| Needs attention | Provisioning didn't complete. Re-check the DNS records and verify again. |
| Suspended | Paused because the shop's Pro Shop or Studio plan is not active. Reactivate the plan to serve it again. |
It keeps checking for you
You don't have to sit on the Verify button. Kingpin re-checks pending domains in the background and activates them automatically once DNS is ready.
One canonical shop
A verified custom domain forwards visitors to your canonical Kingpin shop page. Your shop stays in one place, so links, sharing, and search all point to the same storefront.
Provider step-by-steps
Need the exact clicks for your registrar? Follow the setup guide, which links out to GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Porkbun, and Squarespace walkthroughs.
Good to know:custom domains are managed by the shop owner, and Kingpin issues and renews the HTTPS certificate for you. A domain that is already connected to another shop can't be claimed twice.
What Pro Shop Unlocks
Beyond custom domains, Pro Shop opens up the storefront customization and growth tools in Shop Designer.
Custom domains
Connect a domain you own so shoppers reach you at your own web address.
Premium & advanced themes
Unlock premium storefront themes and advanced homepage sections for a richer, branded look.
Custom pages & CSS
Add up to 8 custom pages and fine-tune the look with your own CSS.
Integration code
Add your own integration snippets to connect the tools your shop already uses.
Scheduled product releases
Line up drops to go live automatically at the time you choose.
Better analytics
See how your storefront and drops are performing with richer analytics.
Announcement banners & hidden launcher
Run storefront announcement banners and hide the Kingpin launcher for a cleaner branded shop.
Advanced SEO
Tune advanced SEO settings so the right shoppers can find your shop.
A bigger catalog
List up to 50 products — up from 5 on Starter.
Plans Compared
A side-by-side look at what each plan includes. These values come straight from the plan the app enforces.
| Feature | StarterFree | Pro Shop$15.00/mo | Studio$30.00/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Premium / advanced themes | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Custom pages | 1 | 8 | 20 |
| Custom CSS | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Integration code | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Scheduled drops | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Analytics | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Advanced SEO | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Hide Kingpin launcher | Not included— | IncludedYes | IncludedYes |
| Products | 5 | 50 | 500 |
| AI theme assistant | Not included— | Not included— | IncludedYes |
Going Further with Studio
Studio includes everything in Pro Shop and adds top-tier tools for shops that are scaling. It's $30.00/mo (or $288.00/year).
AI theme assistant
Design and refine your storefront theme with an AI assistant built into the theme editor.
Advanced launch controls
More control over how and when your shop and drops go live.
Bigger catalog limits
Room for a much larger shop — up to 500 products and 20 custom pages.
Early access & priority support
Early access to new tools, plus priority support and placement options.
Fees & Payouts
Pro Shop and Studio are storefront subscriptions — they're separate from what you pay when an item sells.
On each sale, sellers pay one Kingpin transaction fee, calculated on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping. Kingpin covers card and Lightning processing out of that fee, so there is no separate processing deduction from your payout. Your subscription doesn't change how those selling fees work.
For the full breakdown — platform fee tiers by price and country, processing, Lightning, and payout timing — see the Fees & Payments guide.
FAQ
Do I need Pro Shop to sell on Kingpin?
No. You can sell on the free Starter plan with a Kingpin-hosted shopfront. Pro Shop adds branding, custom domains, and deeper customization on top.
Can I use my own domain on Starter?
No — custom domains require an active Pro Shop or Studio plan. On Starter, your shop lives at your Kingpin shop address.
How long does domain verification take?
It depends on your DNS provider. Changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. Kingpin keeps re-checking in the background and activates the domain automatically once it's ready.
What happens to my domain if my plan lapses?
The domain is paused (suspended) rather than deleted, and stops serving your shop until you reactivate Pro Shop or Studio. The connection is retained so no one else can claim it in the meantime.
Apex or www — which should I use?
A www or subdomain is simplest: it needs one CNAME record. Root (apex) domains work too, but some providers need an ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME-flattening option, or you can forward the root to your www address.
Ready to make it yours?
Upgrade to Pro Shop to connect your domain and unlock premium storefront tools — without leaving Kingpin's checkout, payments, and buyer protection.
Compare plans in Shop Designer