The store name is part of the account identity, not a nickname
The developer name users see on Google Play comes from the developer profile in Play Console. A personal account goes through identity verification, and the public name is usually tied to the verified identity. How often it can be changed, and whether a change triggers re-verification, depends on what Play Console says at the time. So the first question when buying is not whether the account logs in, but whether you are willing to keep that name on every app you publish. If the original registrant used a real personal name, it will sit next to your apps, and rebranding later may not be straightforward.
The payments profile decides who gets paid, and a working login does not fix that
For free apps, the payments profile matters little. Once you sell paid apps, in-app items or subscriptions, the legal name, address, tax details and bank account in the payments profile decide who receives the money and whose name appears for accounting and tax. Confirm three things: the profile exists and is in good standing, the name on it matches a bank account you can actually provide, and you know who holds that bank account. If the seller hands over only login access while the payments profile stays theirs, you have a storefront, not a payout channel.
Liability follows the account holder, and a private agreement does not bind the platform
The developer distribution agreement is accepted by the account holder. Policy violations, takedowns, restrictions or termination are applied to that account and its holder. Any written agreement between you and the seller applies only between the two of you, not to Google. Separate the questions: whether the account has past warnings or removals, who maintains the privacy policy and handles user data, who responds to refunds and complaints, and who bears the loss if the account is restricted. Whether and how the holder details can be changed is decided by Google's current rules, not by a seller's verbal assurance.
For an account with existing apps, check the name, privacy policy and package together
If you want an account that comes with apps, look at the package names, whether Play App Signing is enabled, the Data safety form, the entity named in the privacy policy link, and the contact email. If these do not line up with the store name and the payments entity, review or user complaints tend to raise follow-up questions. Ratings, reviews and install history stay with the developer account. That is value, but it also means inheriting the history, including bad reviews and past policy records.
A simple rule: proceed only if three items match, otherwise change the plan
Proceed only when the public name, the payments entity and the real payee line up, and you can independently control the login email, recovery options and two-step verification. Pause or switch plans if the seller cannot state the current store name and payments profile status, if payouts can only go to the seller's bank account, or if you need a company brand as the public developer while the account is a personal type. The last case usually points to an organization account, where the entity and the brand can match. Registration requirements and fees follow Google's pages at the time.