To start a dress hire business in the United Kingdom, you need a collection, a Shopify store that can take date-based bookings, and clear rules for deposits, cleaning, delivery or collection, and returns. Dress Hire Websites is an Australian-based Shopify Partner, and we build these stores for UK businesses as well as stores worldwide. The Complete Website Package with The Dress Rental App set up is $550 AUD as a one-off build fee.
Set up the store
Shopify hosts the website and checkout. Date-based availability, refundable deposits or bonds, and try-ons are handled by The Dress Rental App, which is installed and set up in the package. Standard builds take 20 business days. Fast turnaround is 5 business days for an extra $149 AUD, which does not include revisions. The package fee is paid upfront in AUD. Afterpay and Zip Pay are available through Stripe.
Shopify subscription pricing in the United Kingdom is billed separately by Shopify, usually in pounds, and can change. Confirm current plan and payment rates on Shopify's UK pricing page. Shopify includes a free yourbusiness.myshopify.com address. A custom domain is optional.
The Dress Rental App's Big Business plan, valued at $54.99 USD per month, is free for the life of your store as a founding member offer for our first 100 customers. After that, the Big Business plan is A$15.00 AUD per month for package customers.
Optional add-ons are a Fully Custom Website Build + Mockup for $1,000 AUD (combined total $1,550) and a Vendor Consignment Build for $1,395 AUD (combined total $1,945). Monthly care plans are $49 or $89 AUD and can be cancelled at any time.
Delivery, collection and returns
UK hire businesses often use Royal Mail or another tracked courier, a studio collection, or both. Plan when the garment is sent, when the customer needs it, and when it must be back so you can check it and clean it. Give a prepaid or clearly explained return method, and allow time for transit as well as cleaning.
Deposits, cleaning and pricing
A refundable deposit or bond is a practical way to cover damage, loss or a late return. Set the amount and the conditions in your terms, and release it when the garment comes back as agreed. The Dress Rental App can take hire bookings and refundable bonds on the same website.
Say whether cleaning is included in the hire price or added as a fee. Price each hire with the garment cost, expected number of hires, cleaning, postage, platform fees and your time in mind.
Local requirements
Check local requirements for registering a business, collecting VAT where it applies, and following UK consumer rules for online orders, cancellations and returns. We can help you put terms and conditions pages on the website. We cannot give legal or tax advice.