To start a dress rental business in the United States, you need a collection, a Shopify store that can take date-based bookings, and clear rules for deposits, cleaning, shipping or pickup, and returns. In Australia and other markets this is often called dress hire. Dress Hire Websites is an Australian-based Shopify Partner, and we build these stores for businesses in the United States and 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. Afterpay and Zip Pay are available through Stripe for the package fee, which is paid upfront in AUD.
Shopify subscription pricing in the United States is billed separately by Shopify, in US dollars, and can change. Confirm current plan and card-processing rates on Shopify's pricing page. Shopify includes a free yourbusiness.myshopify.com address. A custom domain is optional and is paid to your domain provider.
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 website 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.
Shipping, pickup and returns
US rental businesses often use USPS, UPS, FedEx or a studio pickup. Plan the outbound delivery so the dress arrives before the event, and set a clear return-by date with a tracked return label or an equally clear return method. Build in time to inspect and clean the garment before the next booking, including time in transit.
Deposits, cleaning and pricing
A refundable deposit, or a card authorisation, is a common way to cover damage, loss or a late return. Write the amount and the conditions in your terms, and release it when the garment comes back as agreed. The Dress Rental App can take rental bookings and refundable bonds on the same website.
Say whether cleaning is included or added as a fee. Price each rental with the garment cost, expected number of rentals, cleaning, postage, platform fees and your time in mind.
Local requirements
Check local requirements for registering a business, collecting sales tax where it applies, and following consumer rules for online orders, returns and cancellations in your state. We can help you put terms and conditions pages on the website. We cannot give legal or tax advice.