To start a dress hire or dress rental business online, you need a collection, a Shopify store that can take date-based bookings, and clear rules for deposits, cleaning, shipping or pickup, and returns. Dress Hire Websites is an Australian-based Shopify Partner, and we work with businesses worldwide. The Complete Website Package with The Dress Rental App set up is $550 AUD as a one-off build fee, wherever you are based.
Set up the store
Shopify is available in nearly every country, though some features, including Shopify Payments, vary by location. Shopify hosts the website and checkout. Date-based availability, refundable 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 is billed in your local currency in many countries, and it can change. Confirm current plan and payment rates on Shopify's pricing page for your country. 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 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.
If you already have a website on another platform, we can move a dress hire business to Shopify from sites such as Squarespace, Booqable and WooCommerce.
Shipping, pickup and returns
Use a tracked national or international carrier that serves your customers, or offer studio pickup if you have a location. Plan when the garment leaves you, when the customer needs it, and when it must be back, including time in transit across borders if you ship internationally. Duties, taxes and delivery times should be explained before checkout. Give a prepaid or clearly explained return method.
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, and it can also sell items outright on the same website.
Say whether cleaning is included or added as a fee, and leave enough time in the calendar to clean each piece before the next booking. 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 in the country you trade from, and in any country you ship to, for business registration, tax collection and consumer rules. These differ widely. We can help you put terms and conditions pages on the website. We cannot give legal or tax advice.
Country-specific notes are also available for Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.