Online costume catalogue
Browse by theme, era, character type, size and kids or adults, with real photos and live availability for their date.
Costume hire software: bookings, sizes & returns
Costume hire: the right costume, the right size, back on time. Dress them up, not your admin.
The pirate's been promised to two people for the same Saturday, the size 12 is still at the dry cleaner and the wig from last week's hens party never came back. We build hire calendars, online catalogues, check-in systems and cleaning queues for costume hire stores that all talk to each other. Then we host them and look after them.
Looking for costume hire software that handles sizes, dates and returns?
Costume hire looks simple until Halloween, Book Week and the end-of-year party season land in the same six weeks. Suddenly you're running a rental business, a laundry, a repair shop and a retail counter at once. The hire book is a paper diary, sizes live in someone's head and the only way a customer can find out if you've got a flapper dress in a 10 is to ring you while you're fitting three other people.
Wollopit builds custom costume hire software around how your shop actually runs. Every costume knows its sizes, pieces and condition. The calendar won't let you hire the same one twice. Customers browse and reserve online with a deposit, get a reminder before it's due back and the cleaning queue tells you what's ready for Friday. We connect the tools you already use, replace the ones holding you back and look after the lot on our own servers.
01The problems
What we hear from costume hire stores
Does your costume hire business have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most costume shops we talk to have a brilliant racks of stock and a hire book held together with sticky notes. It's fine in March. It's not fine the week before Halloween.
- The problemSame costume, two customersPeak weeks clash and a costume gets promised twice from the paper diary. Someone walks out disappointed on the day of their party.How we fix itA hire calendar that tracks every costume by size and date, including cleaning time, so a double booking simply can't be made.
- The problemSizes are a guessing gameCustomers ask for 'a medium' and the label says 14, the costume fits like a 10 and the fitting room queue grows.How we fix itProper size info on every costume: label size, real measurements, fit notes and photos, so people pick the right one first time.
- The problem"Do you have one in a 12?" all dayThe phone rings non-stop with availability questions while you're trying to fit customers at the counter.How we fix itAn online catalogue that shows what's actually available for their date and size, so they check before they call.
- The problemReturns come back lateThe hire was due Monday, it's Wednesday and the next customer is standing at the counter waiting for it.How we fix itAutomatic SMS and email reminders before it's due, late fees calculated for you and an overdue list every morning.
- The problemBonds handled in cashCash bonds in an envelope, refunds argued over at the counter and nobody's sure who paid what.How we fix itDeposits and bonds taken online or by card, held against the hire and refunded or adjusted in a couple of taps.
- The problemDamage argumentsA torn hem or a fake blood stain comes back and the customer swears it was like that when they took it.How we fix itCondition photos at check-out and check-in on a phone, attached to the hire, so damage charges are clear and fair.
- The problemMissing hats, wigs and swordsThe costume comes back but the crown, belt or tail didn't. You only notice when the next hirer opens the bag.How we fix itA piece checklist for every costume, ticked off at pickup and return, with missing items flagged before the customer leaves.
- The problemStill in the wash on the dayBack Sunday, needed Monday, sitting in a pile at the dry cleaner with nobody tracking it.How we fix itA cleaning and repairs queue that knows every hire's turnaround, what's at the cleaner and what has to be ready first.
- The problemGroup hires are a messA hens party of ten or a work 80s night means ten sizes, ten bonds and ten phone calls.How we fix itGroup bookings with one organiser, each person picking their own costume and size, split or single deposits and one pickup time.
- The problemSchools and theatres on handshake dealsBook Week bulk orders and month-long production hires tracked in emails, then invoiced by hand.How we fix itAccounts for schools, theatre groups and event companies with long-term hire rates, quotes and invoices straight to Xero or MYOB.
- The problemNo idea what earns its rack spaceSome costumes go out every week, some haven't left the shop since 2019 and you're buying new stock on gut feel.How we fix itHire history for every costume: times hired, money earned, repair costs and what's due to be retired or rebought.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for costume hire stores. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Hire calendar
Every costume and size on one calendar with cleaning buffers built in. No more double bookings.
Online reservations & deposits
Customers reserve by size and date, pay a deposit with Stripe or Afterpay and pick a pickup time.
Bonds & late fees
Bonds held against each hire, late fees worked out automatically and refunds in a couple of taps.
Check-out & check-in
Scan a barcode or QR tag, tick off every piece and snap condition photos on a phone or tablet.
Return reminders
SMS and email reminders before the due date, an overdue list each morning and a quick 'extend my hire' link.
Cleaning & repairs queue
What's at the dry cleaner, what needs mending and what has to be ready first, sorted by next hire date.
Size & fit library
Label sizes, real measurements, fit notes and try-on photos for every costume in the shop.
Group & theme party hires
One organiser, everyone picks their own outfit and size, with split deposits and a single pickup.
School, theatre & event accounts
Book Week bulk orders, long-run production hires, quotes and invoices into Xero or MYOB.
Accessories shop
Wigs, makeup, masks and props for sale online and in store, added to a hire in one checkout.
Stock & earnings reports
Times hired, money earned and repair costs per costume, so you know what to rebuy and what to retire.
A website that dresses up
Hand-built, quick on phones and built to rank for 'costume hire near me' and every theme people search for.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole wardrobe, on one system.
These are the systems costume hire stores need most. Each works on its own and they get properly clever when they're joined up.
Hire calendar
One costume, one customer, one date. Every time.
Every costume and every size gets its own calendar with cleaning time built in. Counter staff and the website see the same availability, so it's impossible to promise the last size 12 twice in Halloween week.
- Availability by costume and size
- Cleaning and repair buffers between hires
- Counter and website share one calendar
- Peak week view for Halloween and Book Week
- Holds that expire if the deposit isn't paid
- Swap sizes on a booking in one tap
- Pickup and return times per hire
- Hire extensions with clash checks
- Multi-day and long-term hires
- Daily pickup and return lists
Online catalogue & reservations
Customers find their costume before they ring.
A catalogue built around how people actually search: by theme, by decade, by size and by party date. They see what's free, reserve it with a deposit and book a fitting or pickup time without a single phone call.
- Browse by theme, era and character type
- Filter by size, kids or adults and date
- Real photos and fit notes per costume
- Live availability for their party date
- Deposits by card, Apple Pay or Afterpay
- Fitting and pickup time slots
- Add wigs, makeup and props to the hire
- Wishlists to share with the group
- Confirmation and reminder SMS
- Built to rank for every theme on Google
Check-out, returns & bonds
Every piece out, every piece back.
Scan the costume, tick off the hat, belt and tail, snap a couple of condition photos and take the bond. When it comes back you do the same in reverse and the system works out any late fees or damage charges.
- QR or barcode tags on every costume
- Piece checklist for each costume
- Condition photos at pickup and return
- Bonds held by card or online
- Late fees calculated automatically
- Damage and missing item charges
- Return reminders by SMS and email
- Overdue list each morning
- Self-serve hire extensions
- Bond refunds in a couple of taps
Cleaning & repairs
Clean, mended and ready before it's needed.
Everything that comes back drops into a queue sorted by when it's next hired. You can see what's at the dry cleaner, what needs a button sewn back on and what has to be on the rack by Friday.
- Queue sorted by next hire date
- In-house wash or send to dry cleaner
- Batches sent out and back in
- Repair notes with photos
- Costumes blocked until they're ready
- Rush flags for peak weeks
- Cleaning costs per costume
- Retire worn-out stock
- Times hired and earnings per costume
- Rebuy list for popular themes
Groups, schools & productions
Hens parties, Book Week and opening night, sorted.
Group hires get one organiser and one booking, with everyone picking their own costume and size from a shared link. Schools and theatre companies get accounts with long-run rates, quotes and invoices that go straight into your accounting.
- Group booking with one organiser
- Shared link for each person to pick
- Split or single deposits
- One pickup and one return time
- School Book Week bulk orders
- Long-run theatre production hires
- Quotes that convert to bookings
- Invoices to Xero or MYOB
- Account rates and payment terms
- Costume lists per cast member
04How it changes
Before and after
Halloween Saturday, wolloped.
Here's how the busiest morning of the year could change. Every costume shop is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Two customers turn up for the same pirate costume
- Flick through the paper diary to work out who booked first
- The size 10 witch is still at the dry cleaner
- The phone rings while you're fitting a queue of people
- Last week's hire is three days late with no word
- Cash bonds stuffed in an envelope under the till
After
- Each costume was booked once, by size, weeks ago
- Today's pickup list is already printed and bagged
- The cleaning queue had the witch ready on Thursday
- People checked the online catalogue instead of calling
- Reminders went out and late fees worked themselves out
- Bonds are held on card and refunded in a tap
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for costume hire stores.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for costume hire stores
Built around how your costume hire business actually runs: online costume catalogue, hire calendar and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for costume hire stores
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Costume hire business system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for costume hire stores
Online reservations & deposits and bonds & late fees: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Shopify, WooCommerce and Square so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your costume hire business, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you rely on, work alongside hire platforms you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Square
- Lightspeed
- Stripe
- Afterpay
- Xero
- MYOB
- Booqable
- Australia Post
- Sendle
- StarShipIt
- Klaviyo
- Mailchimp
- Google Business Profile
- Google Merchant Center
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your costume hire business: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We spend time at your counter, in the back room and around the racks, then work out what's actually slowing you down.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your costumes, sizes, pieces, hires, bonds, cleaning, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the hire calendar first, so you get a win before your next Halloween rush.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things costume hire stores ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can customers reserve costumes online?
Yes. They pick a costume, size and date, see if it's free and reserve it with a deposit. They can also book a fitting or pickup time.
Will it stop us hiring the same costume twice?
Yes. Every costume and size has its own calendar with cleaning time built in. The counter and the website share it, so once it's booked it's gone.
Can it handle costumes with lots of pieces?
Yes. Each costume gets a piece checklist, so hats, wigs, belts and props get ticked off at pickup and return. Anything missing is flagged before the customer leaves.
Can we take bonds without handling cash?
Yes. Bonds can be taken online or by card and held against the hire, then refunded or adjusted for late fees and damage in a couple of taps.
We already use Shopify or a hire platform. Do we have to switch?
No. If Shopify, Square or Booqable is doing its job we build around it. If it's holding you back we'll show you what replacing it would involve before anything changes.
How much does costume hire software cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like a hire calendar or return reminders can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early, ideally well before Halloween.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most costume hire stores we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a costume hire business problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.