Can I buy or keep one of the hire costumes?
Is it necessary to book in advance ?
Can I hire a costume that is shown on the site as being available to buy?
What is the difference between a hired or a purchased costume ?
Can I hire part of a costume ?
What is the refundable deposit or bond for and how much is it?
Are there late fees on hired items ?
How much is it to hire a costume?
Costume hire starts from $40 plus refundable deposit/bond.
Individual clothing pieces start from $15 hire plus refundable deposit/bond.
Browse our costume catalogue to check prices on particular costumes.
Yes, you can sometimes buy cheaper costumes but if you want a good costume it is much better value to hire a costume than it is to purchase a similar quality costume.
How long is the hire period?
Generally over the weekend or 2-3 days during the week. Costumes for the weekend may be picked up from Thursday onward and are due back the following Tuesday. Extended hires can be arranged at a discounted extra rate.
Is it necessary to book in advance?
No you can come in and hire a costume the same day, just bring some id showing your address. Alternatively if you like to be organized you can book early to pick up at a later date. Bookings can be made by visiting or calling our store.
Do you sell costumes?
Yes. Our prices compare well to those offered online by others with the advantage being that you can try them on.
Of course the costumes we sell vary from the ones we hire.
All of our costumes whether they are for sale or hire may be tried on in our store.
From experience we know the quality of costumes available varies greatly. We know that if your only wearing it once quality may not be important but you still want it to fit and not be to short or embarrassingly flimsy. We offer an alternative service to the hundreds of online costume stores out there.
If you visit our store there is no running the risk that your costume isn’t what you expected, & there is no need to plan weeks ahead to get an outfit posted to you in time for your party. View our catalogue of costumes to buy here.
Can I hire a costume that is shown on the site as being available to buy?
Unfortunately not. The fabrics and trims used and the finishing means most costumes that are available to purchase are not durable enough to use for hire costumes or are impractical to clean. Unless is is a very expensive costume they are really not designed for repeated washing and wearing.
Can I buy or keep one of the hire costumes?
No, sorry. We love them, our other customers love them and they very often can’t be replaced. All rental stock remains our property and needs to be returned, regardless of the fact that you have paid a security bond on it.
Can I shop on line?
We are not on online store. Our store offers an alternative to the many businesses selling costumes and accessories on line. We are a real store where you can try things on .
What is the difference between a hired or a purchased costume?
Hire costumes are usually individually made meaning better quality and more variety.
Sale costumes are mass produced overseas from cheaper fabrics and trims.
Your best option depends on what you are looking for.
Hiring a costume can be far more economical if you want a great quality, elaborate costume or if you wanted to be something like a large fur animal. Hire costumes tend to be individually made from quality fabrics very often meaning they are more comfortable and less see through or flimsy. Many really good quality costumes are simply way too expensive to purchase just to wear once. Hire is a good option if you need an unusual size or uncommon character. With a hired costume there is less chance of someone else having exactly the same outfit at your party.
Our hire collection includes many items that may no longer be readily available, including original well maintained retro pieces or items made from fabrics that are no longer around due to current fashions. When hiring we can mix a match from thousands of individual items to suit a range of styles and sizes. We have collected lots of items over the years and some of them can no longer be found to purchase hence we hire them rather than sell them.
Whilst hiring a costume isn’t for everyone for any number of reasons, it is a fantastic form of recycling and doesn’t create landfill unlike a single use purchased costume.
Buying a costume is a great idea if you are a standard size or think you may want to be the same character over and over again. Do you want to be the same clown at every party you attend? Buying also takes away the pressure of having to return something on time or in good order (great if your going on a bucks night or taking something away for a extended holiday).
Purchased costumes are generally mass produced to meet a certain price point, the fabrics and materials used are usually lower quality, you will often find the fabrics are quite thin or see through and that the seams are not fully finished. Depending on how much or how little you spend you will probably find they are not made for repeated wearing and washing. They will often be one size fits most or come in only a limited range of sizes. Unlike hire costumes you can not mix and match to fit. If you are after something that the manufacturers don’t think they will sell thousands of you probably won’t be able to purchase a cheap version.
How do I find your store?
Carlingford is in North Western Sydney. Located between Epping and Parramatta we are in a small local strip of shops so you don’t have to battle shopping centre traffic. Mobbs Lane runs between Marsden and Midson Roads. Our shop is upstairs and you will find the entry at the carpark entry end of the building.
Are the hire costumes clean?
Most definitely. We have washing facilities on site and all items are cleaned each time they are returned to our store. Non machine washable items are washed by hand, steamed or cleaned with disinfectant.
What ID is required?
Identification showing your address is required for all hires. We respect your privacy and this information is only used if we need to chase up a late or missing costume.
Can I hire part of a costume?
Many accessories or parts of costumes are available to hire separately with rates on individual items varying accordingly. However we cannot always hire out a single item from some specific popular costumes. We also sell many items.
Do you hire wigs?
Yes.
We have a huge range of wigs to hire some of which you may not find elsewhere here in Australia. Our range includes many wigs purchased from the US rather than just those available here from our regular Australian wholesalers.
Depending on the costume a wig may or may not be included in a particular costume’s price. Individual wigs or wigs added to a costume cost between $11.00-$22.00 to hire plus a $50.00 refundable deposit.
Wigs are washed in disinfectant and fabric softener each time they are returned to our store.
If you prefer we also sell a range of wigs.
Do you hire shoes?
No.
We do not hire shoes because they cannot be cleaned sufficiently. We want our store to smell clean and having a lot of pre-loved shoes around wouldn’t help with this.
We do have some vinyl boot overshoes suitable for costumes such as go go dancers, pirates or Santa.
What is the refundable deposit / bond for?
Unfortunately we need to charge a deposit despite the fact that most people do the right thing. The deposit does not cover the replacement cost it is merely an incentive to encourage people to look after our costumes and return them promptly so that they may be washed and available for rehire. Garment bags need to be returned along with your costume to ensure a full refund of your deposit. Full replacement cost will be charged on any items lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair. The refundable bond varies from $40 – $200 depending on the costume you choose.
Are there late fees on hired items?
Late fees may be deducted from your deposit if costumes are not returned on time (just as if you hired a video in the olden days). In order to have costumes ready to go for the next round of parties we need to get things back on time and cleaned. Someone else may have pre-booked your costume for their own party, we ask that you consider this because we don’t want to spoil someone else’s plans. If you have a problem with getting your costume back on time please phone us on or before the day it is due to make an alternative time.