HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a personal shopper in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Personal shoppers need no licence in the UK. Here is how to set spending limits, keep receipts and returns, and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a personal shopper in five steps

  1. Set the budget and the listWhat to buy, for whom, and the most to spend.
  2. Keep purchases on your card or in your nameSo receipts and returns are yours.
  3. Ask about commissionFrom shops they use.
  4. Agree the feeSession, hours, or a percentage — and travel.
  5. Get receipts for everythingWith return dates noted.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Shopping for or with clients is open to anyone in the UK: no personal shoppers' register, no licence. The checks are references, a written budget and receipts.

Ring a recent client and agree the budget in writing.

Trader status (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

Your rights — a service done with reasonable care and skill, and a repeat or a price reduction if it is not — apply when the personal shopper trades as a business.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and ask for the rate per hour, the minimum booking and the shopping list agreed in writing, with an invoice afterwards.

Your money: limits, receipts and commission

A personal shopper trading as a business owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — including with your money. Agree the spending limit, pay with your own card where you can, and ask whether they earn commission.

Put the budget and payment method in writing before shopping.

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

There is no legal duty on a personal shopper here. Still, a person working with your cards or in your home can get a basic check on themselves — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — to show you.

Ask whether they have one from the last year, and see it. gov.uk →

VAT

Personal shopping by the hour or session is standard-rated, so a VAT-registered personal shopper adds 20% to the fee. Most individuals doing this are under the £90,000 registration threshold, charge no VAT and have no VAT number to give. What you buy is charged by the shop, at its own price.

Ask whether the personal shopper is VAT-registered; an individual under the threshold should add no VAT to the fee. gov.uk →

“How does the personal shopper charge — per session, per hour or a percentage?”

A good answer: One method, with travel stated.

“Will the shopper use my card, or buy and re-charge me?”

A good answer: Your card, or receipts at cost with no markup.

“Does the shopper earn commission or discounts from shops?”

A good answer: A straight answer.

“Can a personal shopper stick to my budget and list?”

A good answer: Yes, with a running total.

“What happens if I want to return something?”

A good answer: Receipts and returns windows noted for each item.

“Can you do gift shopping for others?”

A good answer: Yes, with sizes and preferences agreed, and gift receipts.

“Can I ring two clients of the personal shopper?”

A good answer: Names and numbers readily given.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour or per session, and any evening or weekend rate for late-opening shopping
  • The minimum booking and whether a trip that ends early is billed in full
  • The list agreed before the first hour: occasions, sizes, the budget and the shops
  • What each side brings: you the spending limit and your card or account; the personal shopper the route, the appointments and receipts in your name
  • ID checked, the personal shopper's rating, and any commission from shops disclosed

Walk away if

  • Asking for your PIN
  • Purchases with no receipts
  • A markup on items not disclosed
  • Going over budget without asking
  • Hidden commission
  • No references
LOW
£80
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£375

What a personal shopper costs: £80–£375 per session

Personal shoppers charge per session, per hour or a percentage of spend, with the items themselves paid on top. Personal Shopper price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Personal shoppers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. BriefList, sizes, budget, deadline.
  2. ResearchShops and options.
  3. ShoppingWithin budget, receipts kept.
  4. ReviewItems checked against the list.
  5. Delivery and invoiceItems handed over, receipts and invoice.

Budget
The most you will spend.
Markup
An amount added to the price of items.
Commission
A shop's payment to the shopper.
Gift receipt
A receipt without the price, for returns.
Returns window
How long a shop allows returns.
Running total
Spend so far during the session.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check receipts and totalsAgainst the budget and the fee.
Note return windowsFor each item.
Keep the invoiceFee, travel and purchases.
Review the bookingSay how the shopping and the spend went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the personal shopper firstDescribe the problem with the shopping, the date, and the fix you want. Because every service contract carries a term of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can require a free repeat or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you score a booked personal shopper below four stars, you choose whether the personal shopper sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no ombudsman for personal shoppers, advice on the shopping and a referral to Trading Standards come through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, as a last stepIf the personal shopper still will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 for simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a personal shopper: questions people ask

Personal shopping needs no licence in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A trader must use reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Agree the budget in writing so it is clear what was authorised.

Keep payment on your own card where possible; never share your PIN.

£80 to £375 a session, typically around £150. Session length and experience make the difference. Session and hourly fees are compared in the personal shopper price guide; your town above shows shoppers near you.

Agree it; keep receipts in your name.

No law requires one; a shopper can request their own and show it.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Personal StylistHow to hire: Image ConsultantHow to hire: Wardrobe ConsultantHow to hire: Gift Wrapping ServiceHow to hire: Concierge ServiceHow to hire: Errand RunnerHow to hire: Personal AssistantHow to hire: DressmakerAll 701 hiring guides →

Personal shoppers near you

Personal shoppers in LondonPersonal shoppers in ManchesterPersonal shoppers in BirminghamPersonal shoppers in GlasgowPersonal shoppers in BelfastAll personal shoppers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  3. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  4. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  5. gov.uk — VAT registration threshold
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register