Knife orders checked at checkout and handed only to the buyer
Once its new sections are in force, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 sets a fixed standard for online knife sales in England and Wales: a copy of a passport or driving licence and a current photo of the buyer before the sale, and delivery into the buyer's own hands after an ID check. Blade Ready sets up the checkout check, carrier service, paperwork and bulk-sale log for your shop, with an ID verification provider you pay directly.
Updated
- ID and photo check for bladed products only, completed before the order is accepted, through a verification app that fits your platform
- Age-verified delivery service booked for every bladed order, with no lockers, safe places or neighbours
- A written record of how you check, ready for Trading Standards, a marketplace or your carrier
The rules for selling knives online are about to get specific
Selling a bladed article to anyone under 18 is already an offence, and today the law asks online sellers for a system likely to prevent it. Some small shops rely on a date-of-birth box for that. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 sets a fixed test: before a remote sale, a copy of an identity document and a photograph of the buyer; at delivery, the parcel goes into the hands of the buyer, aged 18 or over, after an ID check.
The new sections are law but not yet in force; the Home Office brings them in by regulations. That is the window to change your checkout, carrier contracts and records calmly, instead of in the week the regulations land. The Act also sets the maximum penalty for selling to under-18s to rise from six months to two years.
The Home Office impact assessment notes that smaller retailers, especially independent knife sellers, may struggle more to implement the system changes. Marketplaces have already moved: eBay UK has required age-verified delivery for bladed items since March 2025.
- Section 32 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 requires a remote seller in England and Wales to obtain a copy of an identity document issued to the buyer in physical form, such as a passport or driving licence, and a photograph of the buyer, or take steps set by regulations. legislation.gov.uk shows it as not in force, commencing by regulations (checked 7 November 2026). Source: legislation.gov.uk
- Section 35 makes it an offence to deliver a bladed product to residential premises other than into the hands of the buyer aged 18 or over, with an ID-check defence, and adds similar duties for collection points. It is also not yet in force. Source: legislation.gov.uk
- The Home Office impact assessment (2 December 2025) says smaller retailers, especially independent knife sellers, may struggle more to implement system changes for effective ID checks, and that the Bill raises the maximum penalty for selling to under-18s from six months to two years. Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
- Since 10 March 2025 eBay UK requires age-verified delivery for bladed items, bars parcel lockers, PO boxes and local pick-up, and names Royal Mail Tracked 24 or 48 with the Age Verification option and UPS Adult Signature. Source: ebay.co.uk
Without it
- Doing it yourself: Entirely possible if you are comfortable with apps, carrier settings and writing policies. Our readiness check at £19…
- Token of Trust: ID verification for age-restricted goods; its Shopify listing shows $25 a month plus 85¢ per order on the Standard…
- AgeChecker.Net: Age verification for online stores at $25 a month plus 50¢ per accepted verification, per its pricing page (checked 7…
With Blade Ready
- ID and photo check for bladed products only, completed before the order is accepted, through a verification app that fits your platform
- Age-verified delivery service booked for every bladed order, with no lockers, safe places or neighbours
- A written record of how you check, ready for Trading Standards, a marketplace or your carrier
- Checkout check for bladed items only
- Age-verified delivery by default
How it works
- 1
Readiness check
Tell us your store platform, marketplaces, carriers and the kinds of blades you sell. Within 2 business days you get a written check of your checkout, delivery and records against the current law and the new sections, with a fix list.
- 2
Choose the verification provider
We recommend an ID and photo verification service that works on your platform and fits your order volume, such as OneGuard on Shopify (from $25 a month with 10 checks, then $1.40 per order checked) or Didit (ID, selfie and face match from $0.33 per check), and you open the account in your name. Their fees are paid by you to them. Where the check runs just after checkout, unverified orders stay on hold and are not dispatched.
- 3
We set it up
With staff access to your store, we tag bladed products, switch on the checkout check for those only, set the age-verified carrier service for those orders and update the wording. Finished within 5 business days of access.
- 4
Test and hand over
We place test orders, check what the carrier label and the customer see, and send you a short written procedure for staff, failed deliveries and refunds, plus a bulk-sale log.
Features
Checkout check for bladed items only
Customers buying a tea towel are not asked for a passport. Products tagged as bladed trigger the ID and photo step; everything else checks out normally.
Age-verified delivery by default
Bladed orders are routed to an age-verified service such as Royal Mail Tracked with Age Verification (arranged directly with Royal Mail) or UPS Adult Signature, with safe-place and neighbour options removed.
Wording that matches the law
Product page, checkout and delivery notices telling buyers they must be 18, show photo ID and be home in person.
Bulk-sale log
A simple log that flags six or more bladed articles to one buyer or address within 30 days, ready for the police reporting duty once its regulations are published.
Your written procedure
One page on how you check age at sale and at delivery, which provider and carrier you use, and who to call when a check fails.
Recheck when the date is set
When the commencement regulations are published, we email you a short summary of what changed. Adjustments within 60 days of your order are included in the price; after that we quote before doing any work.
A look inside
What you get: the working view and the delivery report.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Kitchen and chef knife shops
You sell knives alongside cookware; only knife orders get the extra checks.
Outdoor, bushcraft and craft tool sellers
Fixed blades, carving tools and multi-tools, with one process across your website and marketplaces.
Makers and small brands
You sell your own knives from Shopify or WooCommerce and want a large retailer's standard without a developer.
Shops with crossbows or archery items
The Act brings the same two-step check to crossbows; we cover them in the same setup.
Works with
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- eBay UK delivery profiles
- Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 with Age Verification
- UPS Adult Signature
- OneGuard ID verification
- Didit identity verification
- Shared spreadsheet for the bulk-sale log
Pricing
One-time prices, paid once after we confirm the scope. The readiness check is delivered within 2 business days; setup is finished within 5 business days of store access. ID verification fees and carrier surcharges are paid by you to those providers. Prices include VAT where it applies. Founding customer pricing applies to early-access orders.
Orders are subject to the Blade Ready terms.
Readiness check
£19 one-time
A written gap check you can act on yourself
- Review of checkout, carriers and records
- Current law and the new sections compared
- Fix list in priority order
- Provider and carrier options for your platform
- Credited against Shop setup within 30 days
Shop setup
£149 one-time
One online store, set up and tested
- Everything in Readiness check
- Bladed products tagged and checkout check configured
- Age-verified carrier service set for bladed orders
- Product, checkout and delivery wording
- Test orders and written staff procedure
- Bulk-sale log and an email summary when the date is set
Multi-channel
£349 one-time
Your store plus marketplaces and more than one carrier
- Everything in Shop setup
- eBay and up to two more sales channels
- Up to three carriers or services
- Crossbows and parts included
- Collection and click-and-collect procedure
- Email help for 60 days
Compared with the alternatives
- Doing it yourself
- Entirely possible if you are comfortable with apps, carrier settings and writing policies. Our readiness check at £19 gives you the fix list to do it yourself.
- Token of Trust
- ID verification for age-restricted goods; its Shopify listing shows $25 a month plus 85¢ per order on the Standard plan (checked 7 November 2026). The listing does not say whether Standard also captures a photo of the buyer, so confirm that before relying on it. It verifies buyers but does not set up carriers, wording or records.
- AgeChecker.Net
- Age verification for online stores at $25 a month plus 50¢ per accepted verification, per its pricing page (checked 7 November 2026). It covers the checkout step only.
Your first week
The readiness check arrives within 2 business days. If you go ahead with setup, we finish within 5 business days of store access.
- Day 1: You send platform, carriers, channels and product types; we confirm scope.
- Day 2: Written readiness check and fix list delivered.
- Day 3–5: Verification app and carrier service configured, wording updated.
- Day 6–7: Test orders, staff procedure and bulk-sale log handed over.
Security and data
- We never receive customers' ID documents or photos; they stay with the verification provider under your account.
- We work in your store through a staff account you create and remove when we finish.
- Notes about your shop are stored in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Everything we hold about your project is deleted within 30 days of handover or on request.
Questions
Are the new knife sale and delivery rules in force?
Not yet, as of 7 November 2026. Sections 32 and 35 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 were not in force at Royal Assent and come in on a date set by regulations. Section 32 applies in England and Wales. The existing law already makes selling a bladed article to an under-18 an offence and requires age checks for remote sales.
Which documents count at checkout?
Section 32 lists a UK passport, a passport issued outside the UK and a GB or Northern Ireland driving licence, issued to the buyer in physical form, plus any document added by regulations, together with a photograph of the buyer. The government can also prescribe other age verification steps by regulations, so we recheck when they are published.
Do you see or store my customers' passports?
No. The verification provider collects and checks the document and photo in its own flow, under your account. We configure the app and never receive the images.
Does this apply to kitchen knives?
Yes. The age rules cover bladed articles generally, including kitchen knives. The government factsheet lists some exclusions from the bulk-sale reporting rule, such as disposable razor blade cartridges, certain non-locking folding pocket knives, cutlery knives other than pointed steak knives, and qualifying knife sets. We go through your range product by product in the readiness check.
Do I have to report bulk knife sales now?
Not yet. The duty to report remote bulk sales to the police needs further regulations first. Our log flags qualifying orders now so you are ready.
Is this legal advice?
No. Blade Ready is a setup service and record-keeping, not legal advice, and it does not guarantee compliance. For questions about specific products or your obligations, ask a solicitor or your local Trading Standards.
Ready before the commencement date, not after
Written readiness check from £19; full setup of checkout, carrier and records from £149, paid once.
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