Issues with age verification and buying bladed items

We’re required by law to verify you’re over 18 when buying knives and other bladed items. We use a facial estimation tool at checkout to verify your age. More information about how it works.

Help if facial estimation didn’t work

Occasionally, facial age estimation may not be able to prove you’re over 18. If it doesn’t work, you can still continue by choosing ‘Select another method’. You’ll then be able to upload an image of your ID and a scan of your face to make sure the two match.

Accepted forms of ID are: driving licence, passport, CitizenCard, Post Office PASS card, Biometric residence permit, Young Scot Card.

If you’re unable to continue with verifying your age online using either method, our team won’t be able to help you on the phone.

Other ways to buy knives and bladed items

We can’t take orders for bladed items on the phone. You can either use facial estimation online, or visit us in a shop. In a shop you’ll need to show a valid UK driving licence or passport.

Not all of our shops stock all knives and bladed items. You can check store stock on the product page for the item you’d like to buy. John Lewis shop locations.

Click & Collect isn’t available for bladed items bought online.

Make sure your device can take photos

You must use a device which has a camera when buying a bladed item online. Check your camera permissions are switched on to make sure it works – you can do this in your browser or operating system settings.

If you’re using our app, please make sure you’ve updated to the latest version for age verification to work.