IRL: 4+ Places For Cosplaying On The Cheap

Did you get the cosplaying bug?

Has the urge to be a character, to show how much you love certain artistic creations by imitating it, claimed your mind?

Well, you’re not alone—it’s a big thing, and it’s only set to be a bigger thing as time passes.

But, now that you have these urges, you have a hurdle to cross, and, no judgment, perhaps you are not in the best place financially to go for the truly elaborate costumes or prefabricated outfits. And, well, if that’s true, that’s where I come in to help.

If you want to make costumes, if you want to make yourself a part of the hype, then you have arrived at the right internet article: because I am here to tell you a few places you can go when you need the right tools (at a decent price) for cosplaying.

• Thrift Shops

Depending on what type of character you are going for, some cheap threads could be the solution. While you can buy nicer outfits elsewhere, you’d be amazed what you can find among the random things people have thrown away for resale.

• Craft Stores

I am talking about those places that sell fabric and sequins and glue by the pound. They might not have the exact pieces of the costume you need—if you, for instance, require a nice tux, you’d be out of luck—but it’s a great place to acquire a foundation of materials for later building.

• Halloween Stores

Go figure a place that sells costumes might be a good place to buy stuff for cosplay costumes. They’ve got fake weapons and wigs and imitation blood—if you are doing a character that has a connection to pumpkins, you’ve got it made. Halloween stores contain many goodies and can be a useful place for rounding out the ending or beginning pieces of a cosplay costume.

• Online: Ebay, Amazon, Etsy & Ali Express

Four of the best places online to find cosplay gear are Etsy, Ali Express, Amazon and Ebay. You can also often find more unusual items outside your local area including from other countries. Since competition is very high online, depending on what you’re looking for, there are many bargains to be had.

Ebay, Amazon and Ali Express all have vendors from China that offer excellent quality, unusual items – especially anime – and low, or at least surprisingly reasonable, prices.

Etsy offers high quality costume accessories that you probably won’t find anywhere else. While many Etsy items can be expensive, it is definitely possible to find unique and customizable items at prices comparable to costume shops and lower.

Between these three, and the more generic department stores, you can almost assuredly whip up some form of a character—and, if that doesn’t work, you are on the internet right now, and you can go to different websites to bid on bits and bobs and accessories.

The way is out there if you only look. And, I hope you do, because that character is calling to you, that franchise is knocking on your door. If you plan on listening, there’s no time like the present to cosplay.

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