Buying Cosplay

[Persona]

I've been debating the pros and cons of buying vs. making your own cosplay with friends of mine and I wanted to get some feedback from people who really do cosplay, whether it be made from scratch or completely bought.

Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?

If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props.

If you make your own cosplay, why do you prefer making it over buying it? It might be an obvious answer to you, but I'm genuinely curious.

Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?


Personally, I have no talent for sewing and I do have a few pre-made costumes in my closet, which I would wear more often to cons if I had the complete set of accessories (wigs and shoes to name a few). I can understand the sense of achievement and pride when ones handiwork is praised, but if someone can't sew, is the next best thing for them to buy a costume, or to just not cosplay at all?

[BSaphire]

I thought of moving this thread into the Cosplay ? thread, but for the summer I think I will let those of us who are on the forums this summer have something fun to talk about.

To answer the questions you have posed with my two cents:
"Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?"

I would buy a commissioned cosplay, if the quality and workmanship was in it, and I would probably be paying $300 up for it. Since I do my own and do commissioned projects I haven't "bought" one yet :P

"If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props."

Contacts, wigs, shoes, and make-up are things that I have bought. I try to make everything else myself.

"Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?"

As a Costumer & Cosplayer: Marketing isn't the reason I have an issue. Many times it is that someone is trying to pass of someone else's work as their own.

I have worn my daughter Youko_Kurama's cosplay's and I always give her the props for creating and designing them. If you bought it then say "I bought it!"

To wrap up: I personally like to see people try their hand at different aspects of cosplay. For some, cosplay is just like Halloween and another time to dress up. Where as for others, cosplay is an art and putting your costume together, learning your lines, perfecting your poses, and being a character you love for a few moment during the year is better than cake!

Any day is a GREAT day to COSPLAY!
Squidge
B

[OGIGA]

I buy mine because I don't actually have the skills to make anything that looks nearly as good. Also, because I can't figure out where to find cheap fabric, I often find it cheaper to buy (from China). Most of the costumes I buy from China are actually decent quality. The problem, though, is that it's not always accurate and I end up modifying it or living with it. eBay is usually more expensive than those "shady" websites, but I think they sell the same things from the same places.

Other than that, if I actually knew how to make a costume and knew where to find good material for a reasonable, I'd most likely make mine.

[BunofGovt]

I have only bought one cosplay, which I love (but I need a proper wig and to hell with finding decent boots since my calves are super fat  :'() but I make most of my outfits simply because I like the challenge to my sewing skills.  But most of my cosplay are fairly simple to make and basic patterns (the most complicated have been a Vampire Knight school outfit and Yuri's top from Kyo Kara Maoh (third season or an ova, I forget which)).

I also make my own outfits because I prefer cotton or linen fabrics and most bought cosplay will be made of some kind of polyester-knit fabric, which does not breathe too well (I want to be comfortable and able to wear my outfit all day long). 

I'm fortunate to live in an area (Berkeley) with several fabric shop options in Berkeley or nearby (Jo-Ann's, Hancock's, a discount fabric shop (Ashby and San Pablo aves, and some pricier shops: Stonemountain's Daughter and Britex).  Plus there's always Wal-Mart.

[summerchristmas838]

So far I've made all of mine, but they kind of suck because I don't really have sewing skills. I would like to buy some but I'm broke~

[Somebody]

I have never bought an entire cosplay, so I can't say much to that, but have made a few. (Most of mine, however are still from used family's clothing, so that's still not as much :P) I am still learning how to sew and all the other things you need to know to create costumes and such, so I've had a lot of help from family (to which I am ever grateful!) on the few costumes I do have. I think the only thing I really made by myself was Pocky, but that was easy xD. I hope, however, to learn quickly so I can make them on my own!   ;D

[Nina Star 9]

Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?

Maybe. For me, a huge part of what makes cosplay fun is being able to figure out how to make the costume and then actually making it. It can be frustrating and take a long time, and things won't be perfect, but I can make them how I want and have fun with the process. I'd consider buying if it was something readily available (most of my cosplays are rather obscure, so I'd probably have to comission them instead of buying ready-made) and that I couldn't make myself, but really wanted to do. I'd also consider buying if I got more into the modeling side of cosplay than into the construction side, especially if I started going to more cons than just Fanime, because I'd have time and reason to wear more costumes. As for how much I'd pay, I have no idea since I've never looked into it.

If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props.

Shoes, since I can't make shoes from scratch, but I'm all for modifying shoes to suit my needs (I modified a pair of old boots into highly stylized "skates" for my Ryth cosplay, I spraypainted some boots orange for my Ulala cosplay, etc.). I would probably buy accessories if they were easier and cheaper to buy than to make, but I generally make things myself or modify exisitng things (like a Buzz Ligthyear squirt gun from the Dollar Tree for my Ulala gun, or spools of ribbon and cardstock for my Ryth spraycan, etc.).

If you make your own cosplay, why do you prefer making it over buying it? It might be an obvious answer to you, but I'm genuinely curious.

I think I've already answered this above, but to restate, I like the problem-solving and construction aspect of it. It's also a lot of fun to be able to put on a costume that I spent a lot of time and work on rather than something I bought.

Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?

I don't look at cosplay on eBay, so I don't know, but I can tell you about lolita fashion on eBay. The problem is that the sellers steal stock photos from other places and then sell a poor-quality product instead of something that looks like the photo. Other than that, even the ones that do use their own images are often poor-quality anyway. I'd imagine that it is probably the same for cosplay.

[Dragon Ninja]

Well, it depends on who you cosplay as. I've bought some costume because I don't have the skill to make complicated costumes, but if I find a costume that's reasonable to make, I'll do it.

[Dagger-6]

Having worn suits made by others as well as ones I've made myself, I just get a nice warm and fuzzy from being able to say "I made this".

Once in a while I will get partially prepped parts to save on time if I'm trying to make a schedule, and I still buy my prop weapons instead of making them myself, but if I had the time to make my own, I'd rather do that.  I use the time I save on not fabricating prop weapons to spend more work on my suits instead.

As BSphire pointed out, one big issue is people who pass off others work as their own.  Mostly I'm just a little sad whenever someone with a really great costume tells me they had it commissioned since it means I can't talk to them much about construction and such.

eBay has been very hit or miss on dealing with the issue of people who recast completed armor, but I don't have any natural aversion to it.

[LadyGlitterbow]

I personally considered buying a cosplay several times, but in the end decided against it just because I don't want something that isn't very accurate or doesn't fit right. I pick costumes that I know won't be that hard to make, but I also limit myself to just one costume a year, so even though my sewing skills are not so great, I have plenty of time to practice! Also, I enjoy getting creative with what I can do. Like last year I was looking everywhere for the red/orange shoes Misty wears, and finally I decided to buy keds and just paint them! Not only did that save me a bunch of money, but the shoes turned out perfectly! This year I am going as Horo from Spice and Wolf, and it will be pretty simple if I just buy pants and a light purple shirt and then modify it. Also, of course I will buy a wig! (who makes those! :P)
For me I like the experience of making a costume as much as wearing it! I don't think I would be happy just buying one.

[Charis]

Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?

Probably not. For me, half of cosplaying is the pride in making the costume -- from wig down to shoes.  I love crafts of all sorts, and I love challenging myself with each project.  I don't think I'd ever buy a RTW cosplay purely because if I was, hypothetically, it would either be for my sister or myself, and neither of us fits standard sizes well most of the time -- and fit on a cosplay is hugely important, much like fit with more formal garments (e.g. suits, dresses).
... and considering I've paid over $300 for materials for one cosplay, I shudder to think how much it would've cost to buy.  Then again, no one would have sold it -- at least, not the way I was making it.

If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props.

Well, I'll buy shoes, but that's because I'm no cobbler -- but I've also yet to do a character where those are a hugely important and highly specific part of the costume.  (And the one in my plans who has very specific shoes I plan to make.)
If I was to commission anything, it would be a styled wig, but even that would take me being driven to the point of ridiculous frustration -- and I doubt I'd buy it pre-styled instead of finding a specific commissioner to do it just for me.

If you make your own cosplay, why do you prefer making it over buying it? It might be an obvious answer to you, but I'm genuinely curious.

Several reasons, most stated above: fit, the fun/challenge of the creative process, and to a lesser extent cost and fabric choice.  I'm fussy -- I like my breathable fabrics, generally run screaming from synthetics, and want good cottons, not quilter's solids -- and I want fabric that fits, to an extent, the character and the timeframe.  I view the creation of cosplay as a puzzle for me, where the biggest part of the challenge is figuring out how I can make things work.
I also tend to pick more obscure shows/characters, so even if I wanted to go looking for the stuff, it's unlikely I'd find it sold as RTW cosplay.  There's a sense of perfectionism -- I want things to fit and look good and be finished well and hold up to repeat wear and have those little details that turn something from good to great, and that's damned hard to find in RTW.

Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?

Because 99% of the time they have issues.  Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad, but most of what I've seen come off eBay sellers has gross inaccuracies ("bias tape shihakushous" and unlined captains' coats for Bleach are a frequent twitch point), has sloppy elements in its construction, and/or are made of nasty, nasty fabrics.  There's nothing wrong with people buying them and wearing them, but I personally would never -- they're not what my cosplay is.

Personally, I have no talent for sewing and I do have a few pre-made costumes in my closet, which I would wear more often to cons if I had the complete set of accessories (wigs and shoes to name a few). I can understand the sense of achievement and pride when ones handiwork is praised, but if someone can't sew, is the next best thing for them to buy a costume, or to just not cosplay at all?

Personal preference -- it's a question of why you want to cosplay.  If it's about playing, and that RTW cosplay is what makes that happen for you, then by all means, go for it!  But as others have said -- for me, it's about the construction as much as the wear, so I'll do stupid things like spending hours and hours handsewing lace.  XD There's a distinction between "cosplaying" and "making cosplay" to me in terms of hobbies; I happen to enjoy both, with the myriad of crafts that fall into the latter, but I completely realise that not everyone has the time/energy/ability to do that.  There's no reason to let the fact that you don't make cosplay stop you from cosplaying, if it's something that makes you happy.

[capeswirlinggirl]

Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?

I don't think I would ever buy a ready-to-wear costume. I really need to be able to try clothes on before purchase because I'm not a typical fit and I have an aversion to spending money on something I'm just going to have to alter a great deal anyway. Also, I'm a tad perfectionistic and always have my own ideas for how I want things to be/look which doesn't cater to RTW. If I couldn't make my own costume I would commission it from someone local so I could go in for fittings and such. Actually, I guess you could say I sort of have commissioned cosplay before, as my first several cosplays were mostly sewn by my mom in the process of teaching me. But probably the biggest reason is that I love making things. I love figuring out how to make things. That is half of the fun for me.

If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props.

Definitely shoes. So far, the characters I've cosplayed either don't have any truly specific footwear or are a type that are readily available for purchase. I'd much rather spend my money on a nice pair of shoes that I can easily alter and possibly wear for more than just cosplay. At the very least I'd have to purchase a pair of shoes to harvest the soles anyway since I have no way of making those, so if there is a shoe on the market that works as is, I may as well purchase that.

Also, I'll often buy different objects to use as a base for props and what not. Altering and creative use of objects with wildly different original purposes is part of the fun!


If you make your own cosplay, why do you prefer making it over buying it? It might be an obvious answer to you, but I'm genuinely curious.

For all the above reasons of fit and my own brand of perfectionism and love of making things. Heck, I love sitting around puzzling over how to turn a 2D outfit into a real and functional piece of clothing just as much as I love the act of actually making it. It's a delightful challenge. Plus there are the warm fuzzies you get when you put in on and can say "I made this!"
For me, making my cospay is every bit as enjoyable as wearing it at a convention

Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?

Having never looked to buy RTW I don't know anything about the ebay market, and shall therefore refrain from sticking my foot in my mouth  ;)

I can understand the sense of achievement and pride when ones handiwork is praised, but if someone can't sew, is the next best thing for them to buy a costume, or to just not cosplay at all?

If you can't sew or find no enjoyment in sewing, but do find enjoyment in cosplay, then by all means purchase and cosplay that way! Ultimately cosplay is about having fun  ;D

[Dany]

Would you ever buy cosplay? Why or why not? How much would you pay for a good ready-to-wear costume (as opposed to commissioned)?

I have many reasons why I make my stuff:

1. Very few costumes I want are available through any other source than my own efforts.
2. I do not consider myself easy to fit unless someone is REALLY good at working with measurements accurately or has me on hand for fittings.
3. I'm pretty damn picky XD
4. I tend to enter masquerades and other contests where outfits not made by me are not allowed.

That being said, I did buy my first fairly simple costume a few months ago as a reward to myself.  It was a very different experience, and I admit that I don't have the attachment that I have to things that I have made. I got it for the fun of wearing, less about the challenge of building it and doing so successfully.

If there were any parts of a costume that you would much rather buy than make yourself, what would it be? Ex: shoes, accessories, props.

Shoes and wigs, especially if they are very standard. I also like buying to modify though, especially if what is required is very specific..

If you make your own cosplay, why do you prefer making it over buying it? It might be an obvious answer to you, but I'm genuinely curious.

Most of that addressed above, but I also really LIKE building my own stuff. I have a good time with making something that isn't real into something tangible. It can be a hard process, but it can be fun too.

Why is there such a stigma on eBay ready-made costumes? Is it because everyone uses the same photo and there's no good indication of the actual product, or is it because they're usually from China and China = cheap and bad?

eBay is a crap shoot as to whether you will get something that is good or something that...isn't. Even if you provide your measurements and ask for customization, it could be wrong when it arrives in some way that may not be savlageable in time for your event..like bad sizing, extremely poor quality of construction (falling-apart level), etc.

You really need to research the vendor (no matter what country they come from), find out if others have ordered from them, review their feedback, especially neutral and negative, and perhaps exchange some communication on what they provide and their policies when things go wrong. I shot messages back and forth for a few days with the vendor I ended up going with, and even then, the first time they made the costume it was way off in the sizing. However, I reached out to them and showed them in photos where it was wrong, and they fixed it for free. The results came out MUCH better..still not absolutely perfect, but that was the risk I took going that route in the first place, and I was OK because everything else I could easily get around with my own resources.

..that's another piece of advice I would add..and I would actually add this for ANY person looking to buy a costume online: buy in advance. That way you have time to get fixes done if you need them done. I can't tell you having that time padding helped my situation.

Personally, I have no talent for sewing and I do have a few pre-made costumes in my closet, which I would wear more often to cons if I had the complete set of accessories (wigs and shoes to name a few). I can understand the sense of achievement and pride when ones handiwork is praised, but if someone can't sew, is the next best thing for them to buy a costume, or to just not cosplay at all?

Buying and commissions is a perfectly viable option if you just can't sew and don't want to bother with the learning process. There are commissioners out there that want your money, many are good ones who take just as much pride in making what you'll wear as you'll have in wearing it!!  If you're just dressing up to have fun and not compete, you have no reason to be concerned about the source of your outfit. I always find it sad when people who don't make their stuff are looked down upon by those who do. We're all dressing funny, whether the stuff in our closet is by our own hands or the hands of others. If you can rock that commissioned Sailor Moon costume? Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. :)

[chibi*H A N A T S U K I]

If I could, I would make my costumes instead of buying it. That way you can feel like you've accomplished something and you feel great about it (plus, its a lot cheaper *cough, cough*~). Since I suck at sewing, I pretty much buy my costumes. Buying costumes isn't bad, especially if you don't have sewing skills like myself. If you want a cheaper and a more custom costume to fit you, you should try to make your own. Even if you don't have sewing skills and you want a cheaper costume, you can just put together random cheap clothes and alter it into the character's outfit you want it to be... I'm totally doing that. (: