The past few years have seen an epic surge in popularity of the practice of cosplay. What once was a small subset of fans has swelled enormously over time in the convention community. But how does one get started in such an involved and time-consuming endeavor? It is certainly easy to be intimidated by all the enormously talented cosplayers seen at conventions and featured in online publications. However, some tips and tricks may be able to help you traverse the expansive terrain that is cosplay.

What once was a small subset of fans has swelled enormously over time in the convention community, but how does one get started in such an involved and time consuming endeavor?

Online marketplaces can be a bit of a hit or miss with their products. The biggest issue that many people encounter is that online shops often post photos of costumes that are nowhere near the quality of the product they ship to consumers. This can be increasingly problematic when these manufacturers are overseas and wait time for shipments can be incredibly long. Additionally, if there is an issue with the product, international shipping costs become a hassle. One such solution to this is buying gently used costumes from other consumers online via eBay, Facebook Marketplace, etc. Custom made costumes are definitely expensive and hard to come by. However, purchasing a custom made costume from someone with roughly the same measurements ensures that your purchase is a quality product.