Cosplay 101: China
Whether it’s your first time trying a costume or your 25th convention, at some point you’re going to buy something from China. Getting certain costume pieces at an affordable price point is the bane of every cosplayer’s crafting process. Let’s take a minute to break down the pros and cons of ordering pieces from China.
Pros:
Low cost-- things are genuinely cheaper buying directly from Asia vs a US dealer
Materials-- kanekalon fiber is used in most wigs vs the nylon junk party city offers
Availability-- Cosplay/Anime is common in Asia and marketed specifically so you can actually find what you’re looking for
Refunds-- Buying through Ebay or Amazon affords you some recourse through feedback and Paypal security helps with scams too
Time-- saving the hours and stress over trying to make a wig, etc yourself
Cons:
Delivery-- shipping overseas takes weeks to months with no recourse for a product being late
Materials--often they use stock photos and aren’t a good representation of the actual product
Risk--accuracy/quality is a gamble because you can’t see and feel it in person
Size-- Asian sizes are far smaller than ours, always go big, L=3X big
Policies-- no returns or exchanges are usually possible
The key things to remember when buying costume pieces from foreign countries:
Research: always read feedback, ratings, and seller feedback to customers
Timing: always purchase items over 6 weeks before you need them
Caution: be wary of stock photos
Size: Go big or go home
Judgement: Too good to be true probably is
