8 Awesome Spots to Buy DIY Cosplay and Halloween Costumes

Don’t want to go to a Halloween pop-up shop and buy a costume that everyone else is wearing? Want to make your own but aren’t sure where to begin looking for components? Here are eight excellent places to begin your Halloween costume search. Without spending a lot of money, you may quickly put together a complete outfit, be unique, and have everything fit better!

The first stop is Amazon

When I’m looking for Harley Quinn costume parts, the first place I look is Amazon. It provides me a decent notion of what’s available, the costs of individual pieces vs. ready-made outfits, and I know that if I need anything right away, I can generally get it the next day. I usually save items in my basket or create a list, then return to Amazon if I can’t find something better elsewhere. I also have an Amazon page where I share shoppable photographs and costume inspiration: Amazon Finds by Candy Keane

Thrift stores like Goodwill and others

If you can put your outfit together with clothes pieces, Goodwill is a terrific place to start your search. Digging through the racks might be overwhelming, so make a plan before you start. Grab a cart and begin pulling anything that appears to be useful. At Goodwill, you may get a lot for your money! Remember, you’re searching for components with potential—things you can change to make them function, not finished items.

I go to Shein after I got the Amazon prices

I go to Shein after searching Amazon for prices and finding what I can at Goodwill. Shein has a lot of great deals on everything, not just costumes. (To save 10% on your order, click here.) They have items for both men and women, as well as youngsters.

When you type “Halloween” into a search engine, a plethora of cute results appear! The disadvantage is the shipment period, which can take up to a week. So you want to place your order as soon as possible. They usually have lower prices than Amazon.

For example, the cheapest synthetic leather jacket I could find on Amazon for my Black Canary costume was $30, but I found a beautiful one on Shein for $15! I also discovered a nice $10 outfit that I bought for everyday wear but ended up wearing as a costume.

And, while we’re on the subject of cheap shopping, if you’re going to try Wish, order WAY ahead of time since it will take over a month to arrive, and 99 percent of the time it will be terrible, leaving you scurrying for a substitute at the last minute. Shein, on the other hand, is far more dependable.

Shein has a dress

When it comes to creating goods, everyone knows to go to the craft stores, but you might be amazed at what you can discover at a hardware store or an auto shop. I frequently stroll the aisles of Lowe’s, looking for something that might be useful. And you can get special spray paint for altering the color of seats and dashboards at an auto shop, which you may use to change the color of any leather or vinyl without it cracking or flaking off.

If you require a custom work, go to Etsy

When you can’t locate what you’re looking for and can’t make it yourself, Etsy is a terrific alternative. Everything is manufactured by people on there, and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can typically have it custom built. Scarlet Moon Designs recently 3-D printed a pair of Bowsette horns for me, and I’m extremely pleased with the results! I also sell my costume parts for sale on Etsy: SewGeekMama is a seller on Etsy.

Thrift stores or online resale

Poshmark and eBay are two terrific sites to shop if you’re looking for a ready-made costume component. This week, I’ve been offering a lot of my lightly used costumes and wigs on Poshmark. I normally list items there first, then go on to eBay if they don’t sell.

Making an offer is the greatest way to get stuff through these two places! If you are in a rush, you can buy it at the stated price, but if you can wait a day, you can always make an offer and save a few bucks.

Shops with a niche

If you’re looking for something really specialized and haven’t been able to find it anywhere, try a specialist store that specializes in one item. Mendel’s for faux fur, SpandexHouse for anything stretchy, and WeLoveColors for tights are the top three brands I use.

All of these establishments have been around for a long time and are known for their high quality. If you’re tall or plus size, WeLoveColors is a must-have for tights that fit properly and don’t rip the first time you wear them. They come in a variety of colors, and not having to pull my tights up all day is well worth the money.

Stores that specialize on cosplay

You don’t always have time to put together an entire outfit, or it’s just too complicated, and you just want to buy anything. There are a lot of cosplay stores online, but the quality might be hit or miss. It’s also possible to become perplexed because you’ll encounter the same photographs in other stores. Role Cosplay, Heroes Time, and Cosplay Sky are a few that have given me good service. To save 15% at Role Cosplay, click the banner below and use the code!