Fight brewing over whether to buy fabrics online or in person for cheap cosplay

My buddy Mike told me I was wasting my time buying fabric from Joann's sales and that I should just order everything off Amazon for half the price. So I tried it for my last build, a Star Wars Jedi robe. Ordered the fabric online, paid $12 instead of $25, and it showed up looking like a totally different color than the listing. The texture was rough and stiff too, not the soft drape I needed. I ended up spending another $15 to fix it with stuff from the local store. Now I'm wondering if the savings are even real with shipping costs and returns being a pain. Has anyone else had a bad experience chasing online deals for costume fabrics?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota7876d ago

Stick with in-person shopping so you can actually feel the fabric before buying it.

markl756d ago

Returns are free at almost every online store these days, so you can order three different shades of the same shirt and send back what doesn't work. Fabric feel is subjective anyway - what feels soft in-store might pill after two washes, while that rough linen you'd never buy online becomes your favorite after a few cycles. Plus, in-store lighting is a complete lie for color matching, their salespeople rush you, and you waste an afternoon driving around.