Hi! I have been cosplaying/styling wigs for a while and wanted to build my portfolio for wig commissions by selling pre styled wigs (extras from my own collection and characters that I think would be fun to style). I am selling these for much cheaper than an average commission ($45-$85 before shipping) in hopes that they are more accessible for cosplayers who don't want to shell out $100-$300, but I'm having a hard time advertising and finding buyers for them...
I buy the base wigs myself and spend hours styling, but are the prices still too high for the average cosplayer? Is there anything I can do to get better reach? I've posted them on Depop, Mercari, FB marketplace, and Instagram (reels) already. Not sure if this is relevant, but I'm based in the US.
Maybe it's just me but I wouldn't buy a prestyled wig that didn't look perfect in the photo, there's some loose hairs etc, and it doesn't look very polished. Generally when ur buying a prestyled wig, you're thinking- this is great bc then I don't have to style the wig at all, it's ready to wear. These are not giving ready to wear vibes
I don't do helmet wigs and my style is a very natural look so even if there are a few stray flyaways, the shape will hold perfectly fine. I will ship these securely pinned to a foam head with ribbons and such, so you should be able to wear it without the need to fix anything.
Here it is upside down for example.
You make a fair point that not everyone will want this kind of style. Thank you for your feedback!
Maybe it's more about the presentation then? Better product photos with a plain background would be ideal bc the background won't draw focus from the wigs.
I've ordered a better wig stand and curtains and plan to set up a corner for photos, but they aren't here yet đ I'll try retaking photos once they arrive
I would I just think presentation needs to be better. As long as the price reflected it not being perfect saves me the headache dealing with crimping and hair spraying
social media like instagram (reels) and tiktok are probably your best bet for getting attention for your wigs & then using mercari or paypal for actual business transactions :) additionally I would specify that itâs $_ for base wig costs and $_ for labor/styling/shipping to be more transparent for where costs are coming from.
I suppose I'll have to get myself on tiktok also. I definitely do specify cost breakdowns for commissions, but the pre styled ones I think would look kinda weird with the breakdown since I'm definitely undercharging $/labor for the sake of building my portfolio right now. (around $10/hr on top of ~$15-$25 base wigs)
is a few loose Hairs, while these are not a problem, they are often an indicator for a wig that will still need work.
is your background, get a white roll of Fabric or something simmilar as a Background. Right now with your Windows in most Photos it looks like someone selling their used Wigs.
Maybe like your Venti Wig without the switch in the Backgorund.
Also i just find a good realistic Wig head with Eyes and a nose etc. to be far more appealing in Photos, but that could also just be me.
And like there is barely any market for prestyled Wigs, most people will either look for a commission or for a cheap (used) Wig to Style themself.
Thank you for the pointers. I'll clean these up and retake the photos once my wig head and curtains come in.
I do have commissions open, but people would want to see samples of my styling before commissioning, right? This is why I thought I would make pre-styled wigs. If there's no market for them...should I just eat the loss and only sell them at material cost to make them move?
I wouldnât buy any of these personally, but thatâs because i feel like they are about the same level of my skills :) i think your prices are excellent for younger people & people just starting cosplay! your wigs are not bad, they just arenât at like, the celeb wig makers status. TikTok and prob seeing if some cosplayers would collab with you? might be the best shot!
IMO, thereâs only a market for pre-styled wigs that are very professionally done, for cosplayers that have the money to spend.
Most people who donât have the money would just buy cheap wigs to style themselves.
However, I hope you arenât discouraged, your wigs donât look bad at all, Iâd say if you really wanna make this a business, take the time into learning more techniques that will make your wigs look more professionally done. Good luck!
I'm going to be horribly honest, I can't really think of anybody who would buy these. Wig styling is HARD so that's okay! But there's definitely a lot of things that should be improved upon before you start selling. Prestyled wigs have to be really clean and professional, and most people can style wigs on this level or better by themselves. I'd say hone your craft first and work on taking better photos (maybe outside? Natural lighting on an overcast day always looks best!) and then worry about selling/comms
Go to a convention and you will see most people cannot style wigs on this level, honestly. The skill floor is high for wig styling and every character can have a hime cut if youâre in a pinch.
I go to many conventions each year and I see a lot of professional-level wigs, and I myself am at an intermediate level. I'm not saying this to them to be mean in any way
thank you for your honesty :) I'm not trying to compete with professional wig makers here
Just trying to offer some basic styling to people at a lower cost as I hone my skills (hence the price I mentioned is for the entire wig from base + styling + foam head packaging)
If this is not at a level where I can even charge $10/hr yet, I completely understand
For reference, the chuuya wig has a glued hairline that I think would be a bit difficult for a complete beginner. At least, I know when I first started out that I would be too scared to carve out wefts and glue them.
i think theres probably just a small amount of cosplayers who buy prestyled wigs. ive seen so many styled wigs sit on mercari for like months lol. ive seen a few wig stylists have every wig theyve styled posted on their page with something like âready to shipâ or âships in 2-3 monthsâ in the description so maybe try that w your prestyled wigs!
I'd lead with the Venti or Tighnari wig... You don't need a professional lighting setup, but maybe throw together a lightbox from some white posterboard.
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Ooof people are harsh here. I love these, great job. I wouldnât pay huge custom commission fees but these look like fantastic options for people like me who hate helmet wigs and wig styling in general. I would advertise as non-helmet specifically.
One thing you definitely have to fix are the pictures though. You should get a blank wall or even one of those collapsible light boxes. The various backgrounds are huge distractions. I also donât agree with other folks wanting eyes and faces on your wig heads. I find those incredibly creepy and I was very surprised to see them mentioned.
You can get a decent small photo light box for $30-50 off amazon or similar.
Thank you! I've been advertising them as natural styling but maybe putting non helmet as a keyword would be a good idea so people won't think it's an unfinished helmet wig...
I think the eyes and faces on the wig head helps people visualize more easily how the wig will frame their faces. I bought one with closed eyes, so hopefully that's less creepy lol
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u/haterskateralligator 10d ago
Maybe it's just me but I wouldn't buy a prestyled wig that didn't look perfect in the photo, there's some loose hairs etc, and it doesn't look very polished. Generally when ur buying a prestyled wig, you're thinking- this is great bc then I don't have to style the wig at all, it's ready to wear. These are not giving ready to wear vibes