Yeah when Joseph said about wrecking foam swords it hit me. The thing nobody talks about is how cosplay makes you study a character in creepy detail. You end up noticing background stitches in a game cutscene or how a cape flows in a specific fight scene, stuff normal viewers totally miss. It rewires how you watch the show or play the game because you're not just a fan anymore, you're trying to reverse engineer their reality. That obsession is its own separate hobby from just making the costume.

That point about brand value is spot on. When I sold my old Nike shoes, they went for double what generic sneakers would. People just trust the name and are willing to pay extra for it. Same with electronics, my Samsung phone kept its value way better. Pricing higher isn't just greedy, it's what the market expects. Stick to brand pricing if you want quick sales.