The LARP Trader UK's marketplace for LARP kit, costumes, and community.

The LARP Trader

UK's marketplace for LARP kit, costumes, and community.

Latest Articles

Community & Events

Shared Foam, Shared Trust: The Quiet Rise of UK LARP Kit Libraries

Community kit libraries are popping up in clubs, halls and event camps across the UK, turning spare foam and old garb into shared armoury. Here is how lending schemes work, what organisers need to check, and how traders and players can support them without turning the second-hand market into a free-for-all.
Swap Meet, Not Swap Mess: Running a Local LARP Kit Exchange People Trust
Selling & Listing

Swap Meet, Not Swap Mess: Running a Local LARP Kit Exchange People Trust

A local kit swap can move unused gear, fill gaps in someone else's costume and build a stronger player network in an afternoon. The trick is treating it like a small marketplace with clear rules, a safety desk and a plan for when a swap goes sideways.
Kit Care & Maintenance

Before You List It: Five Bench Jobs That Add Real Value to Old LARP Kit

Some repairs make old LARP kit genuinely tradeable. Others just hide a problem until the buyer finds it. Here are five bench jobs worth doing before you list, plus the disclosure language that keeps trust intact.
The Graceful Retirement: Selling a Whole Character Kit Without Losing the Plot
Selling & Listing

The Graceful Retirement: Selling a Whole Character Kit Without Losing the Plot

A whole character kit is more than a bundle of clothes and foam. Here is how to split it sensibly, price the story without overcharging for it, and hand it over in a way that keeps the UK LARP market friendly.
Phone, Daylight, Six Frames: A LARP Seller's Photo Routine for Grim UK Weather
Selling & Listing

Phone, Daylight, Six Frames: A LARP Seller's Photo Routine for Grim UK Weather

You do not need a studio to sell kit on The LARP Trader. You need six honest photographs, a dry doorway, and a phone with a clean lens. Here is the repeatable routine that turns gloomy British daylight into listings people trust.
The Fifty-Quid Frost Kit: Cold-Weather LARP Bargains That Actually Work
Buyer's Guides

The Fifty-Quid Frost Kit: Cold-Weather LARP Bargains That Actually Work

A hard £50 cap, a UK winter event, and a marketplace full of nearly-right kit. Here is how to build a genuinely cold-ready LARP layer system from second-hand pieces, without dressing like a bin bag or paying boutique prices.
Mud, Mould and Money: A November Triage Plan for Your LARP Kit Bag
Kit Care & Maintenance

Mud, Mould and Money: A November Triage Plan for Your LARP Kit Bag

Your kit has been festering in a bag since the last event of the season. November is the moment to work out what to clean, what to repair, what to retire, and what's still worth listing for next year.
Buyer's Guides

Foam, Leather and Fine Print: How to Buy Second-Hand LARP Gear Without Getting Stitched Up

Pre-loved LARP kit is one of the great joys of the UK scene — and one of its great minefields. Here's how to read a listing properly, ask the right questions, and avoid paying good money for a foam sword with a secret.