What does the future hold for LARP traders, could they become extinct?

Well that’s the question; traders spend their lives asking themselves if they happen to be involved in the LARP world.
Why oh why don’t players understand?? Or is it that they don’t care!!

Moan, moan, moan... For decades, the same old chestnut seems to be the topic of conversation, no matter where you are in the larp world “really?? ... how much??” followed by the “so what if I bought 2 of those £6 wineskins, what discount could I get?”

The point is simple... You wouldn’t wander into a high street shop and start haggling for those trainers, or down the pub for that pint and yet some larp players the world over, seem to be happy to line the pockets of the big commercial firms, while squeezing the blood from the one man band. 

Anyone in the larp trade will clearly admit, they do it for love far more than money, and yet still many are afraid to have a real voice... in the fear, defending their right to earn, will result in the public many floggings that curse the forums out there, allowing flaming as a form of “debate”.

It’s a simple fact, every material any larp trader uses to create product costs money and has been acquired, with no bartering; every product has been made by hand, taking hours and far greater care than ever given credit for.

Next time you wander into that trader’s tent, or browse their wares online, spare a small thought for the effort they are going to, in order to make your character look and feel the part... The industry is changing and while players flock to all those offering huge discounts for inferior goods, with this offer and that offer, I wonder where those short sighted traders will be 5 years from now ?.. Bigger, better?? I think not.
 
They could however be the only ones left, which would be sad... Then watch their prices rise!

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.