Everyone who is interested in modern art materials will sooner or later pay attention to alcohol markers, among which, probably, the most desired are markers of the Japanese company COPIC. Everything is great in them, except for the biting price. When I went to an art store in Moscow, my eyes went wide, because for one COPIC they can request up to 700 rubles, for a gas station for a COPIC for 900 rubles and more, and a set of 72 copy pen markers costs more than 50 thousand rubles. In online stores you can find markers a little cheaper – 550 rubles per item, if you’re lucky. In order to start drawing with copies you need at least 12 colors, it already comes out unprofitable.

When I realized that for a tiny set I would have to pay more than 12 thousand rubles, I decided to look for more options where you can buy COPIC on the Internet at the lowest price and without fraud. I found several Vkontakte groups, where they offered to send COPICs from Asia for 350 rubles / pc + shipping cost (from 500 rubles). I found pages on the instagram of people who are engaged in sending COPICs and sets from Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Japan. But to tell you the truth, all this did not inspire much confidence in me, which I did not like the most, is that the copies open before sending and make colorings. And I would like to get an unopened COPIC that nobody drew before me. I continued my search and climbed on Aliexpress and Ebay with a request for Copic sketch markers. On AliExpress, the original COPICs are not for sale, there are only cheaper analogues of Touch new that cannot be refilled. But on Ebay, the original COPICs are for sale and I was shocked by the prices! I managed to find the lowest price on the Internet for a set of 72 COPIC sketch 72A set markers – $ 300 (~ 20 tr).

•  
• Link to Ebay, where I ordered a copy (set of 72 markers) at the lowest price: https://goo.gl/JBMTpc
• The best price for one copy is 420 rubles here (free delivery to Moscow!): https://goo.gl/WwBVAF

With such prices you can already live! As a result, for 20 thousand rubles I received as many markers as I would have cost 50-60 thousand in a Moscow online store, and I certainly would not have bought them for that price.

Why COPIC markers are so expensive, I think it’s already clear – a copy is primarily a brand, and this is a brand focused on professionals from artists, illustrators, and sketchers. The .Too company has been producing these markers since 1987, and in 1993 COPIC Sketch came out, which I took for myself. Classic copybooks have a very thin tip, while copybooks have a sketch – the tip is wider and more flexible. Copies have a rigidly standardized palette, while it is possible to mix their colors on paper, there and inside the marker by mixing Various Copic Ink inks. Sam kopik pokuaput once and for life, and this is not a joke. The body of the marker will not have to be replaced, but the ink will need to be purchased, but as I understand it, not too often (once every few months if the marker is used intensively every day, and once every several years if it is not a running color). The tip of the marker can also be replaced if necessary.

Why, in my opinion, it is better to immediately invest to the maximum and buy many colors at once, instead of buying three first, then three more and so on. I think that you need to focus on the seriousness of your intentions, you know yourself better. I just immediately realized that I would like to draw with markers, although initially I saw them only in YouTube. So if you are sure that you will not draw them for one or two days, but for a long straight, then save up money to immediately take at least 24 colors (the more the better). Firstly, the more colors, the more you like to draw and the more colorful the work will turn out. And secondly, and this is the most important thing, if you draw with many COPICs at once (and on regular paper 70-90 grams with wax impregnation), then each of them is consumed more slowly. And in the long run it will be more profitable.

In the modern age of global trade, you just need to once master the global hypermarkets Ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress and others, and life immediately becomes not as expensive as we are used to. You can find goods that are sold near your home at exorbitant prices at half the price! You must carefully select the sellers in these online stores, pay attention to the rating, reviews, carefully read the description of the goods. For several years now I have been ordering almost everything (except food) in Ali, and I have never been deceived, things come in good quality, sellers correspond with all questions. On Amazon, I made one order, everything was fine too. And now the time has come for Ebay, which has already pleased me with excellent prices for COPIC markers, probably this is the lowest possible price. And a week’s delivery from Japan directly to my home by courier.

Guys, learn opportunities and new technologies! It is fun and saves a lot of money. And in all these amazons, ebay and aliexpress have a bunch of cool goods that are generally unrealistic to find in your city. As for artistic finds, I will continue to share useful links with you where I found what. All successful and joyful acquisitions! If you have a question, write. Bye Bye.