Where to get Free, Cheap, and Old Magazines to Collage With
I have been seriously collecting collage materials for five years and I have some great tips. After you read my proven strategy for finding collage materials, you will be able to get a ton of super cheap stuff to collage with. First, you need to know the golden rule of collage materials:
The Golden Rule for Free and Cheap Collage Materials
Always remember, the force of gravity is on your side: paper is heavy. Anyone who has a whole bunch of books and magazines (that doesn't want them) will often be inclined to get rid of them the easiest way they can, by throwing them out or giving them away. Property owners are often sick and tired of moving and lugging boxes of books and magazines. For the rest of this blog post, I want you to keep this in mind:
How can you help these weary 'paper owners' lives easier? What favor can you do for these people, and in return, give you free magazines?
Here are my helpful tips for getting free and dirt cheap magazines to collage with:
Tell people what you are doing: Let people know that you are looking for cheap magazines, and what you do with them. I have gotten a ton of free stuff just by telling people that I have been collecting old magazines and paper for collage. It also helps if you tell them you don't use them for reselling on eBay. Listen, Forget small talk, when people ask "what's up?" say "I'm learning how to make collages. I love it. Do you have any old paper you don't want?"
Find out when people are moving: When people say they are moving or helping someone else move, or cleaning out a house, I always ask if they have any old books or magazines they are trying to get rid of. The answer is very often, "yes". Grandparents' homes often have a ton of old magazines. Offer to help older folks move or tidy up when the time comes. When you want free stuff, offer to barter a bit of your time and labor. It goes a long way.
Post "wanted" ads to Craigslist and Local Forums: Let people know you will buy paper. Use a cell phone or email and tell people to text you a quick picture of their lot. Often people will ask if you want free magazines because they just "would hate to throw them out."
Make a cheap 'business' card: I created a small 'business' card that I hand out to people at garage sales and flea markets. I leave them around places with other business cards. I mail them with my zines and keep some in my wallet. You would be surprised how much free paper you can get with this tiny piece of paper: (image)
Expand Your Idea of What You can Collage With: Magazines are not the only thing you can collage with. Far from it. Some common things you can find to collage with that are not magazines are board games, envelopes, construction paper, graph paper, notebooks, old letters, photographs, picture books, manuals, posters, blueprints, etc. It is amazing the things you can collage with On my collage podcast, Cut it Out!, professional collage artist, Lance Letscher, mentions that he uses eBay to find used traffic signs to collage with.
Learn How To Haggle and Get Lower Prices for Collage Magazines
In the following situations, you will pay, you will save a ton of money by following these tips:
When searching the web, use the word "lot": The word lot means "a great amount". This is a better search term than "collection" because collection connotates something that has value, and someone spent time curating it. Try searching for "lot of old comics" or "national geographic lot"
Buy in lots and bulk: I recently purchased 200 comics books for $100. That's 50 cents per comic! The price at the store said, "$1 per comic" (which is already very cheap) I simply asked the shop owner what he would want if I took a whole box from him. BOOM
Make Low (but not insulting) Offers: It never hurts to offer someone about 40% of their asking price. At flea markets and garage sales, people usually price items at their 'starting number' because they know people will try to haggle with them. For example, someone may ask for $20 on a box of magazines, because they hope to settle with someone at $15.
Look for these common magazines: National Geographic, Life, Playboy, and TIME are magazines I often see piles of on websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
Places to find cheap and Free magazines to collage with, for more info on the following list, check my previous blog post here: (link) The following locations usually have the best prices or offer free stuff.
Craig's List: Always a great place to look for the common magazines I previously mentioned.
Facebook Marketplace: Professional collage artist, Max Malone, says he checks Facebook every day for deals.
Library Sales: Often these sales let you fill a brown bag full of books for $5.
Collector shops & Comic Book stores: Many comic book stores have boxes with $1 comics.
Garage Sales: The best stashes are found in neighborhoods where old people live. Don't bother with new houses. All you will find are Barbie playhouses and golf shoes.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you would like to step up your collage game, I have collage art lessons and a collage supply store.
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I hope you enjoyed the tips! When I have free time, I try to make resources for people who wish to learn. They take a lot of time to create. Any donations are welcome!
Peace, Art, and Paper.
-The Red Wizard 10.07.21 6:59 am Buffalo, NY. Earth Planet, Milky Way Galaxy