Where To Find Cheap Film Props (online and offline)

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Published: August 12, 2020 | Last Updated: August 28, 2025

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Film props are objects written into your film’s story that you need to create the world of the film. When renting cheap (i.e., affordable) film props, you’re limited by location, with most of the best rental houses operating out of big cities. But solid resources like eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Omega Cinema Props, Modernica Props, and others exist if you’re looking to buy film props outright.

Think about the snowglobe and the sled from Citizen Kane, the knife from Psycho, the hoverboard from Back to the Future, the lightsaber from Star Wars, all the guns and cars from your favorite action movies, and even the horse head in the bed from The Godfather counts! 

Why are film props important?

Film props are important not just because they’re iconic but also because they are essential to the story.

Not only that, but they build the world around your characters and make it feel real and lived in. One reason so many fans loved the original Star Wars films was that they felt so immersive. A major reason for this was the unique costumes and amazing props! 

Having good film props is akin to having good production value—the better the quality, i.e., the props’ realism, the higher the production value of your film will feel. 

Where do you get cheap (affordable) film props?

So, how can you get good-quality film props for your upcoming film? Prop rental houses are highly recommended by every production designer I’ve ever worked with. 

Film Prop Rental Houses.

Depending on where you live, prop houses are probably the number one place to go for cheap film props because you can rent the items instead of having to buy them. The variety of options you can find at rental houses is very handy, as you can be lucky to get all you need in one place. 

Also, renting your film props is usually more affordable if you don’t incur late fees.

However, this option depends on where you live. You’ll be limited to the prop houses available in your local area – which might reduce the quality of the items at your disposal or raise the cost of the items in question. 

For instance, plenty of prop houses are at your disposal with competitive rental rates if you live in Los Angeles. But if you live somewhere like Des Moines, Iowa, without a booming film industry (no offense meant!), you’ll need to rely on more theatrical prop rental houses.

Yard sales or Thrift Stores.

Outside of renting props directly from a prop house, there are a few other options to find cheap film props for your next production. Going to second-hand sales, like a yard sale or thrift store, is a great way to find potentially vintage items, usually at a surprisingly fair price. 

For instance, let’s say you are looking for costumes to dress characters like they are from the early 1990s. Most thrift stores would have some offerings that fit that bill. 

Or let’s say you’re looking to dress a cast in a more modern look, but you don’t want to go out and pay a boatload to buy new clothes off the shelf.  If you’re lucky, a local yard sale is one often-overlooked option to score some thrifty finds. 

Where else?

Instead of relying solely on prop rental houses and other location-specific options, here are a few resources you can use no matter where you live. 

Omega Cinema Props.

Omega Cinema Props is one high-quality prop house based in Los Angeles that ships their props internationally. Omega offers affordable weekly rental rates and discounts per week for every continuous week you rent with them – after you’ve established a relationship. 

Looking through their catalog, you will find a lot of high-quality production-grade furniture, hardware, electronics, and appliances. Depending on the object category, you can sort their catalog online with qualifiers for period, style, aesthetic, etc. 

This is a valuable resource for shooting a larger production. Omega carries high-quality film props to rent, which are much more affordable than buying them outright.

Ebay. 

EBay might not be your first choice when hunting for affordable film props, but a selection is available. If you’re good at finding deals with the “Buy it now” option, you can keep the prices down without doing too much bidding. 

While the options available on eBay might not be specific for film, you can find great vintage, retro, or antique items that can be used as film props (usually affordable) by looking for particular keywords. 

The only caveat to buying through eBay is that you are buying, not renting, these items, and the seller is entirely responsible for allowing you to return them.

Etsy.

Etsy is one of my favorite sources for finding indie creations and supporting individual creators. While bigger companies have gotten wise to Etsy’s popularity as a popular resource for “homemade” craftsman-style pieces and gotten in on the action, it still retains its home-grown, indie feel. 

There are all sorts of weird and wacky finds when you search the term “movie props” on the Etsy website, many of which are high quality and add a hand-crafted touch to your film’s props. 

The pricing on these film props can vary widely depending on the seller, but for the most part, most items you might need should be affordable on a budget. 

Amazon. 

When in doubt, you can always turn to Amazon. While Amazon does have an entertainment collectible category that sells “props,” the category is more for memorabilia from previously filmed movies than actual working props for your upcoming production. 

Instead, try searching for movie props in all categories. In particular, use the keyword “prop” alongside whatever item you seek. There are all kinds of obscure or random objects, some pretty practical ones like fake money, retracting knives, etc. 

For example, I co-wrote an indie feature film going into production this summer, and one of the items we needed to secure was fake prop pills. Many of the options we found and were deciding between were from Amazon, which was convenient and affordable on an indie budget. 

Entertainment Earth. 

The website Entertainment Earth is a great resource for finding affordable prop replicas for recreating iconic scenes or parodying some of your favorite films. 

Since the film props sold on this site are replications of iconic props from existing material, this resource isn’t the best for original props and costumes. 

Where other options on this list are great for tracking down everyday pieces to incorporate into your set design, Entertainment Earth provides actual replications of famous props from movies – like lightsabers!

Even still, this one is a great resource for finding cheap film props for content like sketch comedy videos, paying homage to a classic film in a music video, or producing fan-created content based in your favorite cinematic universe. 

Buy and return from big department stores.

This is a classic move that many production designers, prop masters, and costume designers use, though it can sometimes be frowned upon. 

I’m talking about buying from a big-name department store and returning it once the production is done. 

Let’s say you must dress a teenage girl’s room, so you go to Target and find many items that would fit the character. You can buy those items. You can return them once you shoot those scenes – as long as the return policy is followed. 

Borrow from friends and family.

This one may be a no-brainer, but borrowing film props from friends and family is a great way to secure cheap ones. 

You’ll be genuinely surprised by what types of items and trinkets people own that you wouldn’t expect. All it takes is the courage to ask around and see what’s available. You can even ask on Craigslist or Nextdoor to see if your neighbors have something you can use.

When borrowing (or renting) any items from close friends, relatives, or prop rental houses, you must treat the items with respect. – Remember that these items are someone else’s and that someone else will be using them again when your production is over.

These are just some ideas. 

The above is in no way a definitive list. When it comes to finding cheap film props for movies, it usually comes down to being creative. 

For instance, if you are building a low-budget sci-fi world, you may need to create some props yourself. 

There are plenty of online resources that provide step-by-step guides on how to build cool, creative props and costumes. 

For example, creative people (especially cosplay customers and monster prop craftsmen!) are always posting about how they came up with this or that new design, so the work they share can be used as blueprints or jumping-off points for your creations. 

You may have more resources local to your immediate area that aren’t listed here, either. The key is to ask around and scour everywhere you can. 

If you have a specific vision and aren’t satisfied with what’s available, take a little extra time to go deep and see what you can discover. Or even better – hire an art direction team you trust to go forth and help find props to make your film’s world come alive with style and wonder.