In the U.S. we have a strange tradition but ongoing which begins every year around Memorial Day and continues until Labor Day. Of course, I'm referring to the infamous garage sale season. Hundreds of thousands of American families spend the winter collecting all sorts of things around the house they no longer want and organizing them for a planned sale during the following spring or summer. It's an annual rite of American neighborhoods that's been going on for decades.
If you collect embroidered patches then garage sales are a great place to find them. They're certainly not as widespread as baby items, clothing, and obsolete household or electronic items, but they are out there if you're willing to put in an afternoon looking for them. What's more, people holding garage sales typically are doing so to clean out their homes. They're not necessarily looking to make a lot of money in the process. That means it's possible to find some very valuable patches at very good prices.
If you're a patch reseller, you could use garage sales to enhance your existing inventory of wholesale patches. I know of one reseller who bought a vintage collection of Boy Scout patches for next to nothing, only to turn around and list them on his website at a very decent profit. There's no reason why you couldn't do the same.
To help narrow down your search you might check your local newspaper listings, be they online or in print. Often times those who advertise garage sales will point out unique items you're not likely to find elsewhere. Embroidered patch collections are one of those unique items. If you can find garage sales were patches are specifically mentioned you'll save yourself a lot of unnecessary driving.
Happy hunting!
