It is indeed a matter of timing. I too once hit a garage/yard sale where the lady was giving up quilting...my oh my; I bought 4 HUGE boxes of cotton fabric, yardage, fat quarters, scraps and oh-la-la. Got all of it for $20..unbelievable! So keep looking and check regularly as it is like a numbers game... sooner or later, your number is up and you get lucky.