there is what l'd call a dollar store near me, they always have new cheap stuff, they had some just come in.

I hope you will be aware that Panama hats sold in China are not real ones, not even made from the same "pajilla" (straw leaves is as close as I can translate it).  Panama hats are made in Ecuador, got their name because workers at the construction of the Panama Canal used them, and made them famous.  Panama was also the trans boarding point for them for the rest of the Americas, Europe and Asia.  My mother's father, Primo Diaz, from Spain, emigrated to Ecuador, and founded a small town on the Pacific Coast and all persons living there made hats for him.  He presided the firm Diaz Quiros, who exported Panama hats all over the Americas and Caribbean, and made a fortune with them.  A good Panama hat (locally called jipijapa) will be made out of the leaves of the toquilla straw plant, and here in China they use bamboo leaves, or sometimes even paper.  A good "jipijapa" will be know for their weaving and blocking.  Weaving will be the number of weaves per square inch, if less than 100 it is of very poor quality, and those in excess of 1500 will command prices in the thousands of dollars.  And blocking ,means that it is weaved so evenly and tight that can hold water in it without leaking it.  Another good indicator will be if when you roll it for storage you can pass it thru a wedding ring without difficulty.  A GOOD PANAMA HAT TAKES MAYBE AS MUCH AS 4 MONTHS TO BE HAND MADE.  Today, the best ones come from Montecristi, a town in Ecuador.