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Where can i buy Boy Scout Merit Badges?!?!?!?! PLZ HELP!!!!!


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I am working on my Eagle Scout rank for boy scouts. I have earned 22 merit badges, 12 of them required eagle ones. However, i don't have the actual badge for 4 of them, though i have the little green merit badge card.... Where can i buy the merit badges? I need basketry, small boat sailing, engineering, and environmental science. I heard that you don't have to have the actual badge if you have the green or blue card, but i want them to look good for my BOR and w/e. so, anyone know wherei can get these, especially ANYWHERE ONLINE!?!?!?!

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Why don't you have the merit badges if you got the cards?

 

If you never received them, that's the responsibility of your troop to award you for your achievements (in a timely manner).

 

If you received them and already lost them, ask your troop to get you replacements and you can offer to cover the expense.

 

As jmwalston pointed out, specifically talk to your scoutmaster or advancement chair.(This message has been edited by nolesrule)

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About the only place online would be Ebay. Otherwise, you can call your local Council Scout Shop and explain that you need to buy some replacement merit badges and that you have your signed blue cards. Or, as the others suggested, ask that your Scoutmaster pick them up the next time he goes to buy awards. Getting replacements should not be a problem. Good luck.

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What may be more important than you not having these Merit badges in hand is that your permanent record at you council may not be up to date. It would behoove any scout star and above to ask the staff at their council office to please print them up a copy of their record. This will show all your merit badges and ranks earned and the dates. The dates are actually most critical as well as certain requirements require tenure so you must make sure that your Star BOR is at least 4 months after your first class BOR as an example. Better to correct these now when there is plenty of time. You may not have the Merit badges because they have never been submitted on an advancement report and therefore never awarded to you in which case they will not be on your record. Alternatively you may find that you have several merit badges on your sash which don't show up on your report. This could be because your troop gave you the MB out of their stock and forgot to include it on an advancement report or a clerical or a name error. Name errors are very common with boys that use their middle name all registrations and therefore all advancement reports should have a full legal name. Be prepared applies to advancement as well know what is in your permanent record.

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I agree that council advancement records are sometimes incorrect, but I don't agree, Scott, that scouts should be individually calling the council registrar to check on this. That should be the job of the troop advancement chair, or failing that, of the SM or maybe committee chair. I know that in my council, if every Star and Life scout started calling the registrar, she'd be flooded with calls and not very happy! Further, if this young man has the green cards that are usually awarded to a boy along with the actual merit badge itself, this is less likely to be a council record keeping issue and more likely to be either a troop issue (they never gave him the badge) or his own issue (he lost the badge). Council registrar can't help with that.

 

Use the resources you have at your finger tips first, got2surf. Let your Scoutmaster know of the problem and ask him or her to help you get it straightened out. Most likely it will be easily resolved.

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As usual, we devolve into pointing the righteous finger of indignation and giving advice and counsel where none was asked. The point is, the young man doesn't have the badges...for reasons that are irrelevant now. He asked a simple question, which was answered long ago. He just wants to buy replacements, and he can either ask his SM to pick them up or go to the scout shop himself and present proof of earning. Sheesh.

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To answer got2surf's questions:

 

1 Since you have the MB award card, we're talking completed badges.

2 Ask your SM/Advancement Person in your troop, on their next run to the Scout Shop to pick up replacements. MBs cost less than $4 apiece.

 

3 No, they're not available online by BSA Supply Corporation. They are controlled items.

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Well, if you earned these merit badges & you seem to have the documentation that you did earn them, it would seem to make sense to ask your SM instead of a post under a handle in a Scouting forum. Hope that helps explain my logic.

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I can tell you this, you will need an advancement report, even to buy replacements. that's national policy in a scout shop. Also the scout shop will not sell an advancement award to a scout without some type of proof, i.e. a copy of the unit's advancement report, record from the council, his certificate, etc.

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Merit badges are not restricted items, therefore, you may buy them when you have the cash and during hours that the Scout shop is open. That is the simple answer.

 

The more indepth answer, as many have stated, is that Scouts should not be buying merit badge, rank, service star, etc. items. These should be done by your unit.

 

The fact that you may have or not have the actual badge is irrelevant to your pursuit to the Eagle rank. You do not need to own the patches, you need to have earned them.

 

Not having the merit badges on your MB sash would be an excellent point to bring up to the committee members on your BOR. One of the responsibilities of the committee is to provide an advancement chair who should be aware of you issues.

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acco40 writes: "The more indepth answer, as many have stated, is that Scouts should not be buying merit badge, rank, service star, etc. items. These should be done by your unit."

 

I do not agree with this statement! A Scout is Trustworthy. The Scouting program is designed to enable its participants to become self sufficient. Youth members that have more than one uniform, as many in the higher ranks may if they are active should not depend on adults to do thier shopping. The earned badge should be provided by the unit but any copies for other uniforms or any other reason a Scout should be able to buy himself. My advice is a visit to his loacal Scout Shop with his cards and cash in hand. If his earning is legit then I'll bet he walks out with the patches.

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