For the first time in Longaber history, a line of baskets will be available in the company owned retail stores at the Homestead. This is a big departure from past policy that dictated that, with the exception of the Homestead souvenir basket, Longaberger baskets would be available only at home shows through Longaberger consultants.
Longaberger President, Jim Klein said that although. . “selling baskets at the tourist destination will strike many as a no brainer. . . the company must walk a fine line between pleasing customers and undercutting the 55,000 consultants who make up the company’s sales force.”
To this end, the company will be offering only retired items not currently in its standard line. Consultants will remain the exclusive source for purchasing line items.
Originally touted as collectibles, basket values have taken a hit in recent years, much in the manner of Beanie Babies and collector plates. Prices on eBay for unusual, Dave Longaberger signed, and retired items remain fairly strong, but standard items from the 1990’s seem to be selling for a fraction of their original price. With retired baskets returning to production within the next few weeks, this may be the time to sell.
