Hi Jacob!

No, I'm still here.  Just got tied up with some personal stuff.  I'll be sharing a little of my story shortly.  

Thanks for saying "hi"!  :)

Ivette

Hey there, welcome back Ivette, I was wondering if we'd lost you.

Hi everyone!

I actually had looked at the purse line a few weeks ago too.  You know, just checking out the "competition". :)

I haven't seen one in person, but they look very similar to Vera Bradley and Thirty-One (fabrics and styles)  The prices are pretty reasonable but the selection is poor (in my opinion).  I don't think they've gone deep enough into the product assortment to say it's a new line.  It seems as though they are trying it out to see if purses will sell too.  I have no basis for this other than my opinion - I have no idea how long they have been offering purses. 

If someone were looking at Longaberger as a business, I would advise them to stick to their core products of baskets and accessories for making their decision, rather than the "new" line of purses.  

Just my two cents :)

Heya Linda, thanks for clearing that one up a bit, I really wasn't sure why every time I did a search, I kept seeing the same patterns lol. Now I know why. I appreciate the reply, since I didn't have much to contribute as a consumer...

Hello everyone!

Wallace, I took a look here and I do have a few comments to add to this topic. I think there is the assumption that Longaberger has gone into the purse market, but that isn't quite how it is going down. All they did was make a meager line of handbags, and they are ok, not my kind of handbag, but nice. There are four different types and three different patterns I think. That is as far as they have gone and I am not sure if they have plans to expand further or even if they are going to continue since they are already retiring one of the designs. On one hand, you are correct in saying that Longaberger has gone into the hand bag market, but I equate it with Cosmopolitan Magazine's attempt at making Yogurt. Many gals may remember that one, which only lasted about two years. As many people know, Cosmopolitan was and is, a very successful company, but that doesn't mean it made any real contributions to the dairy products world. In that case the yogurt was really gross! but in Longaberger's case, it has managed to introduce these bags as little more than an accessory. So its a very small line of items added to their catalogue, but hardly an attempt at penetrating the purse market. I wonder if they have made any public statements regarding the future of their bag line...

Hmm, well you learn something new everyday, I had no idea they made purses either. I wish we had more female posters willing to look at the lineup and give an opinion about the style. Is it in line with what's hip today? Or are many women like Caspean, and prefer durability...come on ladies chime in and let us know what is more interesting to you. For some reason I find it difficult to imagine Longaberger having a ton of success with making purses that attract a piece of the market, but who knows, maybe they are superb?

Fantastic. Why? because I had no idea that Longaberger made purses, and I have been buying "Longabaskets" as we refer to them in our family for years. My mother has owned the same one for over 30 years, and it hasn't aged at all, not a single loose weave. So naturally, I spent all of the last week looking for a replacement purse since my Hollister decided to give in to the wear and tear of my life. wuss. Oh well, so I looked online, saw this, that, those and them, lots of choices, killer styles, some at killer prices, and sure enough after a long rigorous search for the absolute perfect end all arguments and debates bag, I see the Longaberger name pop up. Well, I can say that I'm not worried about early breakage with these guys, because everything I've ever bought from them has managed to outlive all of its contenders.

I'm a durability girl, even more so than looks, but I have managed to find both in one fantastic bag. Oh no, you know it didn't end there, I bought a tote bag as well, and maybe a few small accessories that we won't talk about here. They call their main line, "Sisters Handbags"  and they are all made from quality fabrics which do uphold the universal laws of trend and style. I bought a Mid-sized bag that has a bugazillion pockets and my favorite thing of all:  Magnetic closure! I know that may seem a bit superficial but I'm kind of like a "ooo look, a shiny thing" kind of girl. I got my bag in the "secret" pattern which is beautiful, for those night/black loving girls. :)

I'm psyched so far about my bag, there is only one thing that bugged me and that is that the shoulder strap is not quite right a feel, but I'm willing to get used to it for the sake of how much I love the rest. If I were slick with a needle and thread I might consider making my own strap using the same fabric but I'm really too afraid to do any alterations. The bag itself was only 50 bucks, which isn't bad, I have spend over a hundred and fifty only to hate just about everything about it. I am really hoping to turn some attention over to these guys because these purses are really awesome, and not really what you might expect from a company that makes mostly baskets.

buh bye!

Wow, I had no idea these things were that big, to tell you the truth all I knew about Longaberger was that they had been around for quite some time but I wasn't aware that baskets were one of those things that people collected, at least not in the way people collect baseball cards or cars or something. That was a pretty extensive list of things to keep an eye on for those interested in collecting Longaberger baskets. Coincidentally, I was just reading an article about an hour ago talking about collecting as being a timeless financially smart thing to do, because as long as you choose the right things they only go up in value as things change.

Hello everyone!

I've been going over these baskets and my goodness there is a lot of stuff you can get in one of these, but I began wondering how you can figure out what the basket is worth by itself; especially after its discontinued, or its design changes, or it is tarnished or broken in some way. I had no idea that figuring out your Longaberger basket worth is almost as deep a subject as those old Antique appraisal shows that are on T. V. sometimes. As it turns out, the value is based on a number of factors such as the year it was made in addition to the stain used, or whether or not your basket was part of a popular collection, or even whether or not the basket still has its accessories like a liner or a protector, a tie-on, or lid of any kind.

Another factor is the possibility that your basket might even be signed by a member of the Longaberger family depending on the year it was made. If your basket is based on a collection, then that almost always increases its value, and of course the better the condition, the better the value. To save you some time, and thanks to the diligent work of some Longaberger basket enthusiasts that have dedicated web sites to it, I did find a list of their baskets considered to be part of a collection.

These include: All-American Collection, Bee Baskets, Booking-Promo Baskets, Christmas Collection, Collectors Club, Crisco American, Easter Series, Employee Baskets, Father's Day, Feature Baskets, Foundry Collection, Good Ol' Summertime, Heartland Collection, Holiday Hostess, Horizon of Hope, Hostess Collection, Incentive-Award Baskets, J.W. Collection, J.W. Originals, May Series, Mother's Day, Pumpkin Series, Shades of Autumn, Special Events, Sweetheart Baskets, Tour Baskets, Traditions Collection, Tree-Trimming Collection, and Woven Traditions. There are also specialty baskets that the company calls "Feature Baskets" which include the Boo Basket, the John Deere Basket, and Grandma Bonnie’s Two Pie Basket.

It kind of goes without saying as in most collectible items that older baskets are worth more than new ones. You can actually figure out the year your basket was made simply by looking at the bottom. Color weaves and non-stained baskets are also occasionally considered valuable, as well as minor flaws in the weaving patterns, which serve as visual reminders that the product is hand-made. As it is with collectible toys, or packaged items, the contents of Longaberger basket packaging and whether or not they are still present helps determine value as well, this can include information on its production, care cards, or official collector cards.

For those serious Longaberger Basket collectors, getting your hands on a Longaberger basket with Dave's Longaberger's signature on it is the equivalent of a George Lucas signature is to a Star Wars fan, Once you determine all of these attributes and get an idea of your Longaberger basket worth, you can go to the following link and appraise it yourself to figure out the high market value.

Has anyone had any experience with Longaberger Pottery? I've heard some good things about their products but I'm wondering how easy it is to sell man, I'm in that zone, kind of like when you want to listen to music, but you skip and skip and skip track after track, sometimes album after album because nothing sounds like what you're in the mood for....

So many MLM's so many possibilities and not one of them is doing it for me. I like pottery, which is probably the only reason I'm even interested in Longaberger, but I can't find any web sites, or posts, or reviews on Longaberger pottery anywhere...so..anyone have any opinions?

I was actually wondering this myself, I have been unable to find my mother a shoppable store anywhere. She usualy loves places like this but unfortunately I'm starting to think this was a thing of the past. I'll try to find out more info and follow up.

Are there permanent Longaberger factory stores in many areas or are they only seasonal?