Unfortunately, our information for Longaberger items is no longer being published in print format. The last Bentley Guide book was printed in 2008-2009 (16th Edition) and while we do see the books occasionally show up in the secondary market, we no longer have any copies of this last edition, or previous editions still available. We have been sold out for quite some time.
I can’t say that we will NEVER print again, but at this time there are no plans to do so. We plan to continue keeping up on the research and making the information available through our BentleyOnline service.
Trust us, this was a very, very hard decision for us and one that just broke our hearts ... As the one who was responsible for actually putting the Guide together each year, it was ‘my life’ for 16 years ... Blood, sweat and tears!
Unfortunately, with printing costs, the less you print, the higher the costs and over the last 2-3 years of printing, it was taking us longer and longer to pay off those costs. The quantities we ordered/sold kept decreasing each year and as we looked at the projections for that last season, it was showing us that we would actually LOSE money if we printed another book, which of course is not the goal for anyone. It was a very sad decision because we loved the book, too, and saw so much value in it.
We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to publish another printed version, but at this time, it’s not something we see being able to do unless there should be a major shift in demand. This reality is what convinced us to be proactive in moving everything to our Online format knowing it would allow us to continue sharing the information, without having the exorbitant cost of printing.
We understand it’s not the same as having a book in front of you, but remember that this site IS ACCESSIBLE from mobile devices which is wonderful when you need the info when you are out and about. We also hope that being able to continue in this way will allow us to keep up on the research and at least provide the information to those who will still value it for many years to come!
So, if you have not already signed up for our BentleyOnline service, that is what you would need to do to keep updated, going forward. You can sign up or review more information about the service on this website. One of the many features of BentleyOnline is that we are able to keep it updated throughout the year, so you don’t have to wait to get new information once a year, like you did with the book. When new products are released, we try to get the information online as quickly as possible. There are also the added benefits of being able to create an inventory of your items as well as quickly search our database for items, which was not possible with the book. It really is a GREAT TOOL and we think you'll find it even more helpful than the book!
We sincerely appreciate your support and are so thankful to have so many of you for so long. If you want to provide us with your current mailing address, we can update your file to be sure that we know how to get a hold of you should we decide to print again ... Until then, we hope that you will consider moving Online with us, as I know you will find it a very easy, very fun format, as well!
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to let us know!
THANK YOU FOR COLLECTING WITH US! Jill@Bentley Owner
