Due to declining usage and increasing costs, the decision has been made to discontinue production of the monthly Buy & Sell.  The credit union will stop collecting Buy & Sell ads as of January 31, 2013 and the final issue of the Buy & Sell will be available in our branches and online on Friday, February 15, 2013.

For over 30 years the credit union has been providing this free service to our membership. Starting as a two or three page hand typed “swap sheet,” the Buy & Sell reached a pinnacle in the late 90’s, averaging 48 pages and topping out at 60 pages during the peak summer months. Members once turned in more than 1,900 individual ads each month. These numbers have dropped considerably and now average less than 450. The credit union once printed 15,000 copies of the Buy & Sell for distribution to the public. Recently we dropped the number of booklets printed to 8,000 and still recycle a large number of leftover booklets each month.

“I believe this drop off can be attributed to the access people have to computers and to the success of the internet,” commented Tim Meier, Vice President of Marketing. “With options like Craig’s List and Ebay, members have found alternative ways of selling their unwanted items.  These options provide a more timely and convenient way for our members to sell their items."

The credit union is proud of the fact that the Buy & Sell had been a free benefit to members for many years, and we look forward to discovering new ways to provide additional membership advantages in the future.