Is Snappy Auctions a Great Franchise Opportunity?
April 20, 2007 by Sean Kelly
Filed under SNAPPY AUCTIONS, xBuyer Beware
While the largest, most celebrated eBay drop-off store franchise concept , iSold It, has closed 60 stores, suspended domestic franchise sales and warned it may be on the verge of collapse, its next-largest competitor remains upbeat and continues to promote its franchise program.
In a company press release, Snappy Auctions celebrates inclusion on the list that made iSold It famous:
Snappy Auctions has been listed in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for the first time… With over 63 units open, Snappy Auctions ranked 309th in the survey, in only its 2nd full year of operation. The Nashville, Tenn. based franchise enables customers to make money off of items that are sold on eBay…
Snappy Auctions CEO Debby Gordon claims that Snappy Auctions is not suffering the same fate as competitor iSold It. In fact, snappy Auctions is doing phenomenally:
“We are poised for a phenomenal 2007, after an incredible 2006,” Gordon continued, “and this accolade is just the beginning.” In 2006, Snappy Auctions launched Snappy Sales Solutions, S3, which has contributed to its recent success. “S3 is yet another step toward our goal of changing the way businesses get value from retired equipment and inventory.”
Snappy Auction also boasts having been named one of Franchise Business Review’s Franchise 50, which honors franchise systems based on outstanding franchisee satisfaction through owner surveys and comments.
According to a Ina Steiner’s column on AuctionBytes.com, “Despite the challenges, Snappy Auctions CEO Debbie Gordon believes in the concept and says it’s all about execution.”
Can Snappy Auctions really be succeeding while iSold It, with much the same business model, is fighting for survival? Have they successfully overcome the challenges that eBay drop-off store critics contend make the concept unworkable? What do you think?
YOU’RE INVITED TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON WHETHER YOU THINK SNAPPY AUCTIONS IS A GREAT FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY.
____________________________________
Know a great new franchise? Nominate them a TopNewFranchises.Com
Amazement #1: You have to admire the chutzpah of someone who can tout train wrecks as success stories and somehow manage to keep a straight face.
Here’s Debbie’s bio from http://demo.bugleme.com/bm/client/ourteam.php:
“CEO—Debbie Gordon leads BugleMe in infrastructure and technology. Debbie is responsible for developing and managing all of the systems that allow fans to be connected to the Celebrities through a proprietary technology plat-form. In addition, she manages the marketing systems behind customer acquisition and retention. Debbie was the founder and CEO of Snappy Auctions which was the most successful eBay selling franchisor in the US and Asia, in addition to founding S3 Consulting, an asset management consulting firm. The success of Snappy Auctions and S3 can be directly attributed to Debbie’s technology design skills and ability to market a specialty service through a creative and effective campaign.”
The most successful eBay selling franchisor? Quite a claim to fame, but iSold It dashed a lot more dreams to the rocks than SA.
Amazement #2: How can a writer actually print such a sentence?
“No stranger to entrepreneurial ventures, Gordon founded Nashville-based Snappy Auctions, a highly successful eBay storefront business, which has in more recent times experienced a downward slump.”
Downward slump? Do you think the franchise owners who lost their savings and investments would characterize it as a recent downward slump?
That’s sort of like saying Bernard Madoff’s business has experienced a minor temporary sales dip.
I thought I’d sign up for Debbie Gordon’s BugleMe alerts. I looked forward to hearing about her new businesses and fresh lawsuits each week.
There’s something wrong with the system, though, cuz all I keep hearing is the bugle playing “Taps” when they call.
You know this will end in tears for someone. Steer clear!