The Entrepreneur 499? iSold It Disappears.

In January, Entrepreneur Magazine named iSold It eBay drop-off store franchise as #110 in its influential Entrepreneur 500 ranking, and #1 on its Top New Franchise for 2007 list.  In April, after increasingly disturbing information began appearing on BlueMauMau.org, FranchisePick.Com and AmITheOnlyOne.Org, iSold It CEO Ken Sully publicly admitted that there were big problems with the much-hyped concept and more than 60 stores had closed.  In June, Entrepreneur magazine seems to have quietly "disappeared" iSold It from their rankings.

The Entrepreneur 499?

Within the past two weeks, iSold It mysteriously disappeared from its #110 spot in the 28th Entrepreneur 500 rankings.  Since other companies in the listing have widely publicized their ranking numbers, Entrepreneur seems to have just eliminated the #110 position.

[Above:  Screen capture from Entrepreneur.Com, Franchise 500 list]

 Top 9 New Franchises for 2007?

The #1 position of the "Top New Franchises" for 2007 list seems to have disappeared as well.  (Elsewhere, United Shipping Solutions had been granted the #1 spot.)

[Left:  Screen capture from Entrepreneur.Com, Top New Franchise list]

iSold It is still listed in the site's franchise directory, but the franchise information has been replaced by the message: 

iSold It is currently offering resales only. Contact the company for more information.

Entrepreneur Magazine has been criticized for its Entrepreneur 500 rankings before, but in recent years the criticism has become more angry and urgent.

Kudos to Entrepreneur Magazine for responding to the emerging information about iSold It and reacting accordingly.  Is this a positive sign? 

Related story at FranchisePick.com:  iSold It Dropped from Entrepreneur 500

Somewhat related story of Lesley Hawkes, ex-Franchise Director of iSold It, receiving a Money Makeover in the LA Times.  Even making $400K a year, supporting a $1500/year paintball habit seems excessive.