My brother and I bought a franchise in Springfield, MO, tried it for about 18 months. We were lucky that we saw the writing on the wall and quit before we were totally ruined.
If you are looking at investing in this franchise "opportunity, " do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. The business model is fatally flawed. You have to sell many items to bring in good cashflow. To bring in many items you have to spend money on advertising ('cause the franchise isn't going to do it for you) or go out and hustle for it (and cut everyone a break on the commission). If you are lucky enough to bring in many items, you'll have to hire several people to work in the store (which eats up the commissions). You might break even every now and then. But more likely than not, you won't sustain any kind of income to be able to pay your bills and have a life away from this thing.
Finding good people to help you move items is not going to happen at what you will be able to pay. People that don't make much money (we tried to pay better wages to get/keep good people. Didn't work = people that don't do good auctions or pack well = lost opportunity and broken shipments = loss control issues (that you'll never fix given the caliber of person you will have to hire).
The franchise had to be aware of the issues when we bought in and are only now dealing with the problems. If you are in this thing, don't let your pride and optimism get the best of you. Let it go and stop the bleeding. If you are an entrepenuer and are excited about having your own business. This is not the easy scratch for your itch.
Do your homework and make sure you buy into a vetted business model, not this one. We bought into the hype and will be paying that bill for sometime in the future. I have a very expensive life lesson to show for my time with iSoldit. Best of luck to you.
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