> Why (to me) sortofolio is a bad investment for a buyer:
I don't want to get into a debate about absolutism or anything, but that's a pretty bizarre statement. "to me" = acknowledging my own subjectivity. "for a buyer" = a generalised group. Weird.
> because apparently its not worth their time; but at the same time, according to them it takes zero involvement from their part.
They didn't say "not worth [their] time". They said that it didn't fit with their core businesses and as a result they are spinning it off. Those are two different things. Sortfolio has been running without engineering support for a while, but it still costs them hosting and support, plus the fact that they have a fiduciary responsibility for a product which they aren't excited about and doesn't fit with their core business. This is their iPod HiFi.
> Doesn't answer any important questions regarding the sale on flippa. Either its not worth their time or they are not telling the whole story.
I think they are telling the whole story at a narrative level but not at a numbers level. No information about whether customer data transfers, etc. I don't see any reason not to believe them when they say that the business is profitable and they believe it could be grown. It's an alien concept to most people that a business making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year isn't wanted by its owner, but it happens. It's a smart move. Sortfolio is a mental distraction. They aren't putting man hours into it, but that doesn't mean it's not at the back of their minds. Having $20k of revenue per month = giving a shit about who it came from.
> As someone who would use sortfolio this looks like a complete lack of confidence on the business/platform by their owners and has unstable future as a product, so why bother using the service?
That doesn't make it a bad investment for someone. It means you shouldn't use it yourself. It's debatable that 37signals' brand has made the platform what it is (a C+ or B- web service which generates revenue), but I know plenty of people who could take it and make it a six-month project to increase revenues and give it some more clout. Do you believe that fundamentally there is a market for this sort of product? If so then you have a great head start by buying Sortfolio.
> Sortfolio almost definitely exist as a platform and makes money simply because of its association with 37singnals. The product is nether impressive or unique.
I agree that its success to date has been largely defined by the 37signals brand. I find the product moderately impressive in its restraint. I'll be interested to see where it goes from here.