Loan Ranger

In the spirit of hapless New York fashion victim Karyn—who set up a Web site to beg for $20K to pay off her credit card bill and got it—comes the mysterious zmode who merely asked for a $60 week-long loan on eBay.

The brutally honest Mr. or Ms. Mode explains "I just suck at saving," but promises a ROI that would send the starched, underperforming shirts on Wall St. into convulsions: the winning bid will actually get $80 back. Seems a Mode buddy bet $40 that no one would agree to the deal. Splitting that take makes everyone happy.

Various federal agencies better step in lest this odd form of self-help take off.