O.K. Tell Me What’s Wrong With This Plan

My mother tells me that her crazy con-artist brother has a new plan to start a new business. He apparently called her up yesterday and asked for $300 to start this new business — he apparently is always asking for money and she gives it to him; this is why I am coming out at the good relative in the family.

Anyway, so she’s explaining the plan to me and she says the he wants to buy stuff off of eBay–

Yup. I really should have stopped her right there. Remember, I was sick. My head was all muddy. It’s only starting to clear a little now as my brain drains out of my nose.

I really should have pointed out that people don’t start a business by buying stuff off of eBay, but I’ll probably call her in a bit.

So, she says that he wants to buy stuff off of eBay and sell it at flee markets.

Right. This is the complete opposite of what people are supposed to do. You buy at flee markets and sell on eBay.

I don’t know. This just sounds fishy. She said that he and some guy did this before under some franchise but she couldn’t find any information on the web on it. I can imagine why.

tags: dysfunctional family, scam

4 comments

1. on March 12, 2006 at 11:23 pm

   Big Dog said:

   If they did it before and it is a successful way of making money, why does he need to borrow any now? (shouldn’t he already have money from the business)

   Not that it is any of my business but you did ask.

2. on March 13, 2006 at 8:39 am

   Tamara said:

   Oy. The guy sounds like a winner

3. on March 13, 2006 at 8:44 am

   n. mallory said:

   Yes, I did. Any previously made money has been squandered on cigarettes and food and I’m sure back then drugs and alcohol were involved, though supposedly now he’s clean and sober.

   I did talk to her last night. She told me that she won’t give him the money until she sees something about this “franchise” in writing. At least I know that my mother, who used to be VP, for a home health agency and looked into running several businesses on her own, has the business sense to check out everything. She’s looking at this entirely from an investment standpoint and is going to tell him if she gives him the money, she expects it back this time. Yay for her.

4. on March 13, 2006 at 8:45 am

   n. mallory said:

   Oh, yeah, did I mention that I don’t refer to him as “Uncle”, I always refer to him as “your brother”…but then I do the same thing with my dad’s brother who’s just a richer crazy person.

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