With the rapid growth of online marketplaces, customers today enjoy convenience and variety like never before. However, this convenience also brings a growing challenge to product quality scams, especially in traditional metal products like brassware. One such recurring issue we recently encountered was a return from an online marketplace where the customer sent back a similar-looking product, but made from a completely different and inferior material instead of genuine brass.

This incident highlights a serious concern in the market and makes it necessary to create awareness around authentic brass quality, how scams happen, and how trusted manufacturers like Shri Dhanlaxmi Metal Industries (DMIMart) protect customers from such practices.

The Growing Problem of Fake Brass Products

At first glance, fake brass products look almost identical to genuine ones. They have a similar golden hue, weight, and shape. However, many such items are actually made from cheap alloys, coated metals, or mixed materials, which:

• Tarnish quickly
• Lose shine within weeks
• React poorly to heat and oil
• Have little to no spiritual or functional value

In our recent Meesho return case, the product sent back was visually similar but material-wise completely different, clearly not brass. This is a common tactic used in scams replacing authentic brass items with lower-grade substitutes.

Challenges Faced by Genuine Brass Manufacturers

• Customer Trust Erosion :
  When customers unknowingly receive fake brass products, they often blame the brand or seller, even when the issue originates from marketplace misuse or replacement fraud.
• Difficulty in Visual Identification :
  Most customers are not trained to identify real brass versus alloy by appearance alone, especially in online purchases.
• Marketplaces & Return Abuse :
  Open return policies, while customer-friendly, are sometimes misused leading to original products being swapped with inferior ones.

How to Identify Genuine Brass Products

Here are a few simple checks customers can use:

• Weight Test: Pure brass is heavier than alloy substitutes.
• Sound Test: When gently tapped, real brass produces a clear ringing sound.
• Scratch Test: Scratching lightly will reveal a yellow-gold color throughout, not silver or grey inside.
• Magnet Test: Brass is non-magnetic. If it sticks, it’s not pure brass.

Still, these methods are not foolproof which is why buying from trusted, legacy manufacturers is crucial.