Update: I paid $80 for a 'vintage' lamp from a flyer at the laundromat

The flyer had a blurry picture and said 'solid brass, works great.' I drove across town to get it, and it's just cheap pot metal spray-painted gold. The cord is frayed and it doesn't even turn on. Some people say it's my fault for not checking it out better, but I think posting a misleading ad on a public board is just a scam. Has anyone else been burned by a too-good-to-be-true find from a bulletin board?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollym122mo ago

Actually, a magnet won't stick to pot metal, that's the whole trick. It's usually zinc or aluminum, so it feels heavy but a magnet slides right off. @graytorres has the right idea to test, but you need the opposite result for brass. Real brass isn't magnetic either, though, so it's still tricky. The weight and sound are better checks, or just scratching a hidden spot. Sorry that happened, those flyer ads are so shady.

graytorres2mo ago

Classic. Always bring a magnet to check for real metal, it sticks to pot metal every time. That's an eighty dollar lesson, unfortunately.

claire9922mo ago

Wait, doesn't pot metal usually mean zinc or aluminum? A magnet won't stick to that at all. I get the idea of using a magnet to test, but it only helps with steel fakes. For brass or pot metal, the magnet just slides off either way. The sound test or a careful scratch in a hidden spot is way more reliable.