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Question

A dishonest dealer sells articles at 15% loss on cost price but uses the weight of 20 g instead of 25 g. What is his profit or loss percentage?

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2023 (Tier-II) Paper 1 Previous Year Paper (26-Oct-2023) (Shift-1)
The correct answer is

6.25% Profit

Understanding Dishonest Dealer Calculations

This question involves a classic scenario of a dishonest dealer who uses a false weight while also claiming to sell at a loss. To determine the actual profit or loss percentage, we need to consider both the claimed loss on the cost price and the gain made by using a lesser weight.

Analyzing the Question: False Weight and Claimed Loss

The dealer makes two statements/actions:

  • Claims to sell at a 15% loss on the cost price.
  • Uses a weight of 20 g instead of the promised 25 g.

This means the customer pays for 25 g, based on a price calculation that includes a 15% loss on the cost of 25 g. However, the dealer only provides 20 g of goods. The dealer's actual cost is only for the 20 g supplied, not the 25 g the customer is charged for.

Step-by-Step Calculation of Profit/Loss Percentage

Let's assume a convenient cost price per gram to make the calculation easy. Suppose the cost price of 1 gram is & रुपया;1.

  1. Calculate the Cost Price of the Claimed Weight:
    The dealer claims to sell 25 g. The cost price of 25 g would be \(25 \times \text{& रुपया;1} = \text{& रुपया;25}\).
  2. Calculate the Selling Price based on Claimed Loss:
    The dealer claims a 15% loss on the cost price of 25 g.
    Selling Price = Cost Price of 25 g - 15% of Cost Price of 25 g
    Selling Price = \(\text{& रुपया;25} - 0.15 \times \text{& रुपया;25}\)
    Selling Price = \(\text{& रुपया;25} (1 - 0.15)\)
    Selling Price = \(\text{& रुपया;25} \times 0.85\)
    Selling Price = \(\text{& रुपया;}21.25\)
    So, the customer pays & रुपया;21.25 for what they believe is 25 g.
  3. Calculate the Actual Cost Price of the Goods Sold:
    The dealer actually provides only 20 g of goods.
    Actual Cost Price = Cost price of 20 g
    Actual Cost Price = \(20 \times \text{& रुपया;1} = \text{& रुपया;20}\).
  4. Determine the Profit or Loss:
    The dealer sells goods that cost & रुपया;20 for & रुपया;21.25.
    Since the Selling Price (& रुपया;21.25) is greater than the Actual Cost Price (& रुपया;20), the dealer makes a profit.
    Profit = Selling Price - Actual Cost Price
    Profit = \(\text{& रुपया;}21.25 - \text{& रुपया;}20\)
    Profit = \(\text{& रुपया;}1.25\)
  5. Calculate the Profit Percentage:
    The profit percentage is calculated on the actual cost price.
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{\text{Profit}}{\text{Actual Cost Price}} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{\text{& रुपया;}1.25}{\text{& रुपया;}20} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{1.25}{20} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{5/4}{20} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{5}{4 \times 20} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{5}{80} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\left( \frac{1}{16} \right) \times 100 \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\frac{100}{16} \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(\frac{25}{4} \%\)
    Profit Percentage = \(6.25 \%\)
Summary of Calculations
Item Value (assuming & रुपया;1/g CP)
Claimed Weight 25 g
Actual Weight Delivered 20 g
Cost Price of Claimed Weight (25g) & रुपया;25
Selling Price (after 15% loss on CP of 25g) & रुपया;21.25
Actual Cost Price of Goods Delivered (20g) & रुपया;20
Profit (SP - Actual CP) & रुपया;1.25
Profit Percentage 6.25 %

Conclusion on Profit or Loss

Based on the calculations, the dishonest dealer makes a profit of 6.25%. The gain from using a false weight outweighs the claimed loss on the cost price.

Revision Table: Dishonest Dealer Problems & Concepts

Key Concepts for False Weight Problems
Concept Explanation
Claimed Weight The weight the dealer claims to sell or the customer pays for (e.g., 25g in this case).
Actual Weight The actual quantity/weight of goods the dealer provides (e.g., 20g in this case).
Claimed Profit/Loss The percentage profit or loss the dealer states they are making on the cost price, usually based on the claimed weight.
Actual Cost Price The dealer's cost is based on the actual weight of goods supplied.
Selling Price The amount the customer pays, usually determined by the claimed weight and the claimed profit/loss percentage.
Actual Profit/Loss Calculated based on the difference between the Selling Price and the Actual Cost Price of goods delivered.
Actual Profit/Loss Percentage Calculated as \(\left( \frac{\text{Actual Profit or Loss}}{\text{Actual Cost Price}} \right) \times 100\).

Additional Information: Solving False Weight Questions

Problems involving dishonest dealers and false weights are common in competitive exams. The key is to always differentiate between what the dealer claims and what they actually do.

  • Assume a base value (like cost per gram) or use variables to represent costs. This simplifies the calculation.
  • Clearly identify the actual quantity of goods sold versus the quantity claimed.
  • Calculate the selling price based on the *claimed* quantity and *claimed* profit/loss.
  • Calculate the *actual* cost price based on the *actual* quantity delivered.
  • Compare the selling price and actual cost price to find the true profit or loss.
  • Always calculate the profit or loss percentage on the actual cost price.

These steps help in systematically approaching such problems and avoiding confusion between claimed and actual values.

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Similar Questions

  1. A shopkeeper sells an item at a profit of 15% and uses a weight which is 20% less. Find his actual profit percentage.

  2. A grocer claims that he is selling sugar at Rs. 48/kg, which costs him Rs. 50/kg, but he is giving 900 g instead of 1000 g. What will be the approximate percentage profit?

  3. A dishonest merchant sells goods at a 12.5% loss on the cost price, but uses 28 g weight instead of 36 g. What is his percentage profit or loss?

  4. A trader has a weighing balance that shows 1300 g for a kg. He further marks up his cost price by 15%. The net profit percentage is :

  5. A dishonest dealer marks up his goods by 50% and then gives a discount of 20% on the marked price. Apart from this, he uses a faulty balance which reads 1kg for 900 gm. What is his net profit percentage (rounded off to the nearest integer)?

  6. A dishonest shopkeeper sells mangoes at Rs. 30/kg bought at Rs. 20/kg and he is giving 800 g instead of 1 kg. The shopkeeper's actual profit percentage is:

  7. R’s weighing machine shows 400 gm when the actual weight is 350 gm. The cost price of almonds is ₹880 per kg and packets of 200 gm are made using the faulty machine. What should be the selling price (in ₹) of each packet to get a profit of 25%?

  8. A dishonest trader says to customers that he sells his goods at a cost price, but he uses a false weight and gains 12.5% as profit. How many grams does he use to weigh 1 kg?

  9. Ramesh claims that he is selling onions at Rs. 36 per kg, which costs him Rs. 40 per kg, but he gives 800 grams instead of 1 kg. Find Ramesh's percentage gain or loss.

  10. A shopkeeper advertises for selling cloth at 7% loss. However, by using a false scale of length 1 metre he actually gains 24%. What will be the actual length he uses instead of 1 metre ?


Important Questions from Dishonest Dealings

  1. A merchant claims that he sells his goods at CP. But uses a weight of 900 g for the 1 kg weight. find his gain %

  2. A shopkeeper cheats to the extent of 9% while buying and selling fruits, by using tampered weights. His total gain in percentage is:

    A. 18.25

    B. 18.81

    C. 19.78

    D. 18.5

  3. What is the faulty weight used by a dishonest shopkeeper instead of the original weight of 1 kg to get a profit of 25%?

  4. A dishonest financier claims to be lending money at simple interest, but he includes the interest every four months for calculating the principal. If he is charging an interest of 3%, the effective rate of interest becomes:

  5. A dishonest shopkeeper claims to sell rice at the cost price of ₹95 per kg, but the weight he uses has 1 kg written on it, while it actually weighs 950 g. The profit he thus earns on selling rice having an actual weight of 95 kg rice is:

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