Reverb Info

[turbotom1052]

Recent member looking for some input on Reverb as a way to buy and sell music gear. Ive read some negative stuff on the BBB website and wanting to verify with folks here as to their Biznez practices???

 

[bodia]

Recent member looking for some input on Reverb as a way to buy and sell music gear. Ive read some negative stuff on the BBB website and wanting to verify with folks here as to their Biznez practices???

I’ve had great success buying and selling in the past. I haven’t sold in a while, but have bought there recently. I’ve never had an issue where I had to get Reverb support involved.

 

[dmatthews]

Never sold on there, but purchased a fair amount. Every transaction went well.

 

[Slowhands]

I've bought and sold a bunch on Reverb. When I first got into guitars again I was buying ones that appeared to be priced below market (a deal!), trying them out for a month or so and either keeping it or selling it. Benefits for me: I got to try lots of guitars out that I'd never have otherwise and either keep a gem or sell one I didn't bond with for a mild profit. I stopped a couple of years back but I can share somet thoughts for how it was at that time (until early 2020).

I once received an ES-335 with a broken headstock (AAAAAARGH!) and Reverb offered a reimburse me the cost to repair the headstock (which is absurd, a broken headstock halves the value) and the seller did agree to take it back for full refund. That's the closest I ever came to a bad experience on Reverb. Every other transaction was simple. You post your item, put lots of good high res pics that are well lit and show everything that might be considered a defect and don't try to hide anything. I would always use the past sales for similar items to determine the range of prices and then set my price in the middle (I preferred quick sales to maximum profit, your preference may vary). If you allow offers and you priced it fairly you'll likely get some, usually for a couple hundred under your original price for a $1500+ guitar. You can counter offer or just tell them nope if it's too low and they seem to be bottom fishing. Remember: you don't have to take first offer. On the other hand, if it's a good one you might not see a better one come along so don't get too greedy (in my opinion). You box it well, drop it off at your shipper of choice, and put the tracking number into Reverb.

Things to do as a seller:

• Hi resolution pictures in good lighting are essential. Nobody wants to buy a guitar that has one blurry picture taken in the dark. It will sit and sit and sit. You'll get more if you put a lot of good pictures and let them see any possible defects, no matter how small. It's the right thing to do and buyers will trust the transaction more if you are totally open right up front.
• Educate yourself about what you are selling, learn as much as possible about it and put important things in the description. If it's a vanilla mexican strat, not much to do there. But for example I had an a new old stock ABR-1 bridge that I did a lot of research on an figured out it had to be an unused original 1959 or 1960. The price went waaaay up once I could prove that. Sold it to a guy with an original 1959 burst Les Paul for what I thought was an insane price within one day of posting it. Had I not known to properly advertise it I'd have gotten a fraction of the price. And a guy who desperately needed a rare part would have missed it. Research = finding the right buyer and getting a fair price where both sides win. And I got to chat with a cool guy about a holy grail guitar to boot.
• Give feedback (as a seller AND as a buyer). Ask for it if you don't get any in a transaction. Some people only want to risk a purchase from someone with good feedback. Be fair to people and you'll get good feedback and you do want it.
• Communicate a lot. This may be a style thing but I reach out to buyers at every step in the process. I'd answer any questions quicky, offer additional photos if requested (and put them on the listing too), tell them when the guitar was shipped, etc. It's appreciated, it's how you get good feedback, and bonus sometimes you get to know a fellow guitar nut fairly well and get some great stories. Plus sometimes they'll tell you that you something you don't know about your own listing even if they pass on it. Sometimes than can be an extra selling point.
• Don't try to hide extra profit in the shipping costs. When I was selling guitars the standard shipping through Reverb would cost me no more than $65 from east coast all the way to Cali. So I set it there. I never had someone try to squeeze me on shipping costs even if it was close and therefore less than $65. It's a number people consider fair on a guitar. $100 to $150 shipping turns buyers off. You don't want buyers skipping your offerings because of shipping costs.
• Learn how to properly pack a guitar. Trogley on Youtube has a good video on it if you want tips.

Let me know if you want to know any more.

 

[archtop]

Reverb's fees have gone up over the years but you now get visibility in Google searches, and since Etsy bought Reverb Customer Service is no longer staffed with knowledgable musicians. Before the sale Reverb had outstanding CS staffed with musicians.

Reverb is probably the best option available with some degree of buyer/seller protection.

Reverb's 'protection'/insurance has become expensive but I suspect there's more bad sellers pulling shenanigans these days (if a seller resists a 'not as described' return Reverb will eventually offer to pay return shipping). Reverb's shipping does have decent discounts on UPS that helps make up for the increased price for insurance.

Shipping has also really shot up: Last summer I shipped a Strat across country for around $70 w/ Reverb's 'protection', 2 weeks ago I paid $120

 

[Herr Squid]

I did have a guitar I bought through Reverb get damaged in shipping. When I asked about a claim, they essentially offered me a limited amount of money (like maybe $50?) against repairs and the process seemed like a big hassle to me for a partial solution. I declined and just had the body refinished on my own dime. I wasn't impressed. But that's the only bad experience I've had in maybe a couple dozen transactions.

 

[MoggyMel]

I have bought and sold a lot on Reverb and never had a bad experience with Reverb. It is the problematic sellers and buyers that are the real problem. I have been fully covered in the few cases that have arisen except for one case which was really not completely Reverb's fault.

The one case where I did lose in the process involved a buyer claiming a Neumann M147 tube mic was defective. When it was returned, it was obvious the supplied cable was replaced with a damaged one which I could prove through pictures (I think this was the plan of the buyer in the first place and they filed a claim a few hours after the mic was received). Reverb covered the $299 cost of the cable, however, the bad cable ended up damaging the mic and power supply. I could not prove it, but I know everything was working when shipped and it did not arrive electronically fried. I ended up eating the over $500 repair bill and it was confirmed the cable shorted the power supply and mic. This was several months after the transaction and the case was already closed. There was nothing I could do at this point and it was not Reverb's fault due to the elapsed time. For this reason, I am very thorough and forthcoming with sales descriptions especially about condition and use a lot of pictures. This has saved my ass a few times and Reverb resolved the bogus claims in my favor both as a seller and a buyer.

 

[Ovibos]

Reverb's fees have gone up over the years but you now get visibility in Google searches, and since Etsy bought Reverb Customer Service is no longer staffed with knowledgable musicians. Before the sale Reverb had outstanding CS staffed with musicians.

Do we know this for a fact or just assume bc of the merger? I know in the past they gave interviewees $100 to find a deal and then flip it for more on the site.

 

[mookyshoots]

Do we know this for a fact or just assume bc of the merger? I know in the past they gave interviewees $100 to find a deal and then flip it for more on the site.

Hell, Reverb at one time had a couple of people that bought and flipped pedals as an additional income stream. I personally sold them 10 pedals in one lump transaction and then hand-delivered them to the Reverb office since it gave me an excuse to stop in at CME across the street. This was nearly 6 years ago and I'm pretty sure they cut that out long before Kalt sold off Reverb to Etsy.

The Mothership was their store name on Reverb.

https://reverb.com/shop/the-mothership