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Careful... Reverb is watching.

#23
yes i sell on reverb all the time and wheel and deal outside their system to save myself and the other money.

1. i bought my beloved german 1965 hofner on there, guy was in Denmark and didn't want the fees. We traded emails and went offline and did over paypal. Didn't get caught :)
2. i bought a 1966 schaller germanium fuzz (very rare) and the guy was in Germany and didn't want the fees. We did the same as above and didn't get caught :)
3. i've done a number of local transactions cash only no reverb and just take down the listing, haven't gotten caught :)

i have bought/sold A LOT on there, so maybe they don't mess with me because i have the track record, i dunno.
 
#24
This is what big platforms are for. Redirect customers away from independent sources.

If you use them, they want their cut.
If you don't want to pay, then maybe avoid using them in the first place.

Too much online and that blows away the local resource.

You decide...
 
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#26
Reverb has been cracking down on this issue over the past two years. It hasn’t come up often until this thread, which is great for raising awareness. In my case, Reverb permanently shut down my account, even after I explained that my sales were handled locally or outside of Reverb listing..
 
#27
sonojono said:
Reverb has been cracking down on this issue over the past two years. It hasn’t come up often until this thread, which is great for raising awareness. In my case, Reverb permanently shut down my account, even after I explained that my sales were handled locally or outside of Reverb listing..
Click to expand...
You weren’t using the reverb bump feature were you? I could see them being miffed about using the bump to get it in front of more eyes then selling it outside of reverb, since they offer that with a percentage of the sale. I tend to try and be mindful of that if I have whatever I’m selling cross posted elsewhere.
 
#29
I tried Reverb years ago and decided it wasn't worth it to me as seller.

I agree with what others have pointed out; using their services to list an item and make contact with a buyer, then going offline to complete the deal and circumvent the fees is flat-out stealing. If the initial contact is made through Reverb, then you agree to pay their fees.

If contact is made elsewhere, that's another story and Reverb has no business inserting themselves.
 
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#30
Just this morning I received the following email from Reverb. It feels like the "know your customer" thing is starting to get too picky.

Hi Reverber,​
To keep our marketplace secure, we need you to verify your identity. Please complete the following steps within 30 days of receiving this email so that you can continue selling on Reverb without disruption:​

  1. Log in to your Reverb account.
  2. Go to https://reverb.com/my/selling/identity_verification.
  3. Follow a few easy steps to verify your identity.

Why do I need to verify my identity?​

​
New laws aimed at keeping buyers and sellers safe require marketplaces like Reverb to verify sellers’ identities. Verifying your identity helps protect our entire community and shows buyers that you’re trustworthy. To securely verify your info, Reverb partners with Trulioo—a leading identity verification platform.​
Thanks for being part of the Reverb seller community,
The Reverb team​
 
#31
These checks exist because too many people are scammers at heart. We look for ways to get around the system whether it is avoiding paying taxes or rolling right-turn stops. Businesses end up having to put measures in place to protect themselves.

Clearly it isn't everyone, but the percentage of bad-actors among us is too high for businesses (or anyone) to ignore.
 
#33
superheavyfunk said:
It annoys me that they’d offer the option of a local sale (pickup) but still try to prevent the exchange of personal contact information
Click to expand...
They aren’t preventing exchange of info.

They are hoping to limit the free use/abuse of their platform by the segment of sellers who would complete their sale in cash locally after using Reverb as the sales vehicle.
 
#34
N. Kentucky Bass said:
Just this morning I received the following email from Reverb. It feels like the "know your customer" thing is starting to get too picky.

Hi Reverber,​
To keep our marketplace secure, we need you to verify your identity. Please complete the following steps within 30 days of receiving this email so that you can continue selling on Reverb without disruption:​
​
  1. Log in to your Reverb account.
  2. Go to https://reverb.com/my/selling/identity_verification.
  3. Follow a few easy steps to verify your identity.
​

Why do I need to verify my identity?​

New laws aimed at keeping buyers and sellers safe require marketplaces like Reverb to verify sellers’ identities. Verifying your identity helps protect our entire community and shows buyers that you’re trustworthy. To securely verify your info, Reverb partners with Trulioo—a leading identity verification platform.​
Thanks for being part of the Reverb seller community,
The Reverb team​
Click to expand...
This is exactly what the law mandated.
 
#35
AK3000 said:
I simultaneously post on Facebook, reverb, and talkbass. It bugs me that people don't bother to search for the ad on Facebook to save fees.

I don't mind reverbs selling fees. I prefer PayPal goods and services. But I do hate the fact they are charging taxes on the sales to local buyers in my area. It's a used guitar!!!
Click to expand...
Again, tax on used items is in fact the law. Just because most people choose to over look that when they buy used doesn't change that. You pay tax on used items when you buy them from Guitar Center or a car dealer. This is no different
 
#37
TheArchitect said:
Again, tax on used items is in fact the law. Just because most people choose to over look that when they buy used doesn't change that. You pay tax on used items when you buy them from Guitar Center or a car dealer. This is no different
Click to expand...
That’s a retailer though. When selling personal property/items, you should only pay a tax (capital gains) if you made a profit on the item relative to the original price you paid + any cost of maintenance/improvements on the item.

ETA: For example, if I have a bass I buy for $1200 and I later sell it for $1000, I'm not paying taxes on that since I took a loss. If I buy a bass for $1200, put a $300 set of pickups in (total $1500 invested) and sell the thing for $2000, then I am responsible for CGT on the $500 profit I made.
 
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#40
Grahams Groove said:
That’s a retailer though. When selling personal property/items, you should only pay a tax (capital gains) if you made a profit on the item relative to the original price you paid + any cost of maintenance/improvements on the item.

ETA: For example, if I have a bass I buy for $1200 and I later sell it for $1000, I'm not paying taxes on that since I took a loss. If I buy a bass for $1200, put a $300 set of pickups in (total $1500 invested) and sell the thing for $2000, then I am responsible for CGT on the $500 profit I made.
Click to expand...
Sales tax is sales tax. Being a retailer or not is irrelevant
 
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