Is it me, or is Reverb a total joke?

[faulknersj]

I don't have extensive experience or evidence, but based on occasional, casual browsing, it seems like every piece of gear I see on Reverb is just risibly overpriced. I mean, £219 used for an item that sells at most online retailers new for £249?! So, skip the warranty, return options and being the original, single owner for a reduction of just 12%?! That seems batpoop crazy to me.

Just to eleaborate, I'd expect to pay a msximum of, say, £175 for a preowned item of that value. Am I getting something wrong here? Or are Reverb prices really just nuts?

Sellers need to charge higher prices on Reverb because the fees can really cut into what you actually earn from a sale…

In return…your purchase is protected and there is a place you can go to view and haggle on a ton of great new and used gear.

I have sold a bunch of stuff that I had listed here in the TB classifieds on Reverb lately and made MORE money that way even with the fees.

I have also made some pretty awesome purchases at great price points in the last year or so on Reverb…

Reverb has a much larger buying community and I find in general, gear moves faster there…but it also sure makes me appreciate the Talkbass community and the tax free purchases and sales that we can do here!

 

[Grinderman]

When I see a price that's higher than I am willing to pay I move to a different listing.

When I see a price that's higher than I am willing to pay I move to a different listing.

Rad.

 

[Waltsdog]

The other thing is that Reverb is at least partially owned by Chicago Music Exchange. I have had experience when offering vintage pieces that they snap it up and the immediately start negotiating after the sale. They nitpick any small blemish that most buyers would never care about and it's either send them a few hundred back or they will return the item. You end up making about what you would if you just sold it to your local store in the first place. I a, not the only person with that experience and I assure you I did my absolute best to be clear in my listings.

It was acquired by Etsy in 2019 and has gone downhill since with increases in fees and decreased customer service.
Still a better option than eBay though.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Things sell fairly quickly on Reverb. I have no complaints.

 

[logdrum]

The other thing is that Reverb is at least partially owned by Chicago Music Exchange. I have had experience when offering vintage pieces that they snap it up and the immediately start negotiating after the sale. They nitpick any small blemish that most buyers would never care about and it's either send them a few hundred back or they will return the item. You end up making about what you would if you just sold it to your local store in the first place. I a, not the only person with that experience and I assure you I did my absolute best to be clear in my listings.

That is terrible. So they will pay your asking and then haggle after the sale. Can you just cancel the sale?

 

[David OnTheMoon]

I picked up a NS-CR4M from there, decent price, happy camper. I have also sold a couple of pieces of older studio gear and was amazed how much I got. My ultimate wishy-washy answer is "it depends."

 

[jw23mind]

Reverb has to issue 1099K for transactions exceeding $600 in recent years. I think things have slowed in part due to this, certainly for me. It's more expensive and trouble to resell, there's not much margin left for used to compete with new equipment.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I dunno man myself personally I've gotten a bunch of good deals on good gear through Reverb and I'm currently watching some good items at reasonable prices that I'm not pulling the trigger on for reasons other than price.

 

[Iofflight]

Reverb was always a bit on the high side I thought, and then it was bought out by Etsy and they raised the prices. I won't sell there at all. I'll sell here or the on the synth forum I belong to. I'd rather wait and make sure both the buyer and I are getting the most for our money. I think the ebay and reverb fees and online taxes have driven most individual sellers back to the forums and FB marketplace.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I don't have extensive experience or evidence, but based on occasional, casual browsing, it seems like every piece of gear I see on Reverb is just risibly overpriced. I mean, £219 used for an item that sells at most online retailers new for £249?! So, skip the warranty, return options and being the original, single owner for a reduction of just 12%?! That seems batpoop crazy to me.

Just to eleaborate, I'd expect to pay a msximum of, say, £175 for a preowned item of that value. Am I getting something wrong here? Or are Reverb prices really just nuts?

'I'm not a fan of buying online, but I do know about economics. A seller has a right to ask any thing the want for what they are selling. However the buyer, with the power of the checkbook, sets the transaction price.

If there asking price is higher that what you feel the item is worth to you, there are two choices, one you walk away, and the seller keeps his item continuing to look for or wait for a sucker. the other choice is to make a realistic offer that would brings the price down to your perceived value.

Apparently you've done some homework, and you know what the full retail is on an item. If the seller is not a merchant, is the original owner, and he is selling and Item at full retail, I would counter offer/

In it is in new condition or gently used, I would offer 30% less than the retail price, which is about the profit margin the seller paid to the store on his transaction. You shouldn't be obligated to reimburse for that. I would discount a higher percentage for being the 2 of third owner and well as defects wear, & and tear.

One last thing about Reverb, alway ask if the seller is actually the owner of said item and if it's in his possession. There are a lot of "scrounges" that don't own what they are selling . They strike a deal with you, then the look for one for sale for less money than what they are charging you. This is huge in Japan, and it's not just musical instruments. the sell cars, trucks, houses, clothes, jewelry.

 

[TOOL460002]

I don't have extensive experience or evidence, but based on occasional, casual browsing, it seems like every piece of gear I see on Reverb is just risibly overpriced. I mean, £219 used for an item that sells at most online retailers new for £249?! So, skip the warranty, return options and being the original, single owner for a reduction of just 12%?! That seems batpoop crazy to me.

Just to eleaborate, I'd expect to pay a msximum of, say, £175 for a preowned item of that value. Am I getting something wrong here? Or are Reverb prices really just nuts?

175 for a 250 item is 30% off. I would call that a good deal. Original owner is worth zero to me. Warranty is worth close to zero for me. Yes, there are terrible deals, but, no, they aren't all as bad as you seem to think. Maybe it's the items. Maybe it's the timing. Maybe it's you. I don't think it's Reverb as a whole.

 

[Odinbass]

Good deals can be found but you have to have your feed set up, check constantly, and move quick when you see something well priced.

The overpriced stuff tends to sit.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

There's a whole slew of bedroom players whom buy and sell gear constantly, they use Reverb to recoup as much as possible from buying new. I see some basses on Reverb for years!
It's eBay I won't do business with. eBay is in Chinas back pocket.

 

[basslust]

If I'm looking for a certain type of item, I'll take a look at Reverb and see what is available. Sometimes, there are good deals, or exactly the rare thing that I'm looking for, and I'll end up buying from Reverb in that case. Other times, the only things available are overpriced, in which case I usually buy new (or sometimes from Guitar Center for used stuff -- the return policy is great when buying used.)

 

[BlueTalon]

Reverb really isn't responsible for anything other than their fees, policies, and practices. They don't set prices for sellers, the sellers do that on their own.

Last night, I bought something on Reverb within minutes of seeing it listed, because the item isn't made any more. It was quite a good price IMO, but I would have been happy to pay half again as much, and begrudgingly would have paid twice as much. I have previously bought used items that were listed at higher prices than new, again because those things were no longer made, or at least not currently then in production. In that circumstance, there are not a lot of options if my wants or needs are very specific.

 

[bassist4dalord]

I just sold a bass on Reverb; I had listed one before that sold on TB.

With this particular sale listing I was far too impatient and I was selling a very common item (SBMM Ray5) with some minor cosmetic blemishes. Then I got so impatient I offered free shipping. After the cost of shipping and Reverb fees I pocketed about $80.00 from a bass I sold for $230.00. Oh well. Like I said, I was impatient and really motivated to get rid of it. Somebody got a pretty decent deal.

I'm down to two basses and no plans to add or subtract any basses any time soon. Reverb worked for me but it is definitely a crazy market.

 

[BlueTalon]

I just sold a bass on Reverb; I had listed one before that sold on TB.

With this particular sale listing I was far too impatient and I was selling a very common item (SBMM Ray5) with some minor cosmetic blemishes. Then I got so impatient I offered free shipping. After the cost of shipping and Reverb fees I pocketed about $80.00 from a bass I sold for $230.00. Oh well. Like I said, I was impatient and really motivated to get rid of it. Somebody got a pretty decent deal.

I'm down to two basses and no plans to add or subtract any basses any time soon. Reverb worked for me but it is definitely a crazy market.

You probably could have made more than that just selling it to Guitar Center.

 

[JenderBazzFass]

I've made a few deals on Reverb both from stores and individuals. Tuners, pickup, necks, and some assorted items. Never a bass or amp, yet. And all the deals have been good.

My biggest "pet peeve" with Reverb is, without fail, it seems that the thing I want and am searching for is "pickup only." Living in central WI that usually entails a 27 hr drive or an expensive flight.

That is frustrating, but I have sold some gear that way.

It may not be worth shipping something like a cab or an expensive instrument, but if a local buyer finds you through reverb you can do the deal in person and in cash.

In these cases Reverb only collects a 5% fee and I do much better than if I'd shipped it.

 

[JenderBazzFass]

One correction - I am not affiliated with them but Reverb was not owned by Chicago Music Exchange ever, I believe some folks associated with CME started it but they were not directly related is my understanding. The Etsy changes have not been positive but it's still better than eBay IMO.

It's true that there's a lot of high asking prices but asking isn't getting. I price my things at the "competitive price" the site recommends from their sales trends and stuff usually sells in a day or two.

It hurts to end up only keeping 80% of the selling price since all buyers expect free shipping now, but things sell quickly there and I've only had a problem once, which was resolved easily.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I don't have extensive experience or evidence, but based on occasional, casual browsing, it seems like every piece of gear I see on Reverb is just risibly overpriced. I mean, £219 used for an item that sells at most online retailers new for £249?! So, skip the warranty, return options and being the original, single owner for a reduction of just 12%?! That seems batpoop crazy to me.

Just to eleaborate, I'd expect to pay a msximum of, say, £175 for a preowned item of that value. Am I getting something wrong here? Or are Reverb prices really just nuts?

It's market levels, it is what it is. People can ask anything they want, and if it's too high, only suckers will buy. Higher than new? With free shipping can still be a deal (especially with shipping costs what they are)
How many brick and mortar stores CAN you frequent? Where else is used gear available for sale? Craigslist? OfferUp? eBay? Facebook marketplace? Buyers control the transaction, but at the end of the day, the seller controls the availability.