reverb.com scam?

[Dave montreal]

Hello,

I am in contact with a seller on reverb.com. I contacted him following an ad that seemed to have been there for 10 months. He answered me via reverb's messaging service and suggested to continue on his personal email because, according to him, the reverb costs are too expensive and he decided not to go through them anymore. This seller has been on reverb for 2 years and has 168 reviews on reverb and all positive ...

He seems to know the gear, I offer him 20% less, he's ok a priori and ok for a PayPal transaction. The deal would be outside of reverb.com

What are the risks?
An opinion ?
Thanks

 

[stefanb]

Probably an extremely common thing to avoid the fees. Buyer beware though since you lose all protection moving off the platform so you have to trust it, totally up to you on how to proceed.

 

[Gorn]

Yup. Not a scam but risky.

 

[FenderP]

As much as I hate fees from any platform as a seller, their protections are there for a reason. I've been on both ends of that - been burned as a seller but also helped as a seller. The most recent stuff happened on eBay. I prefer to sell bass-related gear here if I can, but the reality is those platforms get more "eyes".

I also think it's not a scam if the seller has that much positive feedback, but there's just the cost of doing business - accept it or don't.

 

[Krizz]

If it’s regular PayPal, you’ll have some protection from them. If it’s PayPal friends and family, no protection, you might as well be sending him a check or cash in the mail.

 

[Joeywhat]

It's also somewhat likely that guys account has been compromised, and the person who took control as trying to get the sale off of Reverb so they can take your money... In other words you may not be talking to the actual account owner.

It's risky, but might be worth it if the cost for whatever you're getting is low.

 

[ShadowGroover]

Definitely a scam against Reverb by you and the seller to deny Reverb fees for hosting your sale, one that neither of you would have entered or known of without Reverb's service. Some view this as theft, others see "violation of user agreements" for buyer and seller, while the majority chant, "screw Reverb" or "stick it to the man."

Make sure to pay "friends and family" for the next associated buyer and seller scam of a transaction such as this (denial of fee to legitimate service provider by payer misrepresentation).

Then, if you get scammed by the seller, you'll be in good company of parties scammed in the transaction. Misery loves company, so maybe consolation would be that you weren't the only injured party in a scam you perpetuated.

 

[Lesfunk]

I have a bass on reverb and got a totally suspicious message
The Person who messaged me cannot even receive messages on the reverb platform. That was a big red flag. I just chose to ignore it

 

[MultiScaleMale]

If you do the deal outside Reverb's purchasing you may get a better deal. You may also end up with nothing.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

As a buyer, unless it's an in-person deal, I would buy through reverb and not through the seller personally.

 

[Khrist92]

I have a bass on reverb and got a totally suspicious message
The Person who messaged me cannot even receive messages on the reverb platform. That was a big red flag. I just chose to ignore it

This has happened to me more than a few times - always the messenger buying it for "someone else" and etc. I think we can't respond to them because they get nipped in the bud so quickly.

 

[FunkHead]

he's ok a priori

???

 

[Chrisk-K]

It is up to you to decide whether it’s worth taking the risk to save the 20%.

 

[Lesfunk]

This is the one that seems a little phishy

 

[Liam Wald]

So the seller listed it on Reverb and you found it there. Now seller wants to sidestep Reverb. Not very cool in my opinion. What the seller is doing is dishonest. I do not trust people who cheat.

 

[ahbradot]

After making a purchase I slept nice knowing I stayed within the Reverb guidelines with buyer protection.

 

[kodiakblair]

WOW. Everyone is so quick to call foul.

Seller has it listed on Reverb, could be the usual stupid price tag or maybe a bargain. OP makes their 20% less offer and it's accepted. If the bass was at a bargain price then the seller is now down 20% for the offer and down Reverb and any other fees; can't say I blame them for looking to step away from the platform.

 

[FenderP]

WOW. Everyone is so quick to call foul.

Seller has it listed on Reverb, could be the usual stupid price tag or maybe a bargain. OP makes their 20% less offer and it's accepted. If the bass was at a bargain price then the seller is now down 20% for the offer and down Reverb and any other fees; can't say I blame them for looking to step away from the platform.

The thing is, technically even if you do the transaction off of Reverb, if it's a Reverb connection (i.e. seller and buyer found each other there), you're supposed to give Reverb a cut. If you don't want to sell on Reverb, take your ad down and find elsewhere to post it.

 

[kodiakblair]

if it's a Reverb connection (i.e. seller and buyer found each other there), you're supposed to give Reverb a cut.

I get what you're saying though reading the OP's post the ad had been up 10 months , doesn't look like the Reverb connection is VFM.

 

[31HZ]

If a seller doesn't agree with the fees structure on Reverb, then they should either build the fees into the price of what they're selling, or they shouldn't use Reverb.

Can't have it both ways.