It is in their interest for sellers to have proof an item was not damaged before shipping. It would help resolve things more quickly.
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Reverb did me wrong
- Thread starter Rod Barchetta
- Start date
I would think that if the impact happened in the case there might be some form of imprint in the case padding/foam. Maybe the box fell from a height and landed perfectly on its side. But sadly my current view of humanity makes me think the lady dropped it. If she were a reasonable person she would help you to identify the paint chips in the case… photograph and send to reverb so insurance would cover it. But she blamed you… so that tells me she is shifty.
Well, initially I DID think the seller shipped it this way. Possibly dropped it while packing it up and put the chipped pieces in the case to make it look like it happened during transit. It wasn't until I saw that the case leaves room for the bass to shift on that left side and there's very little to prevent it from striking the metal border.
I've bought 9 of my 11 basses from Reverb, never had even close to a bad experience, but every single time I had to wait for delivery, I waited on pins and needles just hoping my bass would arrive undamaged...I've always trusted the sellers but was always concerned when it came to UPS or FedEx.
Recently, I sold my Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro...it was listed here, local pickup only.
There's absolutely no way I'd feel safe shipping a bass and having to deal with the possibility of something going wrong, as has happened to the OP. Waiting for someone in your area for a local sale might take time, but believe me, it's worth it.
Recently, I sold my Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro...it was listed here, local pickup only.
There's absolutely no way I'd feel safe shipping a bass and having to deal with the possibility of something going wrong, as has happened to the OP. Waiting for someone in your area for a local sale might take time, but believe me, it's worth it.
I feel your pain. I recently had one on eBay. I had pics to prove it wasn’t damaged when I sent it, so the buyer cancelled the return he requested and opened a chargeback via PayPal. PayPal wouldn’t communicate with me about it as managed payments go to eBay (then eBay pay the seller) not directly to my PayPal account… so therefore it’s a breach of data protection! EBay were equally useless saying either “you’ll have to speak to PayPal” or when I eventually got them to see sense, even though I could show the bass up until it was packaged up (including a hard case) “we didn’t see the condition it arrived to the buyer so we can’t comment”.
Absolutely awful experience and yeah I’m done selling anything expensive online.
I did also recently have a guy buy a speaker lead, ask for a refund/replacement because it “didn’t work properly and just sounded really bad” and then when I said “of course, send it back and I’ll give you a refund” - he decided suddenly it did in fact work and asked if I had any more I could sell him, or knew a shop he could get another the same!
Absolutely awful experience and yeah I’m done selling anything expensive online.
I did also recently have a guy buy a speaker lead, ask for a refund/replacement because it “didn’t work properly and just sounded really bad” and then when I said “of course, send it back and I’ll give you a refund” - he decided suddenly it did in fact work and asked if I had any more I could sell him, or knew a shop he could get another the same!
Ugh, so sorry you are going through this.
Some people always give me guff when I only sell local only, but stories like this is why.
I hope you get it squared but it looks like you are going to get the short end of the stick here.
I bought one bass off reverb. Horrible experience. I was glad I got the bass in the end. I decided to never buy or sell on reverb after that. Too much hassle and too many shady people out there trying to get one over on you.
Some people always give me guff when I only sell local only, but stories like this is why.
I hope you get it squared but it looks like you are going to get the short end of the stick here.
I bought one bass off reverb. Horrible experience. I was glad I got the bass in the end. I decided to never buy or sell on reverb after that. Too much hassle and too many shady people out there trying to get one over on you.
Thats why I wrote to take photos from every angle and to record videos. And guess what, I wasnt the only one to suggest that. Sucks, lotsa work but people do it to cover their butts. Next time I sell a bass, Im taking photos and videos left and right to documents everything. People suck.
I can't see the damaged area from the "before" pics. What I find odd is that if someone had a strap "oopsie", the damage would be on the other side. I'm going to guess that Reverb leans towards the buyer from the start and the lack of before & after pics from the same perspective was a deciding factor.
If the story is correct is does indeed look like the buyer damaged the bass. But is there another angle to this? What's stopping a curious delivery person from unwrapping the box, playing the bass one afternoon, accidentally dropping it, and then wrapping it up again before delivering to the buyer?
I would hope there are sufficient internal procedures and audit mechanisms to prevent it, but can I say for sure?
I would hope there are sufficient internal procedures and audit mechanisms to prevent it, but can I say for sure?
Sorry for your trouble, it sounds like a real pita. Makes me want to avoid selling on reverb!
Delivery drivers are worked like abused dogs. They often don't have time to even use the restroom without management threatening to fire them, much less to open a package to play a bass and then repackage it.
Buyer owned the same damaged bass, bought yours, swapped bodies, sending you the bad one. Check the grain pattern carefully.
This has been said before, but any complete bass I sell (1,000+) goes to a TB'er with a few years membership and significant positive feedback. This limits the potential buyer pool, but I price it reasonably, and have never had a problem finding a buyer. They sell easier and bring more money on Reverb, but I'm not a business, and don't need the drama. I have also met some great people. I believe she had buyers remorse and intentionally dinged the bass to return it. Yea...People are that sh**ty!
this is such a rough one..
are your "before" photos encrypted with the location, date, time? do they show the exact area where the damage is shown?
you may have a case. In situations like this, getting a hold of someone to have them hear you out can be a nightmare.
I get reverb's policy. protect the customer. if the customer knows they're shopping in a protected environment, it's good for business. at the end of the day, no customers would lead to no sellers.
problem is, just like ebay, there are some customers you should not be protecting.
I used to take photos of the bass during the packing process to have in events like this. last few basses i sold i don't think i did... considering how easy it is, and how good phone photos are now, it's crazy not to. I could be wrong but isin't an encrypted photo, paired with a receipt of shipment from the following day, pretty damn good proof?
are your "before" photos encrypted with the location, date, time? do they show the exact area where the damage is shown?
you may have a case. In situations like this, getting a hold of someone to have them hear you out can be a nightmare.
I get reverb's policy. protect the customer. if the customer knows they're shopping in a protected environment, it's good for business. at the end of the day, no customers would lead to no sellers.
problem is, just like ebay, there are some customers you should not be protecting.
I used to take photos of the bass during the packing process to have in events like this. last few basses i sold i don't think i did... considering how easy it is, and how good phone photos are now, it's crazy not to. I could be wrong but isin't an encrypted photo, paired with a receipt of shipment from the following day, pretty damn good proof?
That sucks. I'm of the practice that every piece of gear I list gets 6 photos minimum, with at least 1 from every direction.
If that happened in shipping while the guitar was in the case then there should be evidence of that, pieces of that broken finish should be present in the case. But it’s probably a lost cause, I don’t think you’re gonna win this.
Makes me wonder if I should order some custom logo tape for packaging, and inform the buyer 'if this tape seal is cut do no proceed'.
I found myself in a similar situation with a reverb sale, as the buyer. The bass was shipped in a cheap gig bag but was pretty well packed. When I received it there was a gash on it , very similar to the one on this thread. I was pretty surprised as it really was well packed and the box showed no signs of abuse or damage. There were relatively large pieces of finish broken off, but they weren’t anywhere in the gig bag. The bass was obviously damaged prior to being packed. Reverb was great, the seller was cooperative and it all worked out. But I don’t know how the OP situation is gonna be resolved.
This does suck. However, this isn't Reverbs fault. You can't blame them for this crappy situation. It's like saying you hate Ford and will never buy one because some drunk was driving without insurance in an F150 and t-boned you. I've bought tons of stuff online, and all in all I've have had pretty good experiences, with music gear I've never had any problems.
But to echo what a lot of folks have said so far on this thread, talk to customer service, be annoying (within reason of course ;P), and keep at it until you get a fair response. Many times in a customer service based group (like Reverb), the squeaky wheel gets the oil...
But to echo what a lot of folks have said so far on this thread, talk to customer service, be annoying (within reason of course ;P), and keep at it until you get a fair response. Many times in a customer service based group (like Reverb), the squeaky wheel gets the oil...
