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Reverb did me wrong

#164
Here's the latest plot twist. Reverb sent me a shipping label number saying the bass was on its way back to me. I assumed they meant both bass guitars. But the shipping label they sent is for the 1st bass, not the one that was damaged. The weights and dimensions listed on UPS confirm this.

I have no idea what is going on. I have emailing three times a day with no response.
 
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#165
BBQisgood said:
Here’s what I think could possibly have happened. There is a large, stout latch on the case which probably attaches pretty deep behind the outside. If someone put it down a 30ft cargo ramp and it impacted then you could get damage from that latch jolting into the bass, and depending on the packaging, the box and the case may not look too bad.

Have a look at my high tech visual aids:


You’ve got what looks like red case fuzz in the first pic underneath a bit of clear coat.

View attachment 4568030




In the second pic, we can look at the angle from that latch to the ding. See how the metal lip looks like it might have bent. (Yellow arrow)View attachment 4568031


In the last pic, the angle matches the outer hardware position. Draw a line through the damage and you get a ding starting at the lower end of the bridge pickup and ending at about the B saddle.
View attachment 4568029

I could be dead wrong, but I bet it got dropped/hit just right in transit that the case flexed and the bass hit the inside of that latch apparatus.
Click to expand...

I really hope you are right. I know how I shipped the bass. Looking at the case, I could see no way the bass got damaged. I would much rather find out the buyer is not a low life. However, they instantly called me a liar upon posting the picture of the damage. I did not appreciate this.

I will inspect the case to see if this appears possible. I have forwarded your photos to Reverb for their consideration. Thanks for taking the time to take such a good look. If your theory has merit, maybe I will get satisfaction when all is said and done.
 
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#166
Rod Barchetta said:
I really hope you are right. I know how I shipped the bass. Looking at the case, I could see no way the bass got damaged. I would much rather find out the buyer is not a low life. However, they instantly called me a liar upon posting the picture of the damage. I did not appreciate this.

I will inspect the case to see if this appears possible. I have forwarded your photos to Reverb for their consideration. Thanks for taking the time to take such a good look. If your theory has merit, maybe I will get satisfaction when all is said and done.
Click to expand...


I’m sorry you are going through this. I hope you get a good resolution! Hopefully it helps.
 
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#167
Rod Barchetta said:
Here's the latest plot twist. Reverb sent me a shipping label number saying the bass was on its way back to me. I assumed they meant both bass guitars. But the shipping label they sent is for the 1st bass, not the one that was damaged. The weights and dimensions listed on UPS confirm this.

I have no idea what is going on. I have emailing three times a day with no response.
Click to expand...

ADVISE...

Sit back and relax and see what shows up...

You expect the first Bass (mistakenly shipped) that's a plus. Don't drive Reverb crazy...stop emailing until you can confirm what you receive.

You don't know this, but Reverb could be having the Bass at issue sent to them to look at it. There is a damage claim potentially. They have the right to inspect the damage.

Then you may have something to discuss with Reverb personnel.

Things are moving...
 
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#171
Basehead said:
So, something similar happened to me a few years ago. Found a nice Ibanez SR655PBBM and had it shipped in an Ibanez case. Photos showed no damage to the finish but it showed up with a similar chip (not as severe) in that same area, no visible damage to the box or case. Pieces of the chipped clearcoat were found in the case. I videoed the opening right after Fed Ex dropped it off to me (met the driver in my driveway and walked it into my garage).
Now, when trying to figure out how this happened or if the bass was shipped this way, I noticed that there is possibility of some movement of an instrument while in the Ibanez case. It seemed to me that the package shifted rapidly, causing the bass to move within the case to hit the inside edge of the metal of the upper and/or lower case.
Reverb refunded me but the seller would have thought I did the damage after opening, thankfully I had proof it happened in shipping.
So, if I ever ship a bass in an Ibanez case in the future, I'll be sure to bubble wrap it before closing it in the case.
Click to expand...

I was looking out for this in the images. It doesn't look like there's any paint chips at all in the case.
 
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#172
It could well be shipping damage. I received a bass with a pretty big scratch at the same position a few years back. I also thought the store had shipped it that way and hidden this defect from me. Upon close inspection, it turned out there was a staple that held the case fuzz in place that was protruding into the case. This caused the damage.

Inspect the case closely when you get it back. It's quite possible this can be resolved via shipping damage claim.
 
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#173
Rod Barchetta said:
I sold an Ibanez SR405EQM bass in mint condition on Reverb. I convinced the customer to spend $75 and get the MB300C custom SR case as well so it wouldn't get damaged. I had pictures of the bass in the case to show her how nice it was.

But I messed up and sent the wrong box. I was selling two bass guitars and made a mistake. I shipped out this bass the next day and they arrived together at 1:38 PM ands were signed for by the customer.

I messaged the customer at 3:30 letting her know I see they both arrived. At 4:19 she sent me this photo and the next one:

View attachment 4567002 View attachment 4567003
View attachment 4567004

Here it what the bass looked like when I shipped:

View attachment 4567007

View attachment 4567016

The case is undamaged. The box is undamaged. The customer claims the photos don't show the damage and it was there all along. Looking at the damage the chips of paint are fresh. This damage would have shown up in the pictures. I had insurance with Reverb.

Reverb is giving her the label to send it back, making me refund the money in 24 hrs., and I have to wait for a freight claim. But it didn't get damaged in shipping, anyone paying attention can see that.

I have only 5 star reviews, I have sold basses as mint and received 5 stars, I have (had) an add on Reverb showing every chip and blemish on the bass guitar. Nope, too bad. That doesn't matter. I have to pay to get my bass guitar trashed and sent back to me.

I will NEVER use Reverb again. If their stance changes, I will update this post, but be aware. Reverb does NOT have your back. If you use their service and your guitar gets dropped, you are on your own.
Click to expand...

Someone dropped the hell out of that bass.
 
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#174
roborend said:
Unfortunately the seller will most likely end up going in circles having to re-explain everything to various reps from reverb who will tell him they will look into it...this is by design and no amount of logic wins IME.

Ebay is the worst but I don't expect much better from reverb...I hope I'm wrong for OPs sake
Click to expand...
Which is one of the things I despise most about online retailers...that there is no physical location you can go to. It is a lot harder for companies to give people the run-around when they can't just hang up or put them on hold or continuously transfer them to other reps.
 
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#175
twinjet said:
Probably still wouldn't help. Anything that would force Reverb to go against their policy and assign blame to a customer likely wouldn't fly.
Click to expand...
I wonder if with such evidence you could take them to court and win enough to compensate you for their attempt to rip you off and the time/money wasted on having to pursue legal action. I know no one is going to go to court over a $500 bass, but it is more the principle. Companies shouldn't be able to grant themselves permission to refuse advertised services that no one made them offer in the first place. They shouldn't be allow to advertise that you are protected with Reverb shipping while having legalese somewhere in their "policies" that say you aren't protected and they can do whatever they want. But I know, what should be and what is rarely align.
 
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#176
#177
alembicguy said:
They aren’t in the business of packing products, they are in the business of providing a selling and buying platform. Packaging and the care of said product falls on the seller. If you are willing to ship instruments you need to be all in on packaging and what it takes to protect yourself against this very scenario with ridiculous amount of pictures and video of the packaging process.
Click to expand...
None of what you have said refutes my claim that it is in their interests for sellers to package things properly and to have proof they did so. Furthermore, they need not be "in the business of packing products" to write up a short guide on how to package things and place it on their website. I am sure they could figure out how to do that despite not being a shipping company.
 
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#178
ElectricBass72 said:
Your math doesn't account for PayPal fees. I'm not patient enough to wait for a money order or a cashiers check in the mail.

eBay PayPal Fee Calculator | Calculate your eBay/PayPal Profits
Click to expand...
My "math" was literally just pulling the fees from what is stated on both websites.

The website you listed aligns perfectly with what I said. eBay fees for musical instruments are 5.85% + $.30. Here's a screenshot using a nice round number to demonstrate the math using the link you provided. (This is less than reverb's 5% + 2.7% + $.25.)
Screenshot_20220203-073351.png
 
#179
Jen Jesse said:
My "math" was literally just pulling the fees from what is stated on both websites.

The website you listed aligns perfectly with what I said. eBay fees for musical instruments are 5.85% + $.30. Here's a screenshot using a nice round number to demonstrate the math using the link you provided. (This is less than reverb's 5% + 2.7% + $.25.)
View attachment 4569034
Click to expand...

Whatever. Your mileage may vary with eBay. I prefer not to use eBay anymore.

UPS ground and Fedex shipping costs kill the transaction every time for the seller. Buyers don't want to pay $80+ to ship a used Indonesian/Chinese/Mexican bass from Virginia to Florida (for example). Probably $100+ nowadays to ship a bass from the east coast to Washington state. According to UPS... guitars/basses are oversized packages which adds another $35-$40 to the cost. Again... you are free to use eBay all you want. I'll pass.
 
#180
BarqsBitMe said:
None of what you have said refutes my claim that it is in their interests for sellers to package things properly and to have proof they did so. Furthermore, they need not be "in the business of packing products" to write up a short guide on how to package things and place it on their website. I am sure they could figure out how to do that despite not being a shipping company.
Click to expand...



If you actually look for something on Reverb you will find some information on it. Reverb is not required to paste it on your forehead.

*This is just one of 8 million stories in the naked city...
 
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