Reverb increasing seller fees

[MultiScaleMale]

It's true that a 1.5% pay increase isn't much, but I'm afraid that your math is faulty in this case. (1.5% / 3.5%) X 100 = 43%. In one go, Reverb increased their take by 43%, not by 1.5%. That would make for a pretty good raise for many people.

It's still comparing the percent change to the whole, salary in the case of a pay raise or total sale price in the case of Reverb.

 

[Low Class]

With all the other pedal builders out there doing similar things that must have been a hard couple of weeks for you

Probably much harder for Reverb considering all the accounts that were closed. Probably why they now have to raise their rates to make up for it.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

If the increase hurts you that bad as a business, your business model may need examination.

As a private seller, I still think 5% for a focused, national (or possibly worldwide), advertising forum is reasonable.

 

[BunchyMutt]

Probably much harder for Reverb considering all the accounts that were closed. Probably why they now have to raise their rates to make up for it.

I'd love to see data on that

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Well, I guess Reverb finally realized it's a website full of over priced crap. ...

It's funny you say that...

I bought a 5 string off Reverb two months ago in the finish Guitar Center didn't have, for $150 less.

 

[Low Class]

I'd love to see data on that

If they weren't getting complaints from their customers that banner would still be up there.

 

[monsterthompson]

It's still comparing the percent change to the whole, salary in the case of a pay raise or total sale price in the case of Reverb.

This is very much a case of perspective and determining the right driver for the analysis. There’s no way Reverb execs are sitting around patting themselves on the back for a 43% increase of any kind. The fee increased by 43% over the previous numeric value, but (it is likely that) nobody spends much time looking at the new fee as a percentage increase over the prior fee.

Edit - This reminds me of a joke a family member tells about a brother and sister 10 years apart in age. The brother says when he was 20 the sister was 10, or 50% his age. When he was 30 she was 20, or 67% his age. When he was 40 she was 30 or 75%. She clearly is aging faster than he is.

 

[BunchyMutt]

If they weren't getting complaints from their customers that banner would still be up there.

that seems like a stretch to me. Discarding any political pressure or lack thereof and approaching it from a UI perspective, I imagine there were webpage managers that were fretting about it becoming stale, regardless of cancelled accounts, letters in support or against, etc. Sure, maybe they cancelled the banner, but really what good does it do? The money is already earmarked and or budgeted

 

[john_g]

Sucks big green hairy monkey balls...

Oh, I was going to say floppy donkey ding dongs

 

[foothilla]

I believe the topics of social equality and systemic racism are humanitarian and not political.
I also believe I will probably sell less than I already do at Reverb as a result of the price hike.

While I agree with you, I once received a warning for something I would have never thought of as a "political discussion". The tolerances here are pretty strict, and so a lot of us avoid anything that can turn political.

 

[CoffeeLove]

Just got an email that starts off with

“To Our Community,

I’m writing to share upcoming changes that will enable us to significantly grow our marketplace so that we can help you reach even more buyers all over the world. Beginning on August 4, 2020, we are increasing our selling fee for the first time ever⁠— from 3.5 % to 5%.”

The new income is ostensibly going to increase the number of buyers by:

• Investing over 30% more in marketing initiatives—including SEO, online video advertising, and other digital advertising—to get your inventory in front of more buyers from around the world.
• Expanding by more than 25% the capacity of our global customer support team focused on assisting you and your buyers as we grow.
• Increasing by more than 40% the capacity of our product team focused on creating and enhancing seller tools and services to increase the visibility of your shop and inventory.
• 
  
  
• 
  
• Thoughts?

Yeah, between seller fees and shipping expense, I have mostly stopped using Reverb. I will still list for free since there is no harm done, and just pass the fees along to the buyer. If the item sells, great, if not no harm. Reverb does reach a much larger audience than Talkbass, so I have had people pay significantly more for an item than here on TB, which offset the seller fees. Its just a hobby for me, and I only sell after trying a piece of gear that isn't for me.

 

[BunchyMutt]

I blame Andy.
View attachment 3904945

Probably asked for a raise.

When in doubt...

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Yeah, between seller fees and shipping expense, I have mostly stopped using Reverb. I will still list for free since there is no harm done, and just pass the fees along to the buyer. If the item sells, great, if not no harm. Reverb does reach a much larger audience than Talkbass, so I have had people pay significantly more for an item than here on TB, which offset the seller fees. Its just a hobby for me, and I only sell after trying a piece of gear that isn't for me.

Effects that can be used on guitar sell way faster on Reverb and for a higher price.

 

[Low Class]

that seems like a stretch to me. Discarding any political pressure or lack thereof and approaching it from a UI perspective, I imagine there were webpage managers that were fretting about it becoming stale, regardless of cancelled accounts, letters in support or against, etc. Sure, maybe they cancelled the banner, but really what good does it do? The money is already earmarked and or budgeted

Money earmarked or budgeted? This wasn't a paid political ad, but was just a statement typed in on what Reverb supports. Regardless, Reverb would not be the first business to lose a hunk their customer base by expressing political views, especially when there is an alternative like eBay.

 

[foothilla]

Being a good capitalist, I appreciate profit. However, Reverb and the like are simply middlemen, adding to the cost and diminishing the profit. IMO that middle cost has gotten prohibitive, especially for the little schmucks like us just trying to move one bass to make room for another. But then, that's what TB and Craigslist are for, guys like us.

As for world-wide access to customers, that's a red herring. When the hell am I going to sell a bass to someone overseas? No one can afford the shipping.

Doing deals here on TB I learned a couple of ways to get around some fees, and I was happy to do it.

If one looks at the profit sheets on outfits like eBay, PayPal, Etsy and others, they ain't hurting. I think this is gouging.

And to those who think a $50 fee is reasonable just for using the website, I think that's a lot when it all gets added up. They nickel and dime us to death. The work they do for a sale of $10 to $10K is the same, so why not just a flat fee? No, that wouldn't generate enough.

On a personal note, I got hosed by GroupOn, and PayPal was the antithesis of helpful when it came to resolving it. I got better service from my bank card issuer, whom I use directly for payments now. Again, cut out the middleman's cost, and all the prices go down. I no longer use PayPal.

Like PayPal, I'm in the process of getting rid of Amazon, but they more or less ran a lot of companies out of business, so the options for buying things are fewer. And the Chinese junk on there, oy. Yet sometimes I just have to deal with the devil. But as little as possible.

But back to reverb, it was proven long ago that cutting out middlemen reduced the price for the consumer.

How would you suggest one cut out the middle man, while getting the worldwide exposure of a Reverb, or eBay?

 

[BunchyMutt]

Money earmarked or budgeted? This wasn't a paid political ad, but was just a statement typed in on what Reverb supports. Regardless, Reverb would not be the first business to lose a hunk their customer base by expressing political views.

Sure. I also think you're substantiating this with a causal fallacy.

As for money earmarked or budgeted, did you read the email also or are you just reacting to a banner visual?

 

[Low Class]

Sure. I also think you're substantiating this with a causal fallacy.

As for money earmarked or budgeted, did you get the email also or are you just reacting to a banner visual?

Really? Ask the NFL!

 

[onamission]

Shipping fees have gone through the roof, online sites want more fees, makes me like brick and mortars like Guitar Center and pawn shops even more.

 

[Eric Huber]

All the web portals are increasing fees. Webhosting companies are trying to make up for lost dollars during the 1st and 2nd quarter due to the quarantine. Fees in the cloud/webhosting market are skyrocketing and are being passed on to consumers. I mean Reverb is pretty good at handling sales and the other options are craigslist, hmmm and sites such as Talkbass. I prefer to sell to a specific audience not everybody just looking for a flip.
I see costs of most everything being adjusted by 5-7% percent.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

Well, that's the end of that. Way to go, Etsy.
TB has always been the best, but things are slowing down everywhere...