Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Selling on Reverb without getting ripped off?
- Thread starter g-dude
- Start date
Avoid bad advice
, and do sell on Reverb
. I've sold over 50 instruments and purchased another 50 at least. Platforms cost to use, but what doesn't.
, and do sell on Reverb. I've sold over 50 instruments and purchased another 50 at least. Platforms cost to use, but what doesn't.
True, 20% is probably high but you pay a percentage of your sale, a payment processing fee, if you use "Reverb Protection" with their shipping labels you pay extra, plus if you added any extra services (like bumping your listing) you're getting up there.
If you can sell it in a local shop, avoid shipping and let them babysit it for you, a consignment is always a win. A local shop may be less than 20% as well. Ironically, my local shop takes consignments for sale in their shop AND they also list them on Reverb, LOL.
If you were selling a bass on Reverb, no sweat, but if YOU are worried about trying to ship something like a synth, a safer local sale makes sense.
You can join a synth forum and sell it there. I am guessing you have a mini-moog model D. I think Perfect Circuit in Burbank has a vintage section and they may do consignments and there is that synth shop in Japan that I know folks have sold to. If you want to fetch premium price.
Are the re-issues really fetching 9K? My most expensive Moog is the Matriarch and I got below dealer price.
Are the re-issues really fetching 9K? My most expensive Moog is the Matriarch and I got below dealer price.
How much does it cost?
It doesn't cost anything to opt into Reverb Payments. Like PayPal, fees are only charged as a percentage of the total sale after it’s made. Because of local processing regulation, fees vary by country, but in general are up to 25% less than PayPal. Preferred Sellers qualify for an even lower rate. See your country’s costs here.
EXAMPLE COSTS
USA 2.7% + $0.25 USD per transaction
Canada 2.7% + $0.25 CAD per transaction
France 2.7% + 0,25€ per transaction
UK 2.7% + £0.25 per transaction
*International transactions will incur a 1% additional cross-border fee. Transactions within the European Economic Area (EEA) are considered domestic and will not incur a cross-border fee.
See more country rates here.
It doesn't cost anything to opt into Reverb Payments. Like PayPal, fees are only charged as a percentage of the total sale after it’s made. Because of local processing regulation, fees vary by country, but in general are up to 25% less than PayPal. Preferred Sellers qualify for an even lower rate. See your country’s costs here.
EXAMPLE COSTS
USA 2.7% + $0.25 USD per transaction
Canada 2.7% + $0.25 CAD per transaction
France 2.7% + 0,25€ per transaction
UK 2.7% + £0.25 per transaction
*International transactions will incur a 1% additional cross-border fee. Transactions within the European Economic Area (EEA) are considered domestic and will not incur a cross-border fee.
See more country rates here.
I've never had any problems with selling on Reverb. Or buying either, for that matter, except for the guy who didn't want to ship the headphones I bought from him. Got my money back from him.
I'm pretty sure that Reverb has negotiated rates with the major carriers to help subsidize shipping. Even after adding shipping protection, the rates on Reverb appear to be cheaper than going through the carriers directly.
I'm pretty sure that Reverb has negotiated rates with the major carriers to help subsidize shipping. Even after adding shipping protection, the rates on Reverb appear to be cheaper than going through the carriers directly.
Roughly, where are you, geographically speaking? If you're in Chicago (or some other major metro area), I might try to sell it locally first. If you're in a rural area, Reverb will be your best bet.
Last edited:
by far, reverb will get your item in front of the most eyes for the absolute cheapest cost to you, all while taking care of most of the most annoying parts of selling online (advertising, payment processing and possible credit card chargebacks, DEEP discounts on shipping because of the volume they do, self-financed shipping insurance that can get most claims resolved super quickly and not with either party getting screwed). really the only annoying parts you have to do are packing and maybe customer interaction (most buyers are cool, every once in awhile you'll encounter a prick). i've made a significant proportion of my income selling on reverb over the past three years. i refuse to sell on ebay because as a seller you can get absolutely screwed if your buyer decides to act shady
so tips include a ton of pictures, a video of your unit working (doesn't have to be professional quality), explain any egregious defects/battlescars, don't cheap out by not paying for reverb safe shipping (it will save your tail), pack it well, and make sure to sell 'as described'
scoping out international shipping quotes can be quite helpful moving gear as well but there's room to short change yourself on the shipping cost
gearspace is a great suggestion but i don't think i'd be willing to ship something like this without having the reverb safe shipping. carrier shipping insurance is pretty much worthless
so tips include a ton of pictures, a video of your unit working (doesn't have to be professional quality), explain any egregious defects/battlescars, don't cheap out by not paying for reverb safe shipping (it will save your tail), pack it well, and make sure to sell 'as described'
scoping out international shipping quotes can be quite helpful moving gear as well but there's room to short change yourself on the shipping cost
gearspace is a great suggestion but i don't think i'd be willing to ship something like this without having the reverb safe shipping. carrier shipping insurance is pretty much worthless
Last edited:
I agree. I have over 100 transactions on reverb and only one person was a problem. That’s a decent success rate in these times.
Cardinal Rule - describe everything in exacting detail and sell everything "As described"
Most problems on Reverb seem to come when a person overstates the condition of an item. Reverb has definitions for these conditions which you should follow exactly. Document even the smallest blemishes in photos. Seriously, photo every inch of it.
Thoroughly inspect the item to make sure there aren’t any issues that you don’t know about. That means every port, every button, dial, switch, lever, and light. Needs to be done at volume, too.
The biggest risk is anything the buyer can say is “not as described”. If there is anything like that, they can force you to take it back for a full refund AND pay return shipping. And someone who is having buyer’s remorse will often try to say it’s not as described so they don’t have to pay to ship it back. So don’t give any grounds for that.
The less said the better, in some ways. Don't say anything subjective that could be disputed. Don't say it is "fairly light", put the exact weight. Don't say the neck is "fairly chunky", put the exact measurements, or don't say anything. There was a thread recently about a buyer who bought an item and it shipped, then he asked a question AFTER the sale and the seller gave an answer the buyer didn't like, and the buyer reneged on the deal. Say only facts that cannot be disputed.
Speaking of which, shipping, like everything else, has seen absolutely eye-watering price increases recently. An oversize item that has some weight will likely cost hundreds to ship insured. That’s if you pack it yourself, and don't have it professionally packed. The best move would be to buy the shipping label from Reverb, take it into the store, and say that you want it professionally packed but to use that shipping label to ship it. either way shipping will be extremely expensive for a large and heavy item. Being quoted $200-300 by a retail UPS Store (which charges retail prices) would not be surprising. I've had guitars and basses quoted in excess of $150, insured.
Speaking of which - getting a shipping carrier to pay a claim on that insurance is like squaring the circle. I don’t think it’s ever been done. They will deny every claim, always, at least initially and you’ll have to fight. One thing that makes it easier is if you pay them to have it professionally packed (at the fedex or UPS store or whatever.) Then, if UPS denies the claim for inadequate packaging the store could be on the hook, but then you are paying retail prices for packing which ramps the cost up even more.
And if everything goes well for the transaction, you can expect to see 10-15% of the selling price lost to fees, and maybe that much on shipping costs depending on how much the buyer shares.
All that is still far better than selling it to Guitar Center and losing 50-60%. But it might be rough getting there.
For a heavy item like an amp, I’d never bother. I’d just put it on Craigslist and Facebook and wait forever for it to sell. Maybe even drive a few hours to meet someone. The shipping fees are far too large and heavy items are very difficult to pack securely. Plus, you won’t lose the fees if you do this and wait.
Last edited:
Let’s just say that we drive 25 minutes just to go find chain restaurants because the local places, while local, suck.
I hate the fees, but I've used discernment and have never been ripped off on Reverb. I've sold 80+ items so far, and even sold some really weird stuff without incident.
The thing that I believe helps me.... Now... I sell everything with the 'As-Is' button checked in order to prevent people for buying it and wanting to return it because they don't like it. More on that below.
Also, on anything more expensive than a pedal, I take a quick picture before taping up the box, showing the way I have it packed, and I always get shipping insurance. This isn't as much because of the buyer, but the shipping carrier as well. If something's damaged, shipping carriers will often say it wasn't packed well enough and try to get out of paying the insurance claim.
I've gotten a couple of scammy emails asking me to sell things outside of reverb, but I explain that's against my store policy, and they usually back off.
Of the eight or so years I've been on reverb, I've only had a handful of problems:
The thing that I believe helps me.... Now... I sell everything with the 'As-Is' button checked in order to prevent people for buying it and wanting to return it because they don't like it. More on that below.
Also, on anything more expensive than a pedal, I take a quick picture before taping up the box, showing the way I have it packed, and I always get shipping insurance. This isn't as much because of the buyer, but the shipping carrier as well. If something's damaged, shipping carriers will often say it wasn't packed well enough and try to get out of paying the insurance claim.
I've gotten a couple of scammy emails asking me to sell things outside of reverb, but I explain that's against my store policy, and they usually back off.
Of the eight or so years I've been on reverb, I've only had a handful of problems:
- Selling: My reason for the 'As-Is' thing. In 2019, I was a broke college kid... it was my third year of grad school and I was tapped out. Not only was I tapped out, I was getting married at the same time as graduation. I sold a GK MB212-ii on Reverb for a very fair price right before we left on our honeymoon. Halfway through our honeymoon, the guy submitted a return request and wanted to send it back because he 'didn't really like the sound.' I panicked... $700 out of my checking account was *not* going to be a healthy thing when I still have a month of gainful unemployment. I told him that I'd prefer that he played around with it for the next two weeks while I was on my honeymoon, then we could discuss it later if he still had issues. By the time I got back from my honeymoon, he was in love with it (crisis averted). But, that made me change to 'As-Is' on all used items after that point because with person to person sales, it's not super reasonable to want to send something perfectly functional back because you didn't like the sound.
- Selling: Boss RV-6 worked fine when it left here, was DOA when the guy got it. I had him troubleshoot, but sure enough, it was really dead... Guy had great feedback, mailed it back, and sure enough, it had crapped out somehow.
- Selling: I sold an Epiphone Les Paul as 'Mint' and the guy said there was belt rash. I knew for a fact there wasn't, had documented photos of the back, and also had to inform him that I'm a fat guy, and my belt hasn't ever been close to that guitar
- Buying: This wasn't anything that the seller did, or didn't do, but it was the only time I've really been 'disappointed' on Reverb. I bought an G&L Tribute L-2500 from a store on Reverb last year... didn't realize that they only had the stock photos posted, so the grain didn't match at all, and the pictures looked way better... of course, the photos were the stock G&L Photos, so they picked the sweetheart of the batch. The store had it listed as a quantity item though, so that was really on me. Should have known that buying one of '4 Available' would have been up in the air. On an unrelated note, I didn't have the weight of that thing, and I'm legitimately getting ready to sell it because I'm just too old and out of shape to rock an 11# bass
I feel ya. We're 1.5 hours from any local music stores where we live now. I miss being able to pop in and try something new. Feels like everything I buy is sight-unseen right now.Let’s just say that we drive 25 minutes just to go find chain restaurants because the local places, while local, suck.
If you're worried about the "what ifs", sell to Guitar Center. There is no way to completely avoid a chargeback or phony cashier check without accepting cash (and knowing how to spot counterfeits). Buyers also don't want to assume all risk and give you top dollar while meeting you in the parking lot of Wendy's for what could be a stolen item or it's all a setup to steal their cash. As long as there are other sellers willing to sell on Reverb with no hassle for a buyer, you're going to have to give enough of a discount and find a local seller that makes the transaction beneficial to both parties. If you through any kind of electronic payment that isn't a personal transfer you're going to get a 1099-K and will need to pay tax on the profit you're making on the sale.
Also, if you sell local, there are some safeguards:
- Cash Only, then head straight to the bank.
- Meet at a police station (people around here do it)
- Take a third party witness (but, be careful because this can freak people out)
Adding to this, I've had good luck lately using: www.pirateship.com . It's usually slightly cheaper than Reverb direct.
Selling to guitar center will leave about half the money you could have gotten on the table, but the advantage is that the transaction is over and done immediately.
There are also situations where it could make sense - if you're trading in on a new item. GC has really tightened up on offering any discounts, but they still offer an automatic 10% off a new item if you do a trade-in. I think it has to be in stock and not already on sale, but if you're trading in a lower value item and purchasing a high value item, the money could come out closer to even.
Like if I take a $500 (used) bass, trade it in to them for $200, but then buy a $2000 bass and get $200 off it, that's not so bad. I would've come out ahead selling it on my own but this is at least decent.
