Another eBay vs. Reverb (as a seller) question...

generalliamsayn · #1 07-08-2020, 10:51 AM

In the 90's and 00's before Reverb existed, I flipped guitars on eBay as a fun little side business - and got to watch firsthand how the fees rose and dumb annoyances (like not being able to leave neg. feedback on deadbeat bidders) crept in.

Cut to now, and I have some stuff to sell. I'll probably sell via Reverb, but the two things I fear I might miss about selling on eBay are:

- the fun of watching bidding go up (sometimes far exceeding what I expected to get - like the time I hoped to get about $250 for a 60's Goya and a bidding war drove up my selling price to $475!), and

- having a set end point for my auctions. This way, I'd list a bunch of stuff, they end at the same time, I get payment then head to FedEx or UPS over the course of a few days and be DONE.

I fear selling on Reverb means having to always ship one item at a time as things sell, which is more time-consuming in the long run than shipping a bunch of stuff at once.

I'd appreciate thoughts, especially from those who have sold on both sites. Thanks in advance!

dnf777 · #2 07-08-2020, 11:00 AM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts/experiences. Im a many-time buyer on both sites, but have been leery of selling and shipping. Getting ready to try it, and will be following this thread closely for advice or warnings. Thanks again for what will be a great discussion.

Dave F

SuperB23 · #3 07-08-2020, 11:04 AM

I've sold a fair amount on both ebay and reverb. Reverb has for sure taken over and I no longer am selling instruments on ebay. Ebay back peddled on their sellers fees a few years back for music instruments because they realized the 10% was too high. So I believe they are still at 3% for ebay and 3% for the credit processing like Paypal. I could be wrong because its been a while.

Reverb's amount of listings and the fact they really cater to musicians has set them apart. Also I like how you can embed videos and sound clips into the listings easily too. You run a search on ebay for a Goodall you might find 4 or 5 but on Reverb you'll find 60.

Lately Reverb has had a few scammers creating accounts trying various scams. I got into the start of one but figured things out before I lost any money but they did waste a bit of my time.

Reverb's shipping services are quite affordable if the item is under $10k. They offer usually 4 or 5 options for shipping and all at discounted rates.

I still buy on ebay and reverb fairly often and usually if I'm looking to sell some old electronics or something like that I still sell on ebay.

aknow · #4 07-08-2020, 11:08 AM

Reverb used to be fun too. Now there are hidden fees, and confusing shipping charges, and the fact that Reverb always sides with the buyers, even if committing fraud.
I enjoy answering the relevant questions from semi-interested buyers such as "When's the last time you cleaned the fingerboard"?
Also, there's a glut of equipment for sale, so be flexible with your pricing.
I've sold 24 guitars, 12 amps, and 22 pedals over the last 6 months.

UncleJesse · #5 07-08-2020, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aknow

Reverb used to be fun too. Now there are hidden fees, and confusing shipping charges, and the fact that Reverb always sides with the buyers, even if committing fraud.
I enjoy answering the relevant questions from semi-interested buyers such as "When's the last time you cleaned the fingerboard"?
Also, there's a glut of equipment for sale, so be flexible with your pricing.
I've sold 24 guitars, 12 amps, and 22 pedals over the last 6 months.

I had a guy message me on reverb and he said "i would have bought this guitar,but that back wood is the worst i have ever seen on a martin."

Really? What do you want me to do, beg you to buy it?

justonwo · #6 07-08-2020, 01:51 PM

Reverb and eBay exercise too much control over the transaction. I sold many guitars on eBay in the old days. Reverb really burned me as a buyer. As a seller, I don’t like how many constraints they put on the transaction.

I post guitars for sale here, UMGF, and The Gear Page. If they don’t sell in one of those places, they don’t sell.

merlin666 · #7 07-08-2020, 02:47 PM

I never had the stomach to try and sell anything online. But I bought a few guitars on eBay and enjoyed the excitement of auctions and making offers. Unfortunately interesting instruments have all but disappeared and all they seem to have now is cheap Chinese junk. I never warmed up to Reverb, so don't even bother browsing there. But I am fortunate to have an excellent luthier and guitar shop in town. He gets quite a few new and used instruments in each week and checking those out is enough for me. It's like back to the 70s for me. If I was to sell I'd offer it locally only or consignment at Sawchyn Guitars.

Guitarbench · #8 07-08-2020, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aknow

Reverb used to be fun too. Now there are hidden fees, and confusing shipping charges, and the fact that Reverb always sides with the buyers, even if committing fraud.
I enjoy answering the relevant questions from semi-interested buyers such as "When's the last time you cleaned the fingerboard"?

That cracked me up for sure.

Reverb was previously great. The CME guys were fair with disputes and sellers had a fair go at it. Now with etsy, it’s more siding with buyers (not that I blame them, but...).

Having said that auto decline is a great feature which has help to weed out the worst.

russchapman · #9 07-09-2020, 07:06 AM

Between the AGF threads on home-made guitar boxes (I'm saving money!), the false idea that a buyer is responsible for shipping damage (I'm not responsible!) and the current 'is this saddle too low' thread (buyer beware!), Reverb's Buyer Protection is obviously a necessity.

You're not always going to be a seller.

Whenever I sell anything, I think like a buyer. Price it as low as I can, disclose everything, pack it like a pro, ship it off as quickly as possible and get tracking to the buyer asap. I don't consider it a done deal until the buyer is happy- and if that means taking the guitar back, then so be it.

It doesn't matter where you sell, it matters how you sell.

Cottonwood King · #10 07-09-2020, 08:49 AM

Up until a few months ago I worked for eBay as a designer for their iPhone and Android apps. And as someone who has purchased and sold on both platforms I have to admit: Reverb is so much better.

Internally, everyone at eBay knows sites like Reverb are eating their lunch when it comes to these special categories of products like shoes and music gear. The fee problem is also very real: eBay has a history of jacking fees sky high and then trying to walk it back when they realized they alienated their customer base. Instruments went through this, and while the fees were lowered, you still see guitars listed on eBay that are regularly overpriced.

What I realized working there is that eBay’s scale is both a blessing and a curse: you can find anything you want on the platform, but there’s no way they can focus and offer all of the personal touches that sites like Reverb can. Example: Reverb hires musicians to answer their phones for customer support. One of my favorite Chicago indie rock musicians, Evan Weiss (performs under the moniker Into It. Over It.) works for Reverb’s customer support when he’s not touring.

Things like that add up. And for me, that means I buy and sell gear exclusively on Reverb now. Just this year I’ve purchased two guitars, several microphones, and pedals and accessories on Reverb and every transaction was excellent.

UncleJesse · #11 07-09-2020, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cottonwood King

Up until a few months ago I worked for eBay as a designer for their iPhone and Android apps. And as someone who has purchased and sold on both platforms I have to admit: Reverb is so much better.

Internally, everyone at eBay knows sites like Reverb are eating their lunch when it comes to these special categories of products like shoes and music gear. The fee problem is also very real: eBay has a history of jacking fees sky high and then trying to walk it back when they realized they alienated their customer base. Instruments went through this, and while the fees were lowered, you still see guitars listed on eBay that are regularly overpriced.

What I realized working there is that eBay’s scale is both a blessing and a curse: you can find anything you want on the platform, but there’s no way they can focus and offer all of the personal touches that sites like Reverb can. Example: Reverb hires musicians to answer their phones for customer support. One of my favorite Chicago indie rock musicians, Evan Weiss (performs under the moniker Into It. Over It.) works for Reverb’s customer support when he’s not touring.

Things like that add up. And for me, that means I buy and sell gear exclusively on Reverb now. Just this year I’ve purchased two guitars, several microphones, and pedals and accessories on Reverb and every transaction was excellent.

I don't think there are any more phone calls to reverb. I tried recently and never found a number. The only way was chat or email.

Cottonwood King · #12 07-09-2020, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I don't think there are any more phone calls to reverb. I tried recently and never found a number. The only way was chat or email.

Oh interesting! I bet they moved to that model after scaling more or after the Etsy takeover. I was a bit bummed when I found out Etsy was buying them...