Are there good deals on Reverb?

The Lounge
#21

I have noticed a lot of gear on Reverb that is used, but priced above new is from another country, and the conversion rate makes it more expensive here.

I like Reverb because their customer service is really good, and I’ve run into a couple issues with other buyers/sellers that were easily solved through their customer service.

On the other hand, I don’t like Reverb, because of how high their fees have become, along with payment processing fees, shipping costs and whatever else. And I think overall that’s why used gear is higher on there.

So I don’t sell much on Reverb like I used to. I am actually back to selling on Craigslist and Facebook more now. I make more money because there aren’t all the fees and shipping cost, and the person I sell it to gets a lower price because they aren’t paying for the fees either. The biggest bonus is that I have met some really cool local musicians doing this, who share similar interests. I used to always buy and sell gear like this, but got away from it over the last 6 or 7 years. It’s nice to meet fellow musicians face-to-face again.

4 Likes
#22

You can see for yourself. Search for some gear, open up the filters, select Condition: Used, and Show Only: Sold Listings.

Here’s a search for a Hydrasynth, for example.

You’ll see a lot sold for ~$100 less than list with a few more than $200 off. Those kind of deals go pretty fast, of course, so you have to be ready for them. Whenever I’m looking for a piece of gear I do a search for it on Reverb, set a filter to the max $$ I want to pay, add it to my feed and subscribe to alerts. With patience, the deals will come.

6 Likes
#23

You can log in and check the most recent sale prices on specific items, which is incredibly useful for selling gear and gauging what price you want to list it.

3 Likes
#24

Absolutely true. One probably has to check daily to see the reasonably priced sales.

It is one thing if I know someone and what they actually did with the gear but someone online can say anything about the gear, stick it in the box it came in knock off a few bucks and call it "like new.’

1 Like
#25

I mean threadposter is used to selling gear, so they know what is necessary to sell an item.

Just as there are lowballers, there are persons who think their perception of value matters to where they’ll offer very little discount on new and warrantied for things that are readily offered 10% or more off by popular vendors.

I try not to concern myself with people who are so ungrounded, I just make sure they’re actively filtered out.

To a guess, because you only pay when you sell, people can keep the listings up as long as they want. It doesn’t expire like Craigslist, that I’m aware.

#26

Interesting to see all the perspectives here.

It makes sense that it would be the brand new listings to find items that will get scooped up quick. I just honestly kind of find most of the listings comical. But I think this happens in all sorts of places when you zoom out on humans far enough.

The fees are definitely a good point as well. I generally try to sell locally first and then move on to the interwebs afterwards if no success is to be had. Like I said, reverb has definitely been nice for letting go of some stuff, but the fees hurt, especially if you want to price things fairly.

#27

Yeah, the fees haven’t really accounted for the market.
Used prices are up right now, so to make up for the selling fees, it’s going to be near or at new cost.

Doesn’t make any sense, why have a website that caters to used sales if you aren’t going to pay any attention to market trends?

Dumb.

1 Like
#28

Just bought a used Rytm MK1 for $800 on Reverb. Was listed as Mint and arrived in a tight fitting box with no packaging, covered in dust and grime and scrapped up. Pads are very unresponsive, it’s missing two rubber feet, and the Level knob is super loose.

Really discouraged by the sale and struggling to get a return settled, probably going to pay a bit to have it repaired by Elektron if possible.

I bought an OT on eBay a few years ago for $800 also, and that was literally the opposite experience. It was practically brand new and truly was Mint. I think sellers on eBay care more about their ratings than those on Reverb, so it’s a bit more dependable.

3 Likes
#29

Did you open a case with Reverb on the Rytm? I had a less extreme experience, provided photos of the product that was supposed to be “mint”, and they facilitated the whole return process after the seller did not step up and do the right thing. Although I don’t sell online much these days, I have had way worse experiences on eBay than Reverb, and eBay’s customer service is pretty lackadaisical.

2 Likes
#30

That is rough. So unfortunate when online sales pan out like that. Sorry to hear.

#31

I’ve opened a case and am waiting for a response from Reverb. I sent the seller plenty of photos and a message stating the discrepancy, but no response.

In your case, the seller didn’t step up and Reverb facilitated. If it were a similar situation for me, what should I expect? The money returned and to send it back? What if the seller refuses to honor the return, am I stuck with the non-mint Rytm? Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than nothing and I’m stoked to have a dark duo, but I definitely wish I would’ve just gone with a different seller who was asking a little more.

#32

Sure, so I can only comment on my own messages with Reverb, because I could not see what was going on with their messages to the seller. The whole process took 1-2 weeks. A little bit into the process I was offered a decent discount just to keep the item. I was just not on board at that point, and I told Reverb. Eventually, they sent me a return label on their dime. So I packed it up and sent it back. The funny thing is that the return address on the label was not to my address, but to Reverb’s main address. I ended up tracking the package along its journey, and the seller tried to refuse delivery, that actually turned up on the tracking. Anyway, I got my refund, and I am not sure how it turned out for the seller.

1 Like
#33

Interesting, maybe I’ll bite if the discount is fair enough, and just do the repairs myself. Best case scenario though, is the seller owns up. Crazy that your seller denied the package, seems like Reverb just figured they’d sell it themselves and make up whatever loss they could. Probably why they first presented the discount, same loss to them but much less work.

#34

Yeah, I would love to know what went on on the other end of the communication. If the seller just completely ghosted everyone, and I present Reverb with the proper evidence, then it seems like they just took it into their own hands? I am not sure. I have had other issues, but were able to work it out one on one with the seller. And as a seller myself, I am overly honest about the product, so I don’t have any issues. But I did have an issue where the product ended up lost in the USPS system and after a couple weeks, and a couple messages, Reverb was able to discount the buyer, not from my pocket. That is why I always get the Reverb seller protection. Not my worry. Because working with Post Office, or UPS or whatever, is a dead-end.

1 Like
#35

I’ve found a lot of great deals there, though if it’s a listing by an actual “store”, contact the store through their own website and you’ll save money (they can sell at lower prices outside of Reverb because they save on the Reverb seller fees).

3 Likes
#36

I tend to have the opposite experience, Reverb buyers/sellers being more aware and used to selling things online. A few frustrating experiences here and there, but for the most part Reverb users shifting over from eBay.

You’re not obliged to only work it out with the seller, you have the option to triangulate with Reverb to ensure you’re satisfied.

Yes, it sucks to have to waste time on customer service and Reverb, however if you’re in the right here persistence pays off in the odd case where it doesn’t match expectations.

1 Like
#37

Three of my most recent guitar purchases were off of Reverb:

American Elite Telecaster - Used as store display item. Turned out to be in excellent condition, well-maintained.

Eric Johnson Thinline Strat - Also a store display item and also well-maintained

American Professional II Jazzmaster - The store turned out to be local to me, so I just drove to the store and bypassed Reverb to buy it. They gave me $100 off compared to the Reverb price and changed the strings and set it up for free. I should have asked for 11 gauge strings but didn’t know that about Jazzmasters at the time.

Source Audio Hot Hand 3 - For some reason, several of these were discounted a fair bit on Reverb, via Source Audio’s own shop. Haven’t unboxed it yet.

1 Like
#38

Yeah that’s where I’m at, the seller is a day overdue on the response and I contacted Reverb. Waiting for them to reply, they must be closed weekends.

Definitely in the right… these are photos of the “Mint” Rytm, also the Level encoder is looser than this guys definition of Mint:

image
image4032×3024 1.79 MB
image
image4032×3024 2.11 MB
image
image4032×3024 2.8 MB
image
image4032×3024 2.38 MB
image
image4032×3024 2.14 MB

3 Likes
#39

Yeah, that’s definitely not Mint, or Excellent.

2 Likes
#40

Definitely not excellent, Ted.

I mean, if they would’ve cleaned it up and had much better shipping packaging, I think I would’ve been willing to work something out, like a couple hundred back for the encoder replacement, knob caps, and pad contact sheet. But it’s clear this person didn’t care, so I’m just going to send it back (or to Reverb, or whatever) and wait for another, actually Mint Rytm to show up online.

5 Likes