99% 0f my Reverb purchases over the years have been great, and as advertised. A couple of months ago I had my first bad purchase (listed as mint, but pedal was broken and banged up). The seller dragged his feet, purposely gave me the wrong return address, and was just an overall loser. Thankfully I kept Reverb customer service in the loop on everything, and they backed be up 100% until I got my refund (and customer paid for return shipping twice). I think they banned him afterwards.
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Iāve bought and sold quite a bit on Reverb. Only 2 negative experiences, both due to poor grading like the above described transaction. In one transaction I received a Eurorack module that smelled like it had been stored in a cigar shop. In another, received a module with a minor issue in one of the knobs. In both cases I opted to just fix it myself as it was faster and cheaper than dealing with a return or dispute.
I frequently see listings that are graded poorly, just judging by the included picsālike rack mount gear rated excellent while having bent rack ears, rash, scratches etc. IMO Reverb could really improve buyer experience with some sort of feedback system to sellers regarding how gear is graded.
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I only just started using reverb and Iām pretty sure thereās stipulated standards for packing.
Do you have a link to the original ad, Iād love to see the photos the seller used.
Okay so I saw the dust in the top left and figured it would at least arrive cleaned, and the photo is blurry so maybe thatās on me. But the listing states Mint, soā¦ https://reverb.com/item/45040520-elektron-analog-rytm-drum-machine
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Personally, living in Germany I rarely to never see listings on Reverb that make sense, as most things would come shipped from outside the country and usually have silly shipping costs attached to them.
I bought an audio interface off Ebay (the main site) once and lost 1000ā¬ in a scam, Ebay did exactly nothing in that case, didnāt even pretend to care.
I now buy mainly locally or new or on here. So Ebay Kleinanzeigen is the gig for me and I only do local listings where I can go and see and pay in cash. Had some phenomenal deals that way, just last week for example I bought a Mackie 1642VLZ4 in pretty much new condition for 150ā¬ with a (shitty) flight case from a super nice guy in my neighbourhood.
I donāt understand those used listings where peopleās asking price is like max 5-10% off the new price, I fins Reverb has tons of those.
@chapterhaus man sorry to read that. I clicked on the link you provided, this Rytm ships out of France, is that the one? If so, in the description it actually explicitly states that the pads work very well. Guy seems to have 100% positive feedback, which if the correct listing, makes this extra frustrating in my book. I hope you get it resolved soon!
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Also says āMint condition. It looks like a brand new machine.ā
Simply ridiculous.
Personally I never bought from Reverb, prices are rarely attractive for me.
Might consider selling there, tho. Seems like a pretty good environment for sellers.
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It is better for sellers. Since Reverb jacked up the commission the margins have become pretty tight, but Iāve still always managed to sell within a few days of posting. I take good care of my gear, ship immediately, and communicate with my buyers promptly. I also always try to come in at close to the lowest price even if my item is graded higher than others at similar listings.
Still, I scratch my head at why someone would buy my used item for not much savings over new after shipping and taxes are factored in (there are still a couple of stores in the US that sell tax-free to out of state buyers with free shipping). I guess money is tight and for some itās worth it to save $50 or even $20. Beats me.
I almost never buy from Reverb, though. Have had much better success here with people I trust. I will say the one time I had an issue with a buyer (tried to claim that an item was broken but didnāt want a refundājust a rebate. I had photos and he didnāt, and Reverb backed me).
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Yesterday I started trackin a MI Plaits module and it was just sold for 150EUR (+10shipping). That was a good deal 
I rarely buy on Reverb but Iāve had good experiences selling. I just put my stuff up at good/fair prices and it sells quick. Having all those fools on there selling for ridiculously high prices helps a lot.
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Fees are pretty annoying and i wish Reverb wasnāt acquired by Etsy (which itself was ruined by absolute trash trinkets and kipple, mass produced and competing with Amazon for waste.)
But as far as sales and purchases go the service is fairly friction free, Ebay feels clunky and ancient and is far more tuned to big sellers of disposable e-packet goods than even Etsy.
I still prefer Craigslist, but my time is not worthless and I would rather sell sooner for less than have the cognitive load of stuff that could pay bills, finance something else, or that i need the space freed up from.
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If its still in warranty and your getting 20 percent off anything is a good deal
There is something to be said for the expanded market as well. Iāve had a couple experiences selling instruments on Reverb that there is no local market for and getting fair value for them.
If I kept it local I wouldāve either not found a seller or wouldāve had to reduce the price way below appraisal. So thereās that.
Edit: oops, meant this as a general reply to the thread, not specific to a comment. Not sure how to undo thatā¦.so yea.
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When it comes to new gear, I always find Bax Music selling a little cheaper on Reverb than their site. Bax is usually unbeatable on price too.
When it comes to second-hand gear, Reverb is usually a letdown. Iāve only ever bought from there twice over the years. For me, as a seller, nothing beats eBayās Ā£1 selling fees. You also get good buyer protection, even if itās at the cost of seller protection.
I got a great deal on Reverb this weekā¦ I got a mixer for Ā£850 that was listed for Ā£1200, was Ā£1700 new and still regularly goes for Ā£1100-Ā£1300. So yes, Iād say there are good deals on Reverb if you haggle.
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The benefit of Reverb is that thereās a higher level of professionalism with sellers ā since Iām on āthe other side of the worldā for most people, that matters, because a) Reverb sellers are more likely to know how to ship to me, and b) I really canāt afford any problems given the exorbitant cost of shipping.
Buying right here is the best tho 
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What a smokin deal this is!
Certain items on Reverb are usually good for a deep discount versus buying new (in the US at least). DFAM is an example. Itās always available for $500, which is almost 30% less than buying new. Same goes for Volcas - about 30% discount. Gray Octatrack MK2s are heavily discounted as well. Easy to find them for $950-$1,000 on Reverb. Other items like Eurorack are usually not discounted as much and can feel pointless to buy used compared to retailers that continuously offer 10% and no sales tax.
Iāve sold around 150 items on the site and feel like there has been a bit of drying up in demand after the site increased fees and included sales tax. It costs a good bit more to be a seller now.
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I once sold a Monomachine Mk1 on Reverb for ~$800.00. Thereās plenty of great deals.
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That, and I imagine the ābuy all the shit for homeā of the Pandemic has slowed down somewhat. I donāt sell things as fast as I used to, but enough time and lowered prices get me there.
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Well just finished up negotiating with Reverb about the Rytm purchase, they refunded me a pretty decent amount, so even with the repairs that Iāll get done by Elektron, itāll still be under $800. Not ideal, and itāll take a few weeks to have the Rytm back, but works for me.
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