Anybody bought instruments on Reverb?

[belbein]

What was your experience? How was the return policy in practice? If you had to make a return, did you get your money back?

[MikeEdgerton]

I purchased an instrument, I didn't have any problems. I guess what you're looking for is people that had problems on Reverb.

[belbein]

I purchased an instrument, I didn't have any problems. I guess what you're looking for is people that had problems on Reverb.

Hey, Mike. Hope all is well.

Actually, looking for bad or good. If people say they have had the same great results with Reverb as with the Cafe, or with the Cafe sponsors, that would be good to know. If they've had bad results, I just want to know a few details.

[JonZ]

I know people who have bought equipment off Reverb. No complaints.

[Bunnyf]

I've both bought and sold on Reverb and consider it much better, safer and more economical than eBay. My preference though, is definitely to buy in person. I want to see and play before I buy. I know this is not always practical. Sometimes your selection locally is practically nonexistent. And if your budget is limited and you want to get a nice break on a used instrument you need to take a chance. My most successful purchases have been on forums like AGF, UU and I'm sure the same would hold true for MC. If and when I'm ready to upgrade, I will look locally or patiently wait for the right one to come up for sale here on MC.
I've had several good experiences on Reverb, both buying and selling and 2 not-so-good ones. Sold a 2yr old guitar. Not a nick, scratch, or ding on it. Never left the house, unused mint case. Still had orig, pkg. would have listed it as mint, but put excellent instead, just to be extra fair. Buyer wanted to return it said it had excessive fret and fingerboard wear. I took it back. Both of us were out shipping cost. It was a nuisance. I also had one bad experience as a buyer, a vintage instrument that was listed in excellent condition for its age. I considered it fair at best. It is very hard to tell from pictures. Things always look better in the pic. Anyway, I had to hassle with the seller and came to an agreement on a partial refund. The bottom line is that online transactions are a crapshoot.

[indexless]

I buy and sell on both ebay and Reverb. I've had some great experiences on Reverb and some really bad ones, I think that there are a lot more lookers on Reverb, people hit the buy button without any thought, that kills your sale and watchers while you chase the person down who never pays, eBay tends to be a little more forceful in their collection techniques. If you live rural, it's an answer but in person in the store is the best.

[Caleb]

Bought an electric guitar a couple years ago via Reverb. Excellent experience. YMMV.

[pops1]

Bought a banjo on Reverb a few years ago, never got it. I notified the seller who said he never sold a banjo to I contacted Reverb and they had my funds returned to me. Only thing I bought there. Have bought a few things here with no problems. Have also bought on ebay without problems, but I am very careful there.

[Jeff Mando]

Always best to buy in person, but unless you live in a handful of cities that have great stores -- this is not usually possible. Everything today is done online. If you notice, for the most part, there are the same dealers who sell on both ebay and Reverb and some were on gbase before that. Some list here, as well. Sure, there are a few individuals who buy and sell part-time, but most of the people who list multiple instruments every week are dealers, either full or part-time. Nothing wrong with that. What I am trying to say is the experience should be the same, regardless of which online site you are using. The only difference would be with the fees that the seller is paying, which shouldn't affect the buyer. As long as you are using Paypal, you are protected money-wise. Then again, it is kind of a red flag to a dealer when the first question a potential buyer has is, "what is your return policy?"

[MandoAblyss]

Both bought and sold on Reverb--a disruptive internet marketplace innovated by the tech entrepreneur who owns Chicago Music Exchange. Because Reverb has an in-house escrow and payment system, the transaction cost to a private seller is only about 6.5% compared with nearly 14% on eBay/PayPal.

As in all transactions, I believe, communication is the key. If you are a buyer and the seller will not respond promptly and accurately to your questions, walk away. I realize that not everyone is an English major nor pro studio photographer, but you can quickly tell if they put any effort into their selling policies, ad copy and pictures. A pro-quality ad is more likely to result in a business-like transaction.

As a seller, I have had immediate and helpful feedback from Reverb staff when I contacted them about a real or potential issue. That leads me to believe they would be fair if arbitration were required in a deal that went sour.

It would be nice to buy locally, but even if I lived in Boston or Nashville, neither Music Emporium nor Carter, for example, stock every instrument or amp I might be interested in. Unless your local Guitar Center has the gear you need, you are gonna have to buy over the internet. If your level of trust extends only to a brick-and-mortar dealer with a long history and a reputation to uphold, that's OK. Many to choose from, and they have great web sites and free shipping and over-the-phone-demos and so on. On an private individual marketplace like Reverb, you have to trust your spider sense. If you get a good feeling from the instrument, the ad, and when you contact the seller, in my experience you will have a great transaction.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes, I've used Reverb.commany times, and it's the most scrupulously managed online classified site I know of.

They escrow all payments until gear is shipped, they mediate disagreements, allow both parties to rate transactions, make it easy to haggle and negotiate, and screen out spammers and scammers. Their chat staff is as good as anyone's.

Try to find any of that on Craigslist!

[Charlie Bernstein]

Both bought and sold on Reverb--a disruptive internet marketplace. . . .

Only if you call good management, good business practices, and smart business models disruptive!

[Jill McAuley]

I've bought and sold stuff on Reverb and been quite happy with it. Transactions have all been straightforward, no delayed payments or delayed shipping. The "Affirm" purchasing option also opens up the window of potential buyers as well.

[Loubrava]

The return policy on Reverb was fantastic in my experience. I
Bought a 2002 F9 paid top dollar because it was advertised as pristine & hardly played, the instrument was far from that and showed signs of neck separating. The seller thought I was to picky & really didn’t want to refund my money Reverb steped in and refunded me all my money.

[Bunnyf]

For folks in remote areas, buying from a longtime poster on a instrument specific forum , like here on MC, is really the safest.

[Northwest Steve]

I sold a guitar that was a good transaction.

I bought a Weber Absaroka a couple of months ago. The mandolin was not mint as described. It needed the frets dressed from wear on the A and E strings, the bridge fitted properly and a good setup. It did no minor signs of handling and playing as well. I did get a great deal on the mandolin which made it easier to swallow. But hater the setup work was done and I played it for a few weeks it opened up and is a great mandolin. Glad I got it. The seller was good to work with.

I bought a Flatiron Performer and thinking it was on Reverb but could have been on ebay? Anyway the seller was great and the mandolin was very nice and as described.

So my thoughts are that it is a setup from ebay. Chances are you should get a good outcome buying or selling, but still comes down the other party.

[Bunnyf]

I bought a Weber Absaroka a couple of months ago. The mandolin was not mint as described. It needed the frets dressed from wear on the A and E strings, the bridge fitted properly and a good setup. It did no minor signs of handling and playing as well. I did get a great deal on the mandolin which made it easier to swallow. But hater the setup work was done and I played it for a few weeks it opened up and is a great mandolin. Glad I got it. The seller was good to work with.

This is a very similar experience to my Reverb mando experience. My mando has an excellent setup, plays well and sounds great. It just had a lot of nicks and if I were the seller would have I would not have described it as being in as good condition and would have clearly described all issues. This is where I feel that forum purchases are better. Most folks on say Acoustic Guitar Forum or Ukulele Underfround would clearly point out every nick, ding or other potential issue. I and others would actually post clear close ups of any problem area, even putting a little blue tape or other indicator to show you where to look for a flaw. I don't think you get this level of full disclosure elsewhere. Plus, they will have a reputation, if they've been on the forum for a while and had other transactions. You feel like you kinda know them already and that they won't screw you.

[HonketyHank]

Here's one more data point: I bought a very nice mandolin on Reverb. No problems.

[SincereCorgi]

I have bought a few things off Reverb. My experiences buying guitars were extremely good. The used audio interface I bought turned out to be kinda iffy, but it was cheap and I knew I was taking my chances.

[catndahats]

Like others have said, Reverb is a good resource for shopping and buying.

I gave up on Ebay many years ago for instruments ( couple not so good experiences on high end guitars ) ...at least on Reverb, the chances of finding a knowledgeable seller are much better. I'm not a "return to sender" kinda guy---and while I have not tested the Reverb return policy personally, I have read of positive results.

Recently purchased a used Weber mandolin on Reverb. Might have gotten lucky, but the seller was awesome, knowledgeable, item as described or better. He packaged the instrument well, and communication was great....the transaction was easy through Reverb, and worth noting---the price was significantly better than buying a used instrument from an online store. Reverb appears to be good at putting buyers and sellers together.

[Chip Booth]

I have purchased two used instruments and had no issues. I have purchased quite a few odds and ends, also all good transactions, or at least I had very clear and satisfactory communication when there was a minor shipping issue. Reverb's support department was very responsive when I made a mistake in leaving incorrect feedback and they fixed it for me, even calling me to confirm everything was worked out.

[DHopkins]

I quit going to Reverb. Their cookies (read pop-ups) permeated my computer to the point that it was distracting. I got tired of having to remove the cookies. That said, I've never heard of anyone having problems or saying anything bad about them.

[Folkmusician.com]

Reverb is just a marketplace such as eBay (well better, but same principle). The return policies are going to be via the individual sellers, so check each listing.

Most of the reputable sellers are on Reverb, so it is basically just like buying directly from them. I am sure there are a few questionable sellers as well, but nothing like eBay.

I can't speak for the sellers, but I have only had a couple of buyers that were an issue. A lot lower percentage than eBay, and inline with what I would deal with directly... That 1% is always a problem, the other 99% are great!

[colorado_al]

I've bought and sold on Reverb and all has gone much better than ebay. Still can't beat the MC classifieds or in person sale, but worked out fine

[MandoAblyss]

"Disruptive" is a term of praise in the entrepreneurial/tech community!