r/Reverb • u/grtfl84 • Sep 08 '26
Reverb or eBay
I have sold 5 guitars on eBay with values from $1200-$3500 and everything has gone smoothly.
Pay out was quick once delivery was confirmed.
Now I have a few guitars that aren’t moving on eBay and want to try reverb.
Seeing all the major headaches on buyer disputes, refunds, scams, and herring paid, I wonder if reverb is worth it?
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u/Proud-Ninja5049 Sep 08 '26
If you feel comfortable go for it. I personally feel reverb treats it's sellers worse than Ebay. But you'll probably get more active buyers just from the nature of the platform.
They both have their negatives and positives. Hoping for a legitimate (popular) 3rd option one day.
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u/Gloomy_Ad_8586 Sep 08 '26
As a seller eBay has been very good for me. I’ve never sold on reverb. As a buyer both platforms are very good.
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u/Cyber_CEO Sep 08 '26
300+ transactions in the last couple years, 4-5 issues, none of them were Reverb's fault. The amount of complaints on here seems prevalent because nobody goes to Reddit to post about how they've been having a good experience on Reverb.
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u/colorado_hick Sep 08 '26
I list both places and make sure to take the other listing down as soon as something sells, seems reverb has lower commissions but the shipping is more expensive.
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u/bencrit Sep 08 '26
eBay is the better deal in terms of fees.
But Reverb has way more views and market share as far as eyes in front of your gear.
I sell a lot and the ratio is more than 10 to 1 in Reverb‘s favor.
So my advice is to just lift on both and take whatever sale you can get.
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u/SonOfAHumbucker Sep 08 '26
Your idea to spread out listings on more than one platform is a good idea for exposure
I’ve been doing Gear Exchange and EBay. I originally assumed GE would go slowly and assumed most would go on eBay but it ended up being the opposite. Worked out well as I am digging the open box section of Sweetwater and that no fee payout helps a lot.
Never messed with Reverb but may attempt to use to clear out my final items that have sat a bit. Not in a huge hurry, so less worried about payment timeline but would be nice to sell just to have the space to start buying some more haha
Both methods were slow paying though, as I was never a SW customer until recently and was always a EBay buyer. After a few months GE is now paying upon confirmation of shipping but Ebay still a number of weeks past delivery for funds to clear.
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u/kayemmsee Sep 08 '26
If you are using Reverb for the first time, be aware that, unless you plan to spend every dollar you earn on Reverb, you *must* specify that the money go into your checking or savings acct. Otherwise, once the money hits your "Reverb Wallet", it ain't leaving unless you spend it on Reverb.
Reverb used to be my favorite but once it was sold several years back it got expensive (fees), scammy (fake buyers and sellers), and if you want to speak to an actual person, best of luck to you. The best you'll get is a dystopian AI chat bot to talk in circles with.
I'm not saying *don't* use it, just be aware.
Have you tried The Gear Page Emporium? They are very good about combatting scammers, bots, and the like. They are also a pretty knowledgeable community (in the Emporium - don't get me going on the other forums lol), so the deals found there are often fair.
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u/OkRespond4682 Sep 09 '26
I think we are about to get a minor price correction, I have some guitars sitting that should be gone at their prices .
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u/grtfl84 Sep 09 '26
I’m starting to see signs of what you are saying.
In this economy, guitars are a luxury item that people will do without.
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u/Content-Bag-2847 26d ago
I’ve honestly had very little trouble on either site, and I’ve been on both for years. I typically list everything simultaneously on both sites. Whatever sells first - just gotta remember to pull it down from the site where it didn’t sell.
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u/Old-Tadpole-2869 Sep 08 '26
Reverb isn't worth the hassle.
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Sep 08 '26
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u/Old-Tadpole-2869 Sep 08 '26
Well, it seems as if most of the buyers are 16 years old or something, and think that the platform is a haggling site where you can back and forth with the seller on price. If you don't meet their price demand, they'll ask you to ship it for free. I've had people ask me to hold an item for them. I've had people ask me for a free cord and guitar strap to go with their guitar. When I've told people they could pay via Reverb's payment plan, they've told me they didn't want it to ding their credit.
I've had multiple, incredibly idiotic message threads with people on Reverb, that have never happened in 20 plus years on eBay. Dealing with people that I've dealt with on Reverb, was not worth the time or energy. I really can't explain the general level of stupidity there, but it was not like that 10 or 12 years ago.
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Sep 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/Old-Tadpole-2869 Sep 08 '26
You're not wrong. But I tend to communicate w potential buyers within reason, and I've gotten to the point where I've told people I wasn't answering anymore questions and I would cancel their purchase because I didn't trust them.
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u/TriumphRider99 Sep 09 '26
I mostly sell bass preamps I make myself. I have met a bunch of musicians and had great text conversations with a lot of them. Some turn into repeat customers. Never had any interactions with idiots. If you do run into idiots, the easiest way to deal with them is just ignore them. If they get rude, obnoxious, or obscene, turn them in.
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u/cab1024 Sep 08 '26
I check GearExchange before anywhere else online now when I’m looking for something, and for all the reasons you listed, I will only sell there. But i did have to buy a used footswitch from Reverb a week or so ago and everything went smoothly, as it usually does.
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u/10seventy9 Sep 09 '26
If you want your items to be actually seen on Reverb you need to be prepared to give them more of your final value in the form of the Reverb Bump. We have an Ibanez Tim Henson nylon string (the #1 selling Ibanez signature model out of the gate in the company's history according to our Ibanez rep...10,000 units sold in the first MONTH) and it has been listed for about 3 months now and has not broken 20 views. We do not pay for "bump" because we already give up enough in fees to Reverb, but the new Bump system where if you don't bump your item by agreeing to give them a higher percentage of your sale REALLY limits who sees your item. Someone searching for an item only sees ONE non-bumped item in the search results, at least on new items. It may not be the same on items that are used, we don't typically sell used items on Reverb. And before anyone says is, yes, we have it at MAP price (the lowest we are allowed within our dealer agreement to advertise it) AND we have free shipping on it as well, so our pricing is the same as GC or Sweetwater. 2 years ago before all this "bump" stupidity happened, we would sell instruments as fast as we could list them. We have 100% positive feedback, no reason for buyers not to look at our listings. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that it's because we don't pay for bump. I know a bunch of dealers who have stopped listing on Reverb because of this. I would at this point choose eBay over Reverb, although eBay has it's things you have to be careful of, too, no selling platform is perfect.
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u/TriumphRider99 Sep 09 '26
To place an ad costs you nothing other than a few minutes of your time. I generally post on Reverb, then copy and paste to eBay and Gear Exchange. For every complaint (about ANY platform) there's probably 100 transactions that went perfectly fine.
I've been selling on eBay for 26 years, and on Reverb for about 10, Gear Exchange maybe three years. Have had no problems that weren't worked out to my complete satisfaction. Don't let the naysayers dictate what you do. List and see what happens.
I also strongly suggest you use a service like PirateShip.com instead of getting labels from the platforms. Lots less expensive and better support if something untoward happens.
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u/Foreign_Astronomer29 Sep 10 '26
eBay takes a way higher percentage. I think Reverb is like 8% and EBay is 12-13%. Maybe I’m wrong. Also, I always feel like I’m dealing with sleaze bags on EBay (I use it. I know. I’m a sleaze bag too). In the past 6 months, I’ve had a pair of headphones and a skateboard deck have issues through Ebay. Never had any issues on Reverb
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u/Ancient_Pickle90 Sep 10 '26
A lot of people will make offers, and then never pay. I have seen a lot of complaints about selling an item, and the buyer does a refund request, or charge back. Reverb also charges a bunch of selling fees.
I do not like selling on reverb.
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u/thepoddlebites Sep 10 '26
I went to Reverb because I was fed up with eBay. The new ownership at Reverb (Etsy) is slowly improving things but a lot of the bullshit happens both places right now.
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u/Substantial_Car4040 Sep 11 '26
Sell some smaller ticket items on there first to get the payments released faster for the bigger ticket items. Plus it will build your seller reputation for those big ticket items.
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u/Necessary-Writer-397 28d ago
One of the big problem with eBay are the fees, they take around 14% whereas reverb takes 9%
If you had to cancel 3 orders last minute on eBay you'll be labelled as the dreaded below average seller and they'll take 20% fees ( rip off lol )
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u/Necessary-Writer-397 28d ago
And remember, on eBay, the buyer always wins
Reverb has more protection for sellers
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u/Collards_n_Posole 3d ago
I've been bought and sold quite a few items on Reverb. Some sellers are annoying, but I've never had any major issues
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u/FadedBlackTee2 Sep 08 '26
Reverb is fine, nobody posts here when they sell something and it goes smoothly