# Any Reverb sellers who can share some tips?



## crann (May 10, 2014)

As you may know, I have a tele up for sale on the classifieds. I've moved to Kijiji to expand my range, but dealing with those folks is crushing my soul. I've never shipped a guitar, or posted anything on reverb but I'm interested. Mainly because I'm seeing the same guitar posted for $2.3k and it has 10+ offers on it.

So, my main questions involves shipping prices. There are three sections where I need to fill in shipping quotes, within Canada, USA and international. How do you/I know what a reasonable price to fill in is? Or do you jack up the price and offer free shipping? Or something else entirely?

Anyways, any advice would be appreciated, thanks!


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Well you need to figure out the actual shipping cost.

Shipping a $2000 guitar fully insured with canada post in ontario costs $80-100

You need to make sure its well packaged - I usually ship in a case in an actual guitar shipping box with tons of packing.
Most guitar shops will have boxes sitting around and will give you one if you ask nicely.

You could say $100 shipping in canada and $200 shipping to us.
That would be a fairly close estimate.

Make sure you have a return policy.

It seems like the trend on reverb lately is to negotiate after the fact - the seller waits until after the guitar arrives to dicker about the price.

Dont forget that reverb takes 5% so that might explain why the price is higher.

Also now reverb doesnt use paypal - and they will hold your first payment for a while.

Nathan


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Hi, I am not a mega seller on Reverb or anything like that. But I have sold a number of things. 

For Reverb shipping prices, I calculate the cost through Canada Post. I will find the lowest cost option with tracking, insurance and signature. I live in Quebec and calculate shipping within Canada based on an area code in BC. That way I won't lose money on shipping. For the US, I calculate it based on the only area code I know by heart - 90210. I choose California for the same reason as I choose BC. For a large, expensive, item I personally wouldn't ship outside of North America. If someone makes an offer, and the shipping can be cheaper based on their location that's always an option. But you can't go the other way...


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

I bet those 10+ offers are for $1500 or less.

You can always go to your preferred shipping site (I go with Canada Post) and plug in a few locations to get an idea of cost to different regions. Since you’re in London, maybe Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, and in the States, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles. I would skip international for now unless you _really_ have trouble moving it.

What I’d probably do is just put $75 US or $100 Cdn depending on what currency you’re using. If in the end, it’s a bit more and you wind up eating 50 bucks on a $2000+ sale, that’s not a big deal.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

crann said:


> There are three sections where I need to fill in shipping quotes, within Canada, USA and international.


No you don't. You can delete USA and International. Then your listing will only be seen in Canada but it avoids a world of grief. I had a close call once shipping an amp to Japan!


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Beware the Reverb fee is about 8% now. Sellers jack up their ask price a bit to cover it.

If you lower the price in a few days, Reverb will add a banner if it's 10% less. Adds to the visible cue, and sends a notification to Watchers of the price drop.

In my experience, Reverb support is very good, and responsive during business hours. Any questions or issues, just hit them up in the Chat.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Great advice so far. Looking at domestic shipping using 47x17x6 (inches) and 30 lbs as an approx, shipping from London to Vancouver using regular parcel (8 days) with 2k coverage is $106. Is this the right shipping method or do people expect xpressport (~$200)? Any glaring flaws here?

I might want to include US but perhaps I'll just start in Canada to keep things simple.

Thanks!


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Don’t buy from tundra music 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Here is a tip. 
Be ready to ship. Have a proper shipping box on hand.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

crann said:


> Is this the right shipping method or do people expect xpressport (~$200)? Any glaring flaws here?


Put the shipping method right in your ad. Then you're covered.

It seems a little high, but I think it's due to the insurance. I'll let those with more experience chime in.


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

crann said:


> do people expect xpressport


I don't expect it, and in fact would prefer not to have it for a) the added cost, b) environmental reasons (often planes are used). Any recently bought gear doesn't need to be rushed on its way to me. I'd be excited to get it, but I can wait.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

isoneedacoffee said:


> Hi, I am not a mega seller on Reverb or anything like that. But I have sold a number of things.
> 
> For Reverb shipping prices, I calculate the cost through Canada Post. I will find the lowest cost option with tracking, insurance and signature. I live in Quebec and calculate shipping within Canada based on an area code in BC. That way I won't lose money on shipping. For the US, I calculate it based on the only area code I know by heart - 90210. I choose California for the same reason as I choose BC. For a large, expensive, item I personally wouldn't ship outside of North America. If someone makes an offer, and the shipping can be cheaper based on their location that's always an option. But you can't go the other way...





DaddyDog said:


> Put the shipping method right in your ad. Then you're covered.
> 
> It seems a little high, but I think it's due to the insurance. I'll let those with more experience chime in.


Thats with the insurance. It adds a lot but its necessary with shipping a $2000 guitar.
S**t happens sometimes its best to be prepared.

I ship everything with express post.

I personally wouldnt ship anything outside of north america right now.
To much going on in the world to get a reliable shipping time.

Also because you are a first time seller reverb will hold onto your payment until the item is delivered.
It could be a month or more to ship overseas right now.

I buy guitar parts from crazy parts in germany and cutterheads from whitehill tools in the uk.

Nathan


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Are you doing this just to avoid BS offers? Because you'll still get BS offers.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Add about 13 percent to your asking price to cover the reverb fee and the paypal fees. I would put 125 CDN for shipping in Canada and 200 for USA, mention in your ad that shipping prices include insurance. It's amazing how any people would choose to not have to pay for insurance, but you are on the hook if something happens to the guitar. Or you can just say no to US customer by not offering a price. Even if all the tele's in the world were selling for 4k on reverb and you put yours at 2k you will still get lowballers. You know the drill, buy low sell high... Low lives are always looking for a sucker or someone who may not seem desperate but is... And yes people are looking to flip on Reverb too.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

crann said:


> As you may know, I have a tele up for sale on the classifieds. I've moved to Kijiji to expand my range, but dealing with those folks is crushing my soul. I've never shipped a guitar, or posted anything on reverb but I'm interested. Mainly because I'm seeing the same guitar posted for $2.3k and it has 10+ offers on it.
> 
> So, my main questions involves shipping prices. There are three sections where I need to fill in shipping quotes, within Canada, USA and international. How do you/I know what a reasonable price to fill in is? Or do you jack up the price and offer free shipping? Or something else entirely?
> 
> Anyways, any advice would be appreciated, thanks!


For Reverb, FREE shipping helps quite bit especially with the US buyers.

As a side note for Kijiji. I started using Kijiji more in 2020 and it worked well. My ads start with ** No trades and price is firm**. It's worked like a charm for me and sure, I still get the 1 star rating guy that will offer me $2K of photography equipment for the $3K guitar I'm selling (why not state that it's $3K of photography equipment??) but it's been fairly smooth.


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

Budda said:


> Are you doing this just to avoid BS offers? Because you'll still get BS offers.


crann, you may not want to have "recent purchases have forced my hand on this one" or "willing to travel for the right buyer" in the ad.
Write the ad to disqualify / outright offend those people looking for ways to take advantage / crush your soul, as priority 1.

Beautiful guitar.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Thanks for all the info, keep'em coming!


Budda said:


> Are you doing this just to avoid BS offers? Because you'll still get BS offers.


I expect that, but at least those are real offers and not pen-pals who move the goalposts every 5 minutes ($100 off, meet halfway, $200 off, deliver to Toronoto)


Alex said:


> As a side note for Kijiji. I started using Kijiji more in 2020 and it worked well. My ads start with ** No trades and price is firm**. It's worked like a charm for me and sure, I still get the 1 star rating guy that will offer me $2K of photography equipment for the $3K guitar I'm selling (why not state that it's $3K of photography equipment??) but it's been fairly smooth.


I like Kijiji in general, most of my guitar deals have been through it. Just seeing if reverb brings more musicians than speculators/flippers to the table.


CathodeRay said:


> Write the ad to disqualify / outright offend those people looking for ways to take advantage / crush your soul, as priority 1.


Oh yes, I'll likely remove my GC and Kijiji ads and take new photos etc. Those shots took a while so that's a bummer.


nnieman said:


> I personally wouldnt ship anything outside of north america right now.


That's probably what I'll do, but those Japanese folks will pay top dollar for MIA stuff.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

knight_yyz said:


> I would put 125 CDN for shipping in Canada and 200 for USA


I don’t think it costs much more (if any) to ship to the US. In fact, in my experience, it’s sometimes cheaper.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

crann said:


> Great advice so far. Looking at domestic shipping using 47x17x6 (inches) and 30 lbs as an approx, shipping from London to Vancouver using regular parcel (8 days) with 2k coverage is $106. Is this the right shipping method or do people expect xpressport (~$200)? Any glaring flaws here?
> 
> I might want to include US but perhaps I'll just start in Canada to keep things simple.
> 
> Thanks!


I don't think there's an appreciable difference in service time between Xpresspost and regular parcel. I think you need to use expedited parcel to get a tracking # though. 

I've shipped a couple guitars last year within Canada. About $120 is a safe bet. The suggestion I'd have is ads with "Free shipping" on Reverb tend to do better than those with an added shipping cost. I'd suggest pad your item price to absorb the shipping costs and then just post it for that amount with free shipping. 

Reverb will eat about 8% of your total sale amount for their fees. Which, when you think about it isn't bad considering a consignment shop would take about 30-35%.


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## Arek (Jan 24, 2009)

You will get a discount in shipping cost with Canada Post small business card and they will bump you up to X-press.
No fees for the card and you don’t have to actually have a business.
They give them out just for asking. I guess it is like loyalty card at stores.





__





Shipping discounts and solutions | Canada Post


The Canada Post Solutions for Small Business™ program provides shipping solutions and discounts to small businesses.




www.canadapost-postescanada.ca


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## Buzz (May 15, 2008)

Have you sold before on Reverb? For your first sale you have to wait till the shipped item is received to get payment. Even then it took months before I got paid, bad experience.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

2manyGuitars said:


> I don’t think it costs much more (if any) to ship to the US. In fact, in my experience, it’s sometimes cheaper.




Not from my experience. There's a pandemic going on. rates have increased.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Buzz said:


> Have you sold before on Reverb?


Nope I'm a revirgin......revbirgin?


2manyGuitars said:


> I don’t think it costs much more (if any) to ship to the US. In fact, in my experience, it’s sometimes cheaper.


Then that's more money in my pockets MUAHAHHAHAH


Powdered Toast Man said:


> Reverb will eat about 8% of your total sale amount for their fees. Which, when you think about it isn't bad considering a consignment shop would take about 30-35%.


I just popped by the L&M down the street for a shipping box. The guy who got the box is always nice to me, the guy who I asked about consignment was a weirdo d-bag and gave me an awful quote.


Arek said:


> You will get a discount in shipping cost with Canada Post small business card and they will bump you up to X-press.


That's a pro-tip right there.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Arek said:


> You will get a discount in shipping cost with Canada Post small business card and they will bump you up to X-press.
> No fees for the card and you don’t have to actually have a business.
> They give them out just for asking. I guess it is like loyalty card at stores.
> 
> ...


Yes. You get Express Post level service, at parcel post cost. It's called Expedited. I don't even keep the card, just give them the 7 digit number at the till.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

You have to be mindful of the declared value when shipping to U.S. as well. Anything over $900 or so U.S. dollars will need to be brokered whether it’s U.S. made or not.

Its easy to do but if your planning on selling high end stuff into U.S. often Id look into contracting a broker to help avoid unnecessary hassle and extra cost associated with shipping big ticket items safe and fully insured. Canada post will only insure I believe $1000 going to U.S. and if you leave it up to FedEx or UPS to broker for you the customer on the other end can be looking at anywhere from an extra $100-$300 U.S on delivery and either of those couriers won’t give you an Estimate that you can figure into the sale ahead of time.


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## Business (Jul 30, 2013)

First, distance isn't the only factor in shipping cost
Remote locations (ie small towns up north) will be much more expensive than big cities 
I always hike up the shipping price on Reverb and state in the add that a cheaper price is possible
Insurance is mandatory when I sell(if it gets damaged or lost, it's on the seller) 
CP Expedited is better than Regular, but never as fast as Xpress (especially for long distances) 

Unfortunately, you'll probably have trouble selling a big money item if you have no feedback score on there 
I suggest building up your score by selling low cost items first


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

If you are worried about flippers, ask for more money.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Business said:


> I always hike up the shipping price on Reverb and state in the add that a cheaper price is possible


I've done this before as a buyer, but having no experience as a seller I wasn't sure if the shipping is locked in once you post the ad. Comes with experience I guess


Budda said:


> If you are worried about flippers, ask for more money.


I wouldn't say I'm worried about them, especially on reverb because offers are binding. Just tired of the aggressive Kijiji folks who get mad when you don't respond to their "$500 and some broken pedals" offer.


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

Alex said:


> As a side note for Kijiji. I started using Kijiji more in 2020 and it worked well. My ads start with ** No trades and price is firm**. It's worked like a charm for me and sure, I still get the...


This. also - 

"will not answer messages that (qualifiers here)" 

State what sort of buyer behavior you want, and if you don't get it, ignore em. They either can't read or don't care. Either way, bullet dodged, time unwasted.


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## losch79 (Jul 11, 2016)

I've always wonder, what do people do for shipping insurance on high dollar items sent to the US? Insurance max is only $1000 with all available options; so do you just take a hit if a $5000 guitar ends up getting lost or destroyed? That was always my concern selling on Ebay or even Reverb.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

losch79 said:


> I've always wonder, what do people do for shipping insurance on high dollar items sent to the US? Insurance max is only $1000 with all available options; so do you just take a hit if a $5000 guitar ends up getting lost or destroyed? That was always my concern selling on Ebay or even Reverb.


Use an independent broker to
Accurately declare value and a courier that you can ship fully insured with.


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## pipestone62 (Nov 14, 2013)

Isn’t insurance with canada post only for loss, not damage ? That’s what I understand. And 1000 dollars is max ?


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

pipestone62 said:


> Isn’t insurance with canada post only for loss, not damage ? That’s what I understand. And 1000 dollars is max ?


They cover damage as well. I've had a couple claims on the buyer side which were fishy to me but CP paid right away. The claims are done online and fairly fast in my experience.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

tonewoody said:


> Here is a tip.
> Be ready to ship. Have a proper shipping box on hand.


since OP isn't too far away in London... i have a couple shipping boxes in my basement that i can't bring myself to recycle. all yours if you want to drive to KW


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## Abiguitar (May 28, 2009)

I generally find the buyers on Reverb to be much more reasonable and civil than the ones on Kijiji.

One tip is to include your home city in your profile / ad as you may have a buyer who is located in your home city or travelling to your home city and willing to do an in person sale to avoid the Reverb fees (e.g. you discount the item by the Reverb fees so you end up with the same amount in the end). 

If you do this, just make sure to negotiate any sale by text or email outside of the Reverb platform as Reverb has access and can monitor the messages in your profile.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I sometimes sell some of my guitars (acoustics) on eBay and reverb.
I do not mind anymore about shipping fee: 
I add 100$ to the guitar price, "free shipping".
Sold as is, "No return" policy.
If a guitar does not sell after two weeks, I lower the price.
I would sell nine out of ten guitars posted.


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## YaReMi (Mar 9, 2006)

I just posted an item on Reverb, my second sale (the first one was four years ago). I will report how this one is going. I would prefer to sell locally (kijiji) but for some, rare items, selling in US is a much $-better option. Selling to US, from Canada, is sometimes a problem .. they don't understand that for us they are a foreign entity and duty, taxes, processing fees is something they have to deal with. I have received negative feedbacks on eBay because my buyers thought those extra fees were my fault. Be careful!


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## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

Here's the best advice I can give anyone thinking about selling on Reverb: Don't bother.

Since Etsy bought Reverb last year, the place has gone to hell. They've changed the procedures, the way you are paid, and the system favors the buyer, not the seller. Also, prices on many items have gone through the roof, with sellers asking ridiculous sums for used guitars, drums and more. I may still buy on Reverb, but my selling days there are over, as they may also be on Ebay. I recently tried selling a nice vintage drumset on Ebay, and after three weeks and not even one inquiry, I put it up on craigslist in several markets and sold it in about a week, to a nice guy with cash, who met me halfway on the road and was on time. Best part; no fees and no BS.


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## Arek (Jan 24, 2009)

BROKERAGE - you don’t need it.
Shipper takes care of that and buyer pays if there is any.

SHIPPING
I’ve sent guitars worth over $3000 before.
First time with FedEx and then with CanadaPost.
FedExes insurance was maximum $1500, to US, 5 years ago, so I took my chance.
Then I found that Canada Post can “stack-up” the insurance. Not all postal clerks know about it.
Call their help line for details. That was a guitar I sent within Canada, butyou may be able to “stack-up” to US.
Other destinations vary.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Thanks for all the awesome advice so far. I know trogly or someone probably has done vids on this, but I'm wondering what kind of protection/shipping materials you use. The guitar will be shipped in a fender molded case, that is in a fender shipping box with bubble wrap etc. Do you do anything inside the molded case or to the guitar itself? Detune strings, cardboard under the strings, bubble wrap the guitar itself etc.


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## Business (Jul 30, 2013)

crann said:


> Thanks for all the awesome advice so far. I know trogly or someone probably has done vids on this, but I'm wondering what kind of protection/shipping materials you use. The guitar will be shipped in a fender molded case, that is in a fender shipping box with bubble wrap etc. Do you do anything inside the molded case or to the guitar itself? Detune strings, cardboard under the strings, bubble wrap the guitar itself etc.


If the guitar is moving inside the case, make sure it's not moving too much 
If it's too tight, shocks could cause stress cracks (especially in neck pockets) 
When I filed a claim with CP about a damaged item (only one time over hundreds of shipments), I had to fill out a form and one of the question was "Were the strings loosened"
Would be a good idea to find out what type of answer they're looking for 
I make sure the case isn't moving inside the box 
I also tape the box completely (yup...) as it helps solidify it


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Make sure you properly label the box with an arrow if you would like it be resting in a certain way. I had a LP delivered and the box was upside down, putting stress on the headstock. Luckily nothing happened, but when I realized it was reversed it gave me quite a scare.


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## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

Just as a postscript, I'm on gearpage.net, and a similar thread appeared several days ago, complaining about Reverb. One member works for Reverb, and he replied, rather sheepishly, to one of the negative comments. He got some complaints thrown at him by yours truly and others, so according to what he said, the powers that be at Reverb are listening to what we have to say. Hopefully, there will be positive changes coming. But, I wouldn't bet my house against it. 

When Chicago Music Exchange owned Reverb, they did things right and it was a great alternative to Fleabay. Those days have passed.


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## gitapik (Aug 5, 2016)

DrumBob said:


> Just as a postscript, I'm on gearpage.net, and a similar thread appeared several days ago, complaining about Reverb. One member works for Reverb, and he replied, rather sheepishly, to one of the negative comments. He got some complaints thrown at him by yours truly and others, so according to what he said, the powers that be at Reverb are listening to what we have to say. Hopefully, there will be positive changes coming. But, I wouldn't bet my house against it.
> 
> When Chicago Music Exchange owned Reverb, they did things right and it was a great alternative to Fleabay. Those days have passed.


I recently received and filled out a questionnaire from Reverb; essentially asking what they could do better. 

I was honest about it. Told them I “get it” as far as differing tax structures, nationally and internationally. But, as Bob stated, above (in the great beyond); Reverb’s tremendous success originated and grew because it was a much more _buyer friendly_ market for musicians who weren’t making a lotta money. Not dirt poor but money conscious. I made this point clear to them on the comments section. Asked them to at least make a significant move back to that model.

I’m not of the “Reverb is garbage” mindset. They still provide a valuable service and customer support is good. But the original model was successful for a reason that’s been shifted away from, imho.

Looks like everything’s been covered here, but I do have advice on selling on Reverb, though. Or anywhere:

_Take excellent_ _photos._

Even of the blemishes. Seriously. And make sure you include those blemishes. Nicely and clearly lit.

Find the best spot in your or a friend’s place and watch, throughout the day, for the best sunlight opportunities. Or set up a lighting system. Angle your gear, accordingly, for best shadow effect. Musical instruments and gear are serious eye candy. It’s part of what the builders have in mind. So it’s important to treat it as such.

I saw a ton of AVRI Strats for sale on Reverb that had been on there for months. Some were overpriced with an ”accepts offers” caveat. None of them looked as appealing as I’m sure they really were because the photos weren’t so great.

Mine sold in two days. The presentation photos were beautiful and I listed it at a fair price. I sent shots to the buyer of the packing process, too. He was worried about that.

This ran longer than I thought it would. Oh well. Good luck.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

@crann i have a box and some materials, PM me if you want it.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

DrumBob said:


> When Chicago Music Exchange owned Reverb, they did things right and it was a great alternative to Fleabay. Those days have passed.


Didn't know that, but I always thought the orange in both of their logos was suspiciously similar.


gitapik said:


> This ran longer than I thought it would. Oh well. Good luck.


Thanks, and all the info you provided was very helpful.


Budda said:


> @crann i have a box and some materials, PM me if you want it.


pm'd


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

gitapik said:


> _Take excellent_ _photos._
> Even of the blemishes. Seriously. And make sure you include those blemishes. Nicely and clearly lit.


This, this, and this.
A lot of horror stories I’ve heard were sellers getting screwed by returns because of “not as described”. It was actually being returned for other bullshit reasons but the buyer used some little ding (that they likely put there themselves) as the excuse. If your ad had photos showing the area with no ding, you at least have a chance of winning your case. They may still screw you but it might just help.


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