Is selling on Reverb.com worth the selling fees?

**jazzmanstever** · 01-01-2021, 05:42 PM

Seems Reverb.com charges something in the realm of 7% to sell guitars and such through their site.
What would you say are the benefits besides reaching a large audience?
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Steve

**deacon Mark** · 01-01-2021, 05:52 PM

I would not use them anymore too many stories and they have too many conditions. Ebay is probably much better and bigger audience.

**Michael Neverisky** · 01-01-2021, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by jazzmanstever

What would you say are the benefits besides reaching a large audience?

That is the primary benefit. I've listed two items since October each of which sold within a week. Customer service from Reverb has also been top notch in my experience.

YMMV.

**marcwhy** · 01-01-2021, 06:04 PM

The alternatives are local CL; here on the JGF; The Gear Page; other specialty sites (i.e., Tele forum, etc.); and good ol' ebay (which I haven't touched in years!). There are pros/cons to each (including fees, protection, not getting shot in a parking lot, etc.), and it's certainly OK to list the same item with a few of them. At least Reverb doesn't charge a "listing" fee, like certain other sites.

What alternatives to Reverb do you like to use??

Marc

**jazzmanstever** · 01-01-2021, 06:13 PM

I've bought and sold a few items right here on JGF as well as the guitar emporium gear page, facebook marketplace, and even locally with craigslist. I used to buy and sell things on ebay but not in a good while. I see lots of people sell guitars on reverb but their fees seem kind of high and I was wondering what benefits they offer. maybe good shipping rates being that shipping guitars can be rather expensive unless you happen to have a corporate ups or fedex account

**Gitfiddler** · 01-01-2021, 06:14 PM

Some have turned to Facebook Marketplace to buy/sell gear. Any opinions on that site?

**deacon Mark** · 01-01-2021, 07:09 PM

Never sold a guitar on facebook but might be great idea. I have done well with FB. I have sold cars, bike gear, and even a few bikes. More I think of it I might be tempted to use that now. I am not a FB person as such but right now in the Church lots of FB Masses by parishes and communications through that. Your friends depending on who they are might be a good benefit even if they don't play guitar. I have a boatload of parishioners now who knew I played the guitar but have actually listened to things I posted. In fact go a student and I don't really teach anymore.

**Wildcat** · 01-01-2021, 07:55 PM

For myself both Reverb and Ebay I used for many years. This is when I was buying and selling alot. Both offer a broad base inwhich to sell from and to. Also I could get money fairly quickly. That was a big plus.

However, I have reduced my equipment to what I need and not what I want. I have learned what works best for me and work with what I have now. In other words I think long and hard before buying and therefore the need to sell is reduced greatly. Also, I know now what I like. For example, semihollow body guitars. I prefer a small bout width of say 14" with the ES 339 instead of 16" ES 335. Or a ES 275 bout of 15" instead of a 16" or 17" archtop.

Currently, I am keeping to selling and buying on this website, Gear Page, and Craigslist. Might take longer, but just couldn't justify the fees on the others.

**Mark M.** · 01-01-2021, 08:10 PM

This site has been my mostly successful source for selling guitars. And, they stay in the “family”.

**ThatRhythmMan** · 01-01-2021, 08:17 PM

eBay used to be the king for online guitar sales, but I think Reverb has captured the lion’s share of that market now. Everyone was upset when Reverb upped their sales fees from 3.5% to 5%, but for the most part that seemed short-lived. I haven’t seen much of a shift back to eBay even though they have maintained a 3.5% fee for their guitar category and have claimed that it is permanent. There seem to be far more international (outside the US) guitar listings on eBay than Reverb, but in general, I find far more examples on Reverb when searching for a particular model. Ihave compensated in much the same way as I used to when eBay had the higher fees. I list for slightly more on Reverb than eBay and slightly more on eBay than I do on my own website.

I list gear on FB also. While I’ve sold fewer pieces there, I have found many buyers there. It can be very effective, especially when listing items in gear focused groups. Incidentally, it seems like I’ve been able to reach a higher percentage of pro players through FB than other online outlets.

CL tends to lead to a majority of bad trade offers and ghosting than any other venue, and I avoid it.

**jazzmanstever** · 01-01-2021, 08:34 PM

Does Reverb offer any sort of worthwhile shipping rates for things you sell?

**ThatRhythmMan** · 01-01-2021, 08:50 PM

Reverb offers a shipping discount through UPS. They also offer shipping insurance for an additional fee. That insurance is required for items $1500 or over if Reverb’s shipping options are used.

**John A.** · 01-01-2021, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan

Reverb offers a shipping discount through UPS. They also offer shipping insurance for an additional fee. That insurance is required for items $1500 or over if Reverb’s shipping options are used.

I avoided Reverb for ages because I didn't want to deal with shipping, but for the things I have been trying to sell (a flattop and some pedals), it proved by far the best option. CL and FB Marketplace yielded nothing but ridiculous offers and scams (though I had done OK with CL in past). I tried selling the guitar on consignment in a shop, but that didn't work (and if it had worked it the fee would have been 20%). Archtops work here (I've happily both bought and sold here), but I listed my flattop here and it did not attract any interest. On Reverb, my guitar sold for my asking price (i.e. a lot more than I expected) in a bout a week. The other items sold in dribs and drabs over about three weeks, either at my asking price or at prices I was OK with. Shipping proved to be as big a PITA as I expected, and the back and forth with low-ballers is annoying, but it works. You just have to factor the fees into your asking price and expectations.

John

**Steve Z** · 01-02-2021, 09:58 AM

I prefer to buy/sell through Facebook Marketplace... followed by CL, the gear page and this forum if I am willing to ship.

FB Marketplace has worked well both buying and selling. It’s nice to see the other persons profile and messages through FB messenger is convenient and quick.

**nopedals** · 01-02-2021, 08:28 PM

For selling quality vintage archtops nothing tops consignments on archtop.com. He gets buyers at prices you will never see on reverb (and certainly not here), and
you don't have to deal with buyers. I know that it sounds counterintuitive given the consignment fee, but that's been my experience from lots of transactions doing it both ways. If you have a nice piece to sell, send it to Joe.

**jazzkritter** · 01-02-2021, 09:22 PM

Nopeds what is the commission rate at archtop.com? I sold some guitars on commission at Mandolin Bros at what i thought was a pretty extreme rate of 30%. It was like ten years ago.

All companies account for COGS (cost of goods sold). Whether its Ebay or Reverb or here you have to assume that the seller is providing a service that has some value to you and is owed compensation for that service.

Of course in todays world its everything all the time for free. (Apologies to Joe Walsh)))

**nopedals** · 01-03-2021, 07:04 PM

20%

An example: A few years ago I had an early 50s epi triumph cutaway that was absolutely no issues museum quality that I needed to sell. I would have used archtop.com for the sale, but noticed that he had an identical model up for sale on his site for $3500. I figured that that would delay my guitar being sold, and since the guitar was perfect there was no chance of seller issues, so I decided to sell it myself, both here and on reverb (might have been ebay, can't remember for sure). I marketed the heck out of it, which it should not have needed, it was dead solid perfect, and got high teens for it.

**customxke** · 01-04-2021, 10:42 AM

I've deleted my account. Not worth the money or aggravation anymore. Since Etsy took over, they are awful.

**Dennis D** · 01-04-2021, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by nopedals

20%

An example: A few years ago I had an early 50s epi triumph cutaway that was absolutely no issues museum quality that I needed to sell. I would have used archtop.com for the sale, but noticed that he had an identical model up for sale on his site for $3500. I figured that that would delay my guitar being sold, and since the guitar was perfect there was no chance of seller issues, so I decided to sell it myself, both here and on reverb (might have been ebay, can't remember for sure). I marketed the heck out of it, which it should not have needed, it was dead solid perfect, and got high teens for it.

Now does Joe / archtop.com also do an inspection, with any repair work that's determined to be necessary, performed and paid for prior to sale ? I know Gruhn's always did that, as did Elderly, but it's been a while since I've dealt with either.

Thx.

**sgosnell** · 01-04-2021, 01:36 PM

Yes, an inspection/setup/repair is done as necessary, and the seller is charged for it. As a seller, he's expensive, but gets top dollar because it's to his advantage to do so. As a buyer, you'll pay top dollar, but get what you pay for.

**Stringswinger** · 01-04-2021, 02:13 PM

I have sold guitars through the following methods:

Print classified ads ( this is an obsolete method today)
Consignment
word of mouth
Ebay
Craigslist
Reverb.com
Facebook
Forum classified (for an archtop, this forum would be my first online stop)

All have their pro's and cons. One must weigh getting that extra dollar against that extra risk. As EBay and Reverb have raised their fees and now charge sales tax, consignment sales (which generally get higher prices than a private party seller will on EBay or Reverb.com) have become more competitive.

In terms of sold prices, my understanding is that archtop.com will take an offer to the seller, so the advertised price may be higher than what is actually realized.

The business model of the Internet has been to give a service away to get market share and then raise prices to become profitable. Those who have received these services for less than they are worth become angered when asked to pay a fair price. I always prefer a win-win deal myself. And you can make profitable deals without having the other side lose money or feel cheated.

**nopedals** · 01-04-2021, 02:36 PM

I've done about a half dozen archtop.com sales; all sold at the advertised price. One took a year, the others sold promptly. There were deductions on some for repairs or modifications, e.g., putting on a repro pickguard; stuff I might not have done, but he knows what greases sales.