Done with reverb

[dreadnut]

So I just sold another one of my buddy's condenser mics on reverb and shipped it. So where is my money?

Upon investigation, the transaction is "pending," apparently until the customer takes delivery of the item. This is a new thing, but understandable I guess.

But besides initiating a 5% commission (which I was already aware of) they've slapped a 2.7% + $.25 "payment processing fee." This is a new feature that I never requested, even though they say you need to sign up for it in order to utilize the service.

So basically, what used to cost 3% has now increased to 8%. Seeya!

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Thanks for the news, dread.

 

[richardp69]

So I just sold another one of my buddy's condenser mics on reverb and shipped it. So where is my money?

Upon investigation, the transaction is "pending," apparently until the customer takes delivery of the item. This is a new thing, but understandable I guess.

But besides initiating a 5% commission (which I was already aware of) they've slapped a 2.7% + $.25 "payment processing fee." This is a new feature that I never requested, even though they say you need to sign up for it in order to utilize the service.

So basically, what used to cost 3% has now increased to 8%. Seeya!

Hey Dread. You sure the payment processing fee isn't basically what they've always charged for processing a credit card payment or PayPal payment (just like PayPal does). I think that's the case, and if so, then it isn't new, it's always been there. It used to be 3% selling fee plus 3% (approx) processing fee for a total of about 6%. They raised their selling fee (thank you new Reverb owners) so it's now about 8%. It's still cheaper than a store consignment and I think the only way to do better is on a Craig's List Sale.

 

[davismanLV]

They provide such great service and options that eliminate the risks of quirky buyers and also shipping and insurance. It's a good deal. I think they do a really good job and provide a service (and if something goes wrong, you'll need it) that I'm willing to pay for.

 

[dreadnut]

Yeah, well I previously avoided the fee by using Paypal family and friends, legitimately. They took that option away from me. The percentage actually doesn't bother me as much as the forced participation in their new payment scheme. Thankfully, I pretty much don't have any other gear to sell, other than a bunch of accessories I am consigning at my local music store, which agreed to a 10% commission, which is great for a brick-and-mortar store. And I don't have to deal with packaging, shipping, etc.

 

[Bonneville88]

I use Reverb and ebay and have for years, both services have generally been great.
Imo what's made a big difference recently in terms of $$ I walk away with is sales tax -
screen shot of a recent Reverb sale below.

FYI, the original asking price was $295 + free shipping.
The accepted offer was for $260 + free shipping.
The Total Sales is the $260 selling price + $18.20 sales tax = $278.20.
The payment processing fee was $7.76.
Reverb collected a selling fee of $13.

The $43.84 shipping was lower than I'd expected it to be.
The transfer of funds to my bank from Reverb was initiated
once the item was scanned into the shipper's tracking system,
in this case UPS.

I for sure might have done better on CL, but a 7-string is a tough sell anywhere / anytime.
Sold a couple of guitars on CL recently, had good experiences both times,
got my asking price with one, knocked off $20 for the other.
Haven't been able to make much happen with Facebook Marketplace, have
quit listing there for the time being.

 

[Mark WW]

Shipping has been and is the REAL culprit.

 

[davismanLV]

Shipping has been and is the REAL culprit.

From Reverb? You'll get the best shipping rates from Reverb if you print your shipping label with them. My Breedlove I sold was shipping (2 day!!) with UPS and insurance for $148!! When I went to a regular (franchised) UPS store and asked for shipping plus insurance it came back $463!! Granted it wasn't a company hub facility but I'm good with that!!

So if I'd chosen just regular shipping, no rush it would've been $28 less, so $120, insured for $1600.

 

[Bonneville88]

Tom, that's been my experience too - shipping UPS through Reverb generally results in
excellent shipping rates - often substantially less than USPS or Fedex.
I'll post a screen shot of various shipping rates next time I have to ship something.

If I'm not shipping a guitar through Reverb though, I'll generally use Fedex Ground.
For anything substantially smaller than a guitar, I almost always use USPS.

On a related note - a guitar I bought recently that shipped USPS took quite awhile
to get here (St. Louis area) from Austin TX, which is about a 13 hr drive / 850 miles away.
Mailed Tuesday August 25, delivered to my local post office Tuesday Sept 8.
10 business days, 14 days in all. Tracking history is below.
The gap between August 30 and September 5 was a bit of a head-scratcher.
The seller's USPS shipping label cost $78.

Wasn't worried about it getting here, was concerned about temperatures during
travel, as anyone shipping a guitar might be.
I attributed the extended shipping time to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

 

[davismanLV]

All I have to do is think of Richard's recent issue with that DV-52 he bought where the end pin cracked the lower bout and he got it for a remarkable price and the seller got all his money and Reverb dukes it out with the shipper and everyone goes on their merry way!!! Can't argue with that kind of service!!

 

[Bonneville88]

For some comparison to the USPS shipping experience above, I shipped a guitar sold
through ebay to Keene, NH using Fedex Ground on Thursday July 2.
1188 miles away, an 18.5 hr drive.

It was delivered Monday July 6, 4 days later. Purchased the UPS shipping label through ebay,
cost for shipping label was $53.