Buying from reverb question ...

I have never had a problem with Reverb. If my PayPal balance isn't enough, I have used a credit card. None of my credit cards are tied to PayPal. If someone made an offer it would show up on the listing - not the amount of the offer, just that one was made. I assume you are calculating in differences in shipping charges? Good luck.

 

I don't consider Reverb.com and Musicians Friend (MF) as being the same retail model. MF and Sweetwater are distributors of instruments. They each have their respective customer service and payment options. Reverb.com on the other hand is a consortium of sellers. Some are big guys like Chicago Music Exchange, but there are many small-guys just selling a guitar or two. One of the differences in my mind is that in the latter you can contact the seller and find out more about the specific guitar listed, where as with MF the guitar you'll get is in a large warehouse never to be viewed until it gets to you. In the Reverb model there's more of an opportunity to negotiate as well. If you're seeking a guitar from Reverb it never hurts to reach out to the seller and discuss the instrument, payment and shipping options. MF and Sweetwater have decent customer service but may not be a flexible with making "the deal". Just my experience.

 

I've never had an issue with Reverb. It can get a a bit confusing tho (at least for me). I like to send a message requesting to talk to the person when using Reverb. Gives you a better feel and chance to ask questions and hammer out a final price etc.

Last Reverb buy I did seller lowered price on a Proline way below market and threw in some extra goodies - good luck.

 

Haven't had any issues yet. Also as I understand it, you pay Reverb and they pay the seller. So if you're getting scammed, you should be able to get your money back easily. If you contact the seller, always do it via reverb so they have a record of the transaction if something goes south. Their services are set up in such a way to offer protection to both buyer and seller.

 

I’ve been both on the buying and selling end of Reverb with 60 total transactions. Pretty straight forward process. I don’t use the app, but the website instead. Maybe you need the app only if overseas?

You mention a bid but it’s really an offer. They than have 24 hours to accept, counter offer, or deny it. You as a buyer get the same if they counter offer.

If shipping from overseas you may expect it to be smoother and better packed from a bigger company like musicians friend. And I would verify the return policy. I ship well packed but not everyone may. I’ll never forget buying a guitar off of eBay and receiving it rattling loose in the box with no packing (only a soft case).


If buying from Reverb, I would check the buyers feedback and transaction number, return policy. If it’s a big store selling on Reverb and you know the retailers name... you may also score a better deal contacting them directly after a Google search. No Reverb fees.

Keep in mind that you can message any seller anytime with questions before hand.

 

I've bought my Ovation 12 string of Reverb and used my credit card with out a PayPal account, no problem. Reverb doesn't pay the vender till they get confirmation of shipment. I got my guitar faster then from any of the others online sites. Most the venders take really good pictures and tell you of any damage or scratches some even point them out in photos.

 

I’ve never had a problem buying on Reverb. You can pay with a regular credit card. A lot of individual sellers offer a 7-day return window on used gear just in case it turns out to be a total dog. Some sell “as is” and you won’t be able to return it unless the item was misrepresented and Reverb staff agrees with you. MF I would imagine has a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

 

Funny you mention them, I just had DHL drop off a Russian synthesizer about an hour and a half ago that shipped from Ukraine; I bought that off of Reverb. A few other items too but mostly those were small things such as cables and parts.
I've haven't had a problem with them.

 

I have purchased a number of guitars from Reverb. I actually prefer Reverb when dealing with a very small business or individuals.

I have had only two problems when buying on Reverb. Once a guitar was damaged in shipping and Reverb and the seller both jumped on it and took care of it quickly. The second one a small seller was not refunding me when I returned a guitar that qualified for a full refund under his posted return policy. He stonewalled me and Reverb stepped in and dealt him and got me my full refund.

 

The last two orders from musicians friends, this week, both got wacky. One was sent to me not as described, the other i waited 5 days for them to ship before they indicated it was back ordered, and they cant get any more as they no longer carry that brand. I believe they are sinking. Reverb, i have purchased and sold on for years. Any troubles, which there have been, but not from reverb, but from faulty products, reverb stepped up in all cases and resolved it. I have faith in reverb. You dont need paypal for reverb. That would be my choice. That and smaller online stores. You can always call them, and they want/need your buisness.

 

I have only bought smaller items like pedals, no guitars. No major problems here, once CME never shipped out a package, but they gave me a refund. One guy had the wrong version of the pedal listed and pictured, the one he listed and that I wanted he did not actually have, but he gave a refund.

Not sure what you mean by using a different card and different address, that may cause some problems. Make sure you complete the transaction with a profile that has the correct shipping address, they may refuse to ship to a different address that is not the verified address associated with your account used to make the purchase.

 

Why not PayPal? Imo as a buyer, you use as many free accounts as possible as each layer (reverb, PayPal, credit card) provides a layer of consumer protection. if things go south with the seller, you have 3 sources for reimbursement.

Another useful thing to do is to set up an account with FedEx and UPs with your address. Anytime someone ships to your address, it shows up in your account. As the registered recipient, you have some flexibility to reschedule, send it to another address, hold for pickup (what I usually did for guitars and amps when I wasn't working at home), etc. I find FedEx works better.

 

No issues with reverb. But IMO many sellers (especially private) ask for wishful prices. I have had two accepting my lower offer, one declined, one countered which I declined. So if they accept offers, always worth a try.

 

You really have to look hard to find a deal on a guitar on Reverb. It is a great place to find little parts ya might need.

I also stay away from brand new sellers.

 

@Jena

I've only used Reverb for small parts like a btidge etc

No problem, but it's been about a year. I thought that I used PAYPAL IIRC.

Anyways, best of luck.

 

Reverb does credit cards. If the seller approves of that method. It's Reverb's CC link then they pay the seller.
I actually prefer Paypal from a buyer's standpoint though in general. (Try arguing with a CC company for a return. )
Reverb does a great job settling disputes too so using their CC system you can get anything resolved pretty fast.

Given a choice I would use Reverb over Ebay or MF/GC. Ebay has become a place where many now sell stuff with issues. Reverb has been quite reliable as far as "condition" goes from my experience.

My neighbor bought an amp a week ago from GC. Their picture had an amp in a cabinet. The price was low and showed the model number of the amp head, so he called them and they said "you get exactly what's in the picture" .
He got the amp and sure enough, it was only the head.
So he returned it at the local GC store. The very next day it was relisted with the same incorrect picture!