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Am I missing something with Reverb.com?

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12K views 25 replies 21 participants last post by  player99  
#1 ·
Hey ladies and gents,

I'm just wondering if I'm completely inept with reverb and doing something wrong, or if others have similar experiences as myself.

First of all, I've never actually bought anything from reverb, but that's the issue I'm trying to figure out; I find deals on there, but the deal quickly disappears once I see the cost of shipping. A$200 guitar isn't a great deal once you factor in another $200 in shipping.

Then I look to higher end guitars, figuring that even with a high cost of shipping, it will even out and still be a better deal than what can be had here in Canada, and yet the prices are higher than if I just bought from L&M.

Maybe there's some filter setting I'm missing, or maybe there's something else? Have any of you guys done some great deals on reverb?

Thanks for the help and any tips.
 
#2 ·
Usually the site determines your location automatically and converts to Cdn $ and shows what's available to be shipped to Canada. If not you can set it in the filter selections on the left side. You can also narrow it down to seller is located in Canada.

Right now exchange and shipping an item generally considered as oversized negates any potential saving from buying from the US.
 
#5 ·
I don't use it either. If I lived close the the US border I might consider it but more likely would use Guitar Centre for used guitars.
 
#8 ·
I do buy from time to time, but I have the gear delivered to a parcel service across the border. Works great for me. Last thing was a Ibanez TSA15H, $275 CDN delivered.

Nice thing is that if you are looking for something specific, you can create an alert. I got a sweet set of Sanford Magnetics P90 for $100 US, that way.
 
#11 ·
I got a fair deal (just below the going rate at the time) on my vintage Sunn 1200s amp head on Reverb.

Prices and even shipping (usually auto calc - which often over-estimates) are negotiable - hit that "make an offer" button - doesn't hurt to try, worst case you get ignored . That's what I did with the Sunn head; got a couple hundred taken off the price, just by asking.

The Yanks seem to like buying my shit on there too, so great.
 
#12 ·
It started slow when I joined in 2013 and I now have 50+ transactions. it is a great platform for pedals but I've also purchased and sold guitars - definitely getting a bigger audience in the last year.

They have Direct Checkout for Canadians whereby you can have US$ transferred to your US$ bank account (also works for CDN$). I haven't tried it yet and the fees are less than Pay{al. PayPal's recent changes to foreign currencies is a pain. When I sell stuff in US$, unless the buyer does a 2nd step in the transaction, I will receive CDN$. I discussed it with a PayPal rep. and they could only umm and ahh. Over 18 years with PayPal and this one pissed me off. Absolute BS policy for foreigners - I recently started having my credit card company charge me the foreign currency equivalent on PayPal so perhaps this is there way to get even!
 
#18 ·
PayPal's recent changes to foreign currencies is a pain. When I sell stuff in US$, unless the buyer does a 2nd step in the transaction, I will receive CDN$. I discussed it with a PayPal rep. and they could only umm and ahh. Over 18 years with PayPal and this one pissed me off. Absolute BS policy for foreigners - I recently started having my credit card company charge me the foreign currency equivalent on PayPal so perhaps this is there way to get even!
I do not have this issue. Maybe because my account is ancient or maybe because it is not tied to a bank account or maybe because I originally set it up in US$ or maybe because I list all my ebay/reverb items in US$ or a combination of the above. A buyer pays in US$ and I get US$; then I use that to buy stuff or transfer to my bank account (and then get hit with the conversion fee at that point; still worth it if you wait to transfer until there's a conversion rate peak).
 
#17 ·
I will echo what a few people have already mentioned: try the 'make an offer' feature. You never know.

I got my LTD BW-1 that way, in like new condition with a case for under 1000$ CAD + very reasonable shipping. These go for 1800$ new (no case). The appeal of Reverb on this particular purchase was access to a larger seller pool; that guitar simply doesn't come up on my local Kijiji (and perhaps never will) because it's not common. I guess the same applies to eBay, but I prefer Reverb's protections / offer system (and the inventory isn't the same either).

That said, I don't think good deals on Reverb occur all that often for us Canadians, especially with shipping+duties factored in. I still stick to local classifieds for most of my guitar buying/selling.
 
#20 ·
I have found some really good deals on pedals and I found my reissue Vibroverb on Reverb. But I agree, everyone is pricing their guitars as if they are brand new in box. LOL, and 200 plus for shipping from the USA is just a way to make an extra few bucks and to cover the reverb fees.
 
#23 ·
Reverb has been good so far. I've bought one thing and it was from a bricks and mortar store that also sells online. The surprising thing was they had new items and they allowed offers, I offered 10 bucks below the asking price and they accepted. Shipping was free because I used a US address. You don't have the option of haggling at L&M, at least I don't attempt it with a straight face. Selling has been great, pedals mostly and I'm up to 30 deals or so. I expect to get offers and I counter accordingly, if I don't like it I walk away but most times even with offers the US market is much stronger and more lucrative than selling in Canada.