The logic behind this policy is quite simple: a seller with too many negative reviews becomes a non-seller and, to Reverb becomes useless. No sales = no commission. Hence, from Reverb's perspective, it's more worthwhile to utilize bad sellers, than to care about integrity towards buyers.
A few years back, Will Gelvin, had purchased a guitar from Reverb that was not as described, and damaged. He left a negative review. The buyer somehow got it removed. Then, he talked with Reverb who agreed to give him a full refund. He did not ask or want a refund. He just wanted his feedback to be put back up. Also, keep in mind that, Reverb was going to give him a refund via an insurance claim. Will, pointed out that would be insurance fraud, and he didn't want to be involved in that either. Anyway, he did a video on it. Including the phone call with Reverb. Do a search if you want... Not sure if the video is still up. If not, I'll ask him to put it up. It was a Takamine acoustic guitar.
I like how the seller is so great to everyone he successfully dupes, but the moment someone wises up he's a hostile douche. That's a quality individual
Glad to see this all coming out. Reverb has terrible policy and I decided long ago that I will never work with them again after I spend close to $2,000 on a guitar amp that arrived broken, and after talking for months with the seller, was unable to even get the money to get it fixed. Reverb offers little to no buyer protection and is highly in favor of the seller. Don’t use it
As a buyer and *occasional* seller, I found its worth it to arrange the seller to use the "Safe shipping" that the SELLER of all people has to pay to opt into... The moment I had something go bad and mentioned it to support I was refunded the next day. Still mad about the bass amp being totalled, but at least both of us got our money from it.
"Reverb offers little to no buyer protection and is highly in favor of the seller." Which in 2022 Internet terms is like stripping naked and offering your butthole to Times Square. I mean, seriously... I'm sorry for being so grotesque, but seriously now... what kind of sniveling moron would think any for-profit commercial entity cares about their satisfaction in any way? There's a corporation running Etsy and Reverb. They expect immediate profit. They do nothing for any other reason. Since buyers generate $0 in immediate profit, vs. sellers who generate x% in immediate profit, who the fuck do you THINK they're going to side with?
It's both a shame and a blessing how these videos seem to be the only ones on TH-cam. Maybe there are others making videos calling attention to things like this, but I rarely see anyone else coming close to this kind of deep dive call out. Well done man, thanks
In general, I typically buy used and B-stock. I've had good experiences with reverb. There's one shop that claims to be located in my metropolitan area that I suspect is using drop shipping. This shop refuses local pickup.
I've had more successes than failures as well. With honest sellers, you'll never have a problem. But, it is strange how the Reverb policy is shaped and almost rewards the dishonest sellers by covering their butts.
Pro Audio Star? I've bought from them, very good experience if that's who you're talking about. This "not naming" stuff is nonsense, people deserve to know who can be trusted.
Yep that was definitely Guitar Guru Network. I know a lot of people who had this happen to them. If I order something from Reverb and see it's them I look elsewhere
In my experience I believe Reverb is about protecting the sellers. My first order from Reverb was supposed to be a brand new (NOS) pedal. The pedal I received was clearly used and didn’t even work. I eventually got a refund. But I wanted to leave a negative review, but they won’t let me leave a review because I received a refund. I complained to Reverb that the seller sold me a pedal that was clearly used. It didn’t have the original box, manual or plastic wrapping. Reverb didn’t care they gave me some BS response. Shame on them.
dude admits a minute into his video that Reverb was founded on the principle of protecting vendors, and I'm like "Thank God! That's what my friends have been telling me for years, which is why I never bought there! Instant justification!". Easy decision. I'll never give a penny to a company that tells me right from the get-go that they're on the side of the licensed businesses trying to scrape a cheap buck off me at any opportunity, fair or foul. That's what TH-cam or WalMart is for. I expect that from them. Capitalism is war. Haven't you been paying attention to the news? Everything exploitable is exploited - everything capable of being swallowed and monetized is either already so, or on the way. Why the actual dog fuck should I give a shit about the commercial vendor who sells on Reverb anymore than I should care about WalMart? Serious question.
Thank you! I personally hate drop sellers. A while back, I bought a non music, "in-stock" item, at a good price, from Reverb's competitor. I needed to install this item, before a tradesman could do associated work, so scheduled time off from my job to do so. The very day the item was supposed to arrive at my house, I got an email from the seller telling me that the item was "unavailable". Because of this, I was forced to buy the item at a high price, locally, in order to get things done. I hate drop sellers.
Bought a pedal in supposedly "excellent condition" for 50% of the brand new. Took a risk. The store had around 30 reviews and most of them positive. The item arrived defective. The Seller wanted to make it sound like he had no issues with it and it was damaged in shipping. The box was fine, no external damage... Sure, they were willing to inspect and process refund, but it was just such a big waste of time, I am done trying to buy anything from Reverb. Next time will buy brand new with warranty from a trusted store, save a bunch of brain cells. Brain cells > Money. . . Gladly the Manufacturer, Walrus Audio, agreed to repair and ship it back to me for free. I hope there's happy end to this story. Big Kudos to Walrus Audio, it's my second pedal from them and not going to be the last.
Great vid. Having worked in the music retail industry for over 30 years I had noticed a LOT of 'had delivery issues that were eventually resolved' messages which puzzled me as I knew Reverb didn't allow drop-shipping but also the main couriers are - in the main - pretty damn good at what they do. I worked at a major MI distributor for 13 years and the couriers we used (the usual suspects) were often as high as 99.92% 'performance to contract' successful delivery stats. They do their job and you get what you pay for basically. So this all makes perfect sense.
I watch this while I wait for 2 packages from Reverb... One has the "shipping label printed" but the carrier hasn't received it yet, a common loophole sellers use. The other is UPS being UPS. 5 days and my new Strat has moved about an hour away from it's origin due to "severe weather" that simply doesn't exist. And who knows when I'll get it because I work and I have to be at home when it arrives to sign off on it. Not to mention, the "severe weather" has given UPS a reason to simply not give an estimated delivery date, let alone time. Buying online is definitely not more convenient just because i can do it at home in my underwear if I so choose.
The seller doesn't get paid until the package is in transit, so the "shipping label printed" thing is not a loophole. I have sold things on Reverb and had the shipping say "shipping label printed" days after shipping the item, and didnt get paid til the package arrived to the buyer.
Great vid. Two likes from me. I wasn't aware of this and it sucks. For transparency, there should remain a feedback item that says "seller and buyer mutually settled a dispute" or words to that effect. I've bought and sold some really expensive gear on Reverb and I've more often than not felt safe. But this policy undermines my trust....bigly.
Thanks for making this video. Whenever a marketplace facilitates dishonesty by the vendors who operate under their purview, it lets the public know not to trust doing business on there safely.
Selling on Reverb is an absolute nightmare. Not ACTUALLY getting the shipping charges you listed, taxes, fees, and the broken refund policy. Ill never sell through them again, unfortunately it took me selling 6 guitars and a $3k drum kit to learn this lesson
Just got blocked from giving a three star review to a seller who charged undisclosed fees for accepting a return for an item that didn't fit. A THREE STAR REVIEW GOT BLOCKED BY REVERB. That is censorship.
It’s crazy because I actually used to drop ship on reverb. My customers orders always delivered 2-7 days and if there were any issues I offered refunds and compensation. I was fair with my business and 95% people were happy with it after 1000+ 5 star reviews and less than 50 negative. I found a in-country source to drop ship from so delivery times were fast.
@@HarakiriRock I mean there's lots of good and honest sellers on Reverb, so i think it's just fair to call out dishonest sellers so everyone knows which shops to avoid.
@@Zwidawurzn No doubt about that. I bought a guitar there a couple years ago and have no complaints. I'd rather shop elsewhere in the future though if their buyer protections are this weak and these type of shady dealings are going unchecked.
Have often browsed the site for gear but never pulled the trigger on anything. This gives me pause for future purchases. I appreciate the “consumer perspective” content that you put out. Many thanks 🙏
Every scenario you mentioned has happened to me. I buy and resale about 4 pedals a month to review on my blog. The real problem is Reverb have no meaningful competition. Ideally Sweetwater would set up a site to buy and sell used pedals. That way they are the only seller offering new pedals on the same site. With minor periodical exceptions their new price is matched but not beaten. In short it would be a one stop gear site for most.
Bad reviews tell the seller what they’re doing wrong, most of the time. I think it’s a large oversight, removing negative reviews. Rather than removing a bad review, maybe they could put a tag by the review, to indicate “refund granted” or not; so when reading the reviews, you can see some bits of both sides of the story. Critical, and even negative data is important for the buyer, and keeps the seller accountable. Great video thanks for the insight
Thank you for reinforcing why I stopped buying and selling on Reverb. It’s just turning into a scam hole and run by people who don’t care about your problem unless you’re famous.
Things like this are disturbing, and undermine the good sellers out there actually taking care of their customers. That review reply thing you showed was insane LOL
I’ve been purchasing from fewer and fewer companies because of behavior like this. I’d leave a review with the Better Business Bureau. Those stay up for three years and are more indicative of a company’s business practices.
Recently got a Mesa Mark III Red Stripe from Chicago Music Exchange that arrived with problems that weren't even disclosed in the listing. They offered me a 100 dollar refund, or I could just send it back with them handling the fees. I've decided to keep it because it does sound really good, and I'm gonna send it to Mike B at Boogie to get it fixed. Never buying from CME again, and certainly am thinking about how much I use Reverb these days.
I've bought 2 . An electric and an accoustic. The accoustic was fine little old but for 70bucks. The electric on the other hand was listed as dented and the body has cracks in it from a tail drop starts real close to the strap button .
I've made 48 purchases on Reverb (GAS), 21 were guitars. Everything has gone pretty well considering the numbers except for two guitar purchases. One was a nightmare, but the second return actually went very smooth and I would do business with that seller again.
I agree Reverb is better for pedals. But i bought one guitar on Reverb from a seller in Germany and i knew they're a good shop so i just went for the Reverb deal and pay 50€ shipping instead of spending 14h in the car and 200€ on fuel driving to Germany to pick it up myself. I mean it was some risk of losing money in case of sending it back but the guitar arrived in its hardshell case well packed, everything in perfect condition, worked out fine.
I bought a 78 Yamaha SG from Japan, and it's by far the nicest guitar I've ever owned. Arrived in exactly the condition that was stated, and arrived on time too. I've always had good luck with reverb I think
I don't really see there being any trouble now, some people make mistakes and learn from it. That being said, I wouldn't buy from them, but that's more because I don't like the pedals.
"reverb doesn't allow dropshipping". I order three things from the same store last week and yesterday three packages arrived from 3 different locations. Bough also a pickup last week from Rome, and only yesterday the package was sent... from Barcelona.
Hmmmm….. interesting….. back in 2020 I bought a Player Strat from a seller in North Carolina that apparently “had a mixup on the sales floor” and they apparently sold the guitar and I had to wait for a fresh one from Fender. They did give me a deep discount on a tweed case and were very nice, but obviously this raises some questions.
Apart from this review practice, Reverb is a pain ...a.. because it attracts lots of profiteers with unrealistic prices in mind who wont sell anything, but generates dead adverts. And the reason why this is so bad is, because everybody who offers his gear on a local platform or on Ebay or anwhere else first looks up common prices in Google and sure as hell is landing at those dead adverts in Reverb. That is what makes prices in general rise to idiot levels. It has led to thousand of unsold adverts on almost every trading site. Left alone for one brand like Fender, Gibson, Marshall or anything the adverts are inti thousands. Customers look at those price with awe ans prefer to bu new gear instead.
Thankfully I've never had this problem with Reverb. So far it's only Ebay that I've had a problem with so far. but that might be due to me buying pedals, parts, and hardware from Reverb. But it is a bit of a head scratcher to let sellers remove negative feedback on the site. I get there are those who would completely bash or be overdramatic on an honest shipping issue, but see the potential of these kind of pre-ordered and shipping delays would definitely turn me away from using this site when I happen to be an avid user.
First time buying on Reverb it was a seller near me who claimed the microphone wad in-stock. 2wks later I got the mic and it shipped from across the country. Pretty clear what’s going on.
I sell online for my main source of income, not Reverb(or any music gear) but a few other similar platforms. They all tend to exagerate top seller's stats to make them look better, and hide anything negative. I might have 1 problem for every few hundred sales, so with say 5000 sales, that gives me over 99.5%, they make it 100. But if I had say 90%, that might reduce my sales, and their profit. So automatically, it will shave off the oldest negative reviews, and replace them with a "no review left", until it's at 99.5%, and then they make it 100. Not only that, any refunds are given automatic 5Stars for "satisfied customer". They only care about the profit.
I quit selling on Reverb after the Etsy buyout. Such a pain. I don’t buy from there anymore either. Everything is so overpriced - I get it with all the fees, etc.- now if I can find a brick and mortar shop with a website I go directly to them.
Ebay does a similar thing to this (adjusting reviews and making sure tracking is uploaded first). I am a part of an ecom instrument business, and this is sort of industry standard. The flaw is with tracking validation, not so much reverb themselves, in my opinion. Removal of reviews should be much more careful though, that IS a reverb issue.
I’ve been buying things off reverb and eBay for like 6 years and I’ve NEVER had a single thing lost in shipping. I’ve ordered from China, India, Spain, all to my house near Chicago and I’ve never had that problem. So if a seller tells you that it got lost in shipping get immediately suspicious.
The worst thing that’s happened to me was they just left it in the shipping warehouse for like 2 months and after I called the place they found it and sent it to me right after that call.
Nice insight. I’d like to hear your thoughts on the insanity of the shipping prices for small builders, in countries like Argentina and Brazil. It’s been near the beginning of Covid when I spoke with them. My anecdote is with retroheadFX, out of Buenos Aires, have excellent pedals, it the shipping is more than the cost of one. Their Cosmic Phaser has many of the features of a Thorpy Doppler, one that came out quite awhile later, plus a couple things the Thorpy doesn’t. I talked with them on the phone and they said that they sell it for about $150 U.S., but shipping one would cost about the same price. Their other pedals are also excellent, and priced very well, but they said that without a distributor, it just wasn’t viable unless I really want to pay $300 to get one. I might just do that. I think someone like Deep Trip in Brazil, or Sabbadius in Argentina, have distribution to keep stuff from those prices, but they sell out fast.
Many of the shipping carriers provide APIs to provide status updates on shipments. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to implement a release funds once the order is out for delivery or delivered, but honestly it is in Reverb's best interest to complete the transaction as soon as possible.
YEAH MAN!!!! That explains a lot about issues I have had with Reverb sellers, feedback and opinions from those "sellers" who just looooovvvvveeeeeeee to think that their crap doesn't stink, nor require toilet paper for wiping, as a matter of fact, it is so transparent, it needs not flushing as well 😉!!! Oiiiyyyy!!! However, for the most part, and for me, which is around 99.⁹ % of the time, I have had awesome buying experiences with Reverb vendors, which started some time around 2014, after Winter NAMM. I also, as a verified purchaser have perfect feedback with Reverb, and Ebay for that matter!! But, again, after this explanation of "how shit gets done" with regards to sellers feedback!! Thanks brother!!!!! ANYWAY, KEEP ON KEEPING ON BROTHER ROCKER!!!!! PEACE!!!!! 🤘🏼
Just ordered from Zoundhouse de saying the had epi lp custom in stock on there website. while everywhere else says due September . Now with China in lockdown. I received no communication on confirmation of the purchase but yet the funds are already transferred by the bank. 🤦🤷😭
I refuse local pick up but it's not because I'm drop shipping. I used to allow pick up but then i got sick of obnoxious folk thinking their some kind of Guitar and gear Guru. I've been playing for 45 years and to be told i don't know what i'm talking about by some Boy cheeses me off and that is why i only post. But i would never abuse somebody in a message , it's spineless and in my opinion the seller in question needs repramanding off Reverb for that reply. Kelan you should out the C*%t really, in my opinion folk need protecting from the likes of that Moron on Reverb. Drop shipping, it's deceitful in this instance.
Guitar Center has the same problem. Used to be you could score incredible deals on things like old FRFR speakers, guitars, amps, interfaces, PA equipment, etc. Now, with shipping, GC's used inventory is typically priced above their new stuff. With sales, I've seen their new gear cost significantly less than used gear even without shipping on the latter. Now all GC Used is good for is in-store deals on discontinued gear.
It's funny the amount of times you see people on forums, reviews, youtube videos, or wherever claiming "STUPID USPS LOST MY PACKAGE!!!". After a while you start to wonder how much of that is true, or are people just blaming USPS because it's convenient and they have no one else to blame.
I won’t have any problems with reverb because I won’t be shopping there ever again. A horrible experience too many times. No customer service or accountability in usual tech fashion.
So Reverb has turned to the dark side now too. I used to buy and sell a LOT on ebay for about 5 or 6 years. When I saw the shady stuff start with ebay, I was done. Money always ruins the fairness of any company. Greed!
Just bought a guitar off reverb. Seller said excellent near mint condition. It wasn't. Two days later I'm rebuilding a Floyd Rose. Last time I ever buy a used guitar online.
Yup! I purchased a guitar that was b-stock but advertised as new. The instant I clicked the request return button, the window for feedback disappeared. This issue took 3 months to resolve and ultimately it was Reverb, not the seller, who first had to provide the shipping label because the seller was dragging their feet, and ultimately it was Reverb who credited me because the item was allegedly stuck in customs for over a month. The entire experience was pure poop and I'll never buy from that company again. Yet, on their Reverb page, it's nothing but good reviews. I now do not trust any review lists, anywhere, because I know for a fact they are skewed.
Maybe it's to prevent people from leaving you with a negative feedback even though they were happy with returning it and getting the refund? It kinda makes it look like the seller left them hanging and they weren't able to resolve the issue even with Reverb getting involved. I've forgotten to edit my reviews a bunch of times even after everything was solved, I can understand that many sellers would not want to rely on their customers to not forget it. Not to mention all the people who tend to leave one star reviews without any text. Still a weird procedure though, there must be a better way. In the case you described it's obvious that the system can be taken advantage of way too easily
It would be more realistic to have 1 or 2 bad reviews and offer an incentive to the seller to get it right first time though. Whereas the current policy masks the volume of bad customer experience with no reprisal against the seller whatsoever for essentially outright lying and time wasting on an industrial scale.
I suppose the proper thing to do instead of leaving negative feedback would be to just report the buyer. Also, Reverb doesn’t give special treatment to top sellers. I do over a million dollars a year on reverb and I don’t think anyone at reverb even knows who I am let alone gives special treatment.
I sold a few things on Reverb. I didn't receive payment for over a week for each sale. When I contacted them to remind them that I needed paying, it was as though they didn't care and I was fobbed off with poor excuses. Terrible customer service. Another thing I noticed was the 'fake watchers'. For every 10 views your listed item gets, Reverb automatically adds a 1 to the 'watchers', so you're led to believe that there are real people interested in your items. I contacted customer service about this, and they either lied to me or they didn't know this was happening. After this conversation, the fake watchers for every 10 views magically stopped, so I'm assuming it's the former. Pathetic.
OMG - I'm going thru this right now. I purchased and item off Reverb from a seller who's local to me, however the item is being shipped from the other side of country. Looking into it more, the seller is using Amazon Fullfillment (3rd party chain shipping) I contacted Reverb and they gave me a $15 credit for my trouble, but didn't mention doing anything about the drop shipping violation. I don't understand they the sellers don't have to disclose where the item is shipping from.
We live in a world where art critics, book reviewers and restaurant reviewers and their employers get sued for leaving bad reviews. Why is anyone surprised that internet based businesses take the easy way out in order to protect themselves?
Is this a joke or do you actually not use eBay? I was given negative feedback for selling an old collectors item. The feedback stated that the batteries in it were old……. I swear that 80% of negative reviews are from Neanderthals that have no clue how technology works, or are just negative about everything in their life.
Either the USPS has an anime-like grudge on that seller, throwing all the packages in the void, or the seller has found a way to scam the system, and Reverb is playing along for the profit.
This actually happens more than you think. Lots of webshops do this secretly, because it is illegal in Europe (or at least in holland) to advertise something as "in stock" when it is not.
It's interesting since I just purchased a guitar through a private seller on Reverb. I opted not to review the sale. He didn't even say "thank you" afterwards. People are getting worse. Great job man!
Guitar Center advertised some gear as being in stock and then after the purchase, something magically happened to put me in the back of the line for a back ordered item.
Hey KDH can you do a vid on the scam ads on Facebook offering guitars for $69. Almost everyday I see someone post that they ordered from here and are hoping they got a deal
Reverb was a great company when it was owned by Chicago Music Exchange! Now that Etsy bought the company they are horrible. I could write pages of things this company has done to my friends and myself.I will list one! I bought a 1978 Tokai reborn Les Paul copy on reverb, Its was a nice guitar but after about 2 weeks decide to sell it. I put it back up on the company i bought it from REVERB, The next day i see they suspended my listing saying it volated trademark and i could not sell it through them! I emailed them that i bought the guitar through reverb and why cant i sell it through reverb? They never emailed me back after sending MANY emails! Please dont buy or sell through this company people. They have since closed my account!! Guess thats there go to when they dont want to answer you anymore
Dang man. I think I literally just had this happen to me. My item was sent to PR instead of VA. Just messaged the seller. Curious what they will respond with
Sadly, I think just like with TH-cam, the number crunching people figured out that limiting feedback is a net positive in the end. You're getting a worse experience, but, at least temporarily, TH-cam will get a boost in views (or rather, in ad views, because that's what actually matters), and Reverb will get a boost in sales.
Yep, this type of behaviour is widespread. I've had negative reviews rejected by food delivery services and electronics retailers. All my positive reviews have been accepted. I no longer bother responding to requests for reviews and also ignore 5 star average ratings.
Yea after this last guitar I'm gonna definitely make sure to inspect alot better. "A few dings n dents" Hairline crack you can see running along the bottom you can't see except in good light. Not a small one either it goes almost the length of the body only 100 bucks but still I paid for dings and dents not cracks.
The logic behind this policy is quite simple: a seller with too many negative reviews becomes a non-seller and, to Reverb becomes useless. No sales = no commission. Hence, from Reverb's perspective, it's more worthwhile to utilize bad sellers, than to care about integrity towards buyers.
Was just gonna say this. Those juicy fees are too much to give up for them.
At least as long as they do refund customers and this keep them spending on reverb instead of getting scared away.
What this guy said! Right here! 👋
A few years back, Will Gelvin, had purchased a guitar from Reverb that was not as described, and damaged.
He left a negative review. The buyer somehow got it removed. Then, he talked with Reverb who agreed to give him a full refund. He did not ask or want a refund. He just wanted his feedback to be put back up. Also, keep in mind that, Reverb was going to give him a refund via an insurance claim. Will, pointed out that would be insurance fraud, and he didn't want to be involved in that either.
Anyway, he did a video on it. Including the phone call with Reverb. Do a search if you want... Not sure if the video is still up. If not, I'll ask him to put it up. It was a Takamine acoustic guitar.
I'd enjoy viewing that, and was unable to find such a video (only one possible link that is dead).
@@alecjahn I talked with him. He doesn't want to get involved. He had a glorious win on that one. Enough said. He doesn't feel he needs to flaunt it.
@@DetroitWrecker666 Totally understandable! Cheers!
Will's easy guitar bitches!! Love that guy!
What a C*** tease, man
I like how the seller is so great to everyone he successfully dupes, but the moment someone wises up he's a hostile douche. That's a quality individual
Any time someone says "lost in post" I would immediately get suspicious. I get super paranoid over packages so I would 1000% contact USPS to make sure
it's total bullshit. any delivery service can tell if the package was never shipped.
That's a sneaky move. Never considered this issue. This seller would have fooled me.
Etsy has ruined Reverb. Reverb was fine beforehand, but they’re just eroding everything decent about the site
Was the Steel Panther PR debacle pre or post Etsy?
What happened between Etsy and Reverb? Someone help me. I don't know. Thanks
@@WingmanStudios Basically, Etsy purchased reverb a few years ago and have implemented several changes that have harmed the platform overall, imo.
@@12ealDealOfficial I think the SP thing was right before but who knows how much say Etsy had at that point in the takeover.
Etsy itself is also terrible
Glad to see this all coming out. Reverb has terrible policy and I decided long ago that I will never work with them again after I spend close to $2,000 on a guitar amp that arrived broken, and after talking for months with the seller, was unable to even get the money to get it fixed. Reverb offers little to no buyer protection and is highly in favor of the seller. Don’t use it
As a buyer and *occasional* seller, I found its worth it to arrange the seller to use the "Safe shipping" that the SELLER of all people has to pay to opt into... The moment I had something go bad and mentioned it to support I was refunded the next day. Still mad about the bass amp being totalled, but at least both of us got our money from it.
"Reverb offers little to no buyer protection and is highly in favor of the seller."
Which in 2022 Internet terms is like stripping naked and offering your butthole to Times Square. I mean, seriously... I'm sorry for being so grotesque, but seriously now... what kind of sniveling moron would think any for-profit commercial entity cares about their satisfaction in any way?
There's a corporation running Etsy and Reverb. They expect immediate profit. They do nothing for any other reason. Since buyers generate $0 in immediate profit, vs. sellers who generate x% in immediate profit, who the fuck do you THINK they're going to side with?
It's both a shame and a blessing how these videos seem to be the only ones on TH-cam. Maybe there are others making videos calling attention to things like this, but I rarely see anyone else coming close to this kind of deep dive call out. Well done man, thanks
this is why I prefer Delay.
🤣🤣🤣
nicely done
Sometimes I use Reverb in the spring
In general, I typically buy used and B-stock. I've had good experiences with reverb.
There's one shop that claims to be located in my metropolitan area that I suspect is using drop shipping. This shop refuses local pickup.
RED flag right there!
I've had more successes than failures as well. With honest sellers, you'll never have a problem. But, it is strange how the Reverb policy is shaped and almost rewards the dishonest sellers by covering their butts.
Pro Audio Star? I've bought from them, very good experience if that's who you're talking about.
This "not naming" stuff is nonsense, people deserve to know who can be trusted.
Yep that was definitely Guitar Guru Network. I know a lot of people who had this happen to them. If I order something from Reverb and see it's them I look elsewhere
always a good day when a new KDH video gives me something new to be upset about :)
In my experience I believe Reverb is about protecting the sellers. My first order from Reverb was supposed to be a brand new (NOS) pedal. The pedal I received was clearly used and didn’t even work. I eventually got a refund. But I wanted to leave a negative review, but they won’t let me leave a review because I received a refund. I complained to Reverb that the seller sold me a pedal that was clearly used. It didn’t have the original box, manual or plastic wrapping. Reverb didn’t care they gave me some BS response. Shame on them.
dude admits a minute into his video that Reverb was founded on the principle of protecting vendors, and I'm like "Thank God! That's what my friends have been telling me for years, which is why I never bought there! Instant justification!".
Easy decision. I'll never give a penny to a company that tells me right from the get-go that they're on the side of the licensed businesses trying to scrape a cheap buck off me at any opportunity, fair or foul. That's what TH-cam or WalMart is for. I expect that from them.
Capitalism is war. Haven't you been paying attention to the news? Everything exploitable is exploited - everything capable of being swallowed and monetized is either already so, or on the way. Why the actual dog fuck should I give a shit about the commercial vendor who sells on Reverb anymore than I should care about WalMart?
Serious question.
Same thing happened to me.
@@jasoncarswell7458 genuine question, how is youtube like walmart?
Thank you!
I personally hate drop sellers. A while back, I bought a non music, "in-stock" item, at a good price, from Reverb's competitor. I needed to install this item, before a tradesman could do associated work, so scheduled time off from my job to do so. The very day the item was supposed to arrive at my house, I got an email from the seller telling me that the item was "unavailable". Because of this, I was forced to buy the item at a high price, locally, in order to get things done. I hate drop sellers.
Bought a pedal in supposedly "excellent condition" for 50% of the brand new. Took a risk. The store had around 30 reviews and most of them positive. The item arrived defective. The Seller wanted to make it sound like he had no issues with it and it was damaged in shipping. The box was fine, no external damage... Sure, they were willing to inspect and process refund, but it was just such a big waste of time, I am done trying to buy anything from Reverb. Next time will buy brand new with warranty from a trusted store, save a bunch of brain cells. Brain cells > Money. . . Gladly the Manufacturer, Walrus Audio, agreed to repair and ship it back to me for free. I hope there's happy end to this story. Big Kudos to Walrus Audio, it's my second pedal from them and not going to be the last.
Great vid. Having worked in the music retail industry for over 30 years I had noticed a LOT of 'had delivery issues that were eventually resolved' messages which puzzled me as I knew Reverb didn't allow drop-shipping but also the main couriers are - in the main - pretty damn good at what they do. I worked at a major MI distributor for 13 years and the couriers we used (the usual suspects) were often as high as 99.92% 'performance to contract' successful delivery stats. They do their job and you get what you pay for basically. So this all makes perfect sense.
I watch this while I wait for 2 packages from Reverb...
One has the "shipping label printed" but the carrier hasn't received it yet, a common loophole sellers use. The other is UPS being UPS. 5 days and my new Strat has moved about an hour away from it's origin due to "severe weather" that simply doesn't exist. And who knows when I'll get it because I work and I have to be at home when it arrives to sign off on it. Not to mention, the "severe weather" has given UPS a reason to simply not give an estimated delivery date, let alone time.
Buying online is definitely not more convenient just because i can do it at home in my underwear if I so choose.
The seller doesn't get paid until the package is in transit, so the "shipping label printed" thing is not a loophole. I have sold things on Reverb and had the shipping say "shipping label printed" days after shipping the item, and didnt get paid til the package arrived to the buyer.
@@Jackson-df3rv That's usually for new Reverb sellers. Preferred sellers get different treatment.
Great vid. Two likes from me. I wasn't aware of this and it sucks. For transparency, there should remain a feedback item that says "seller and buyer mutually settled a dispute" or words to that effect. I've bought and sold some really expensive gear on Reverb and I've more often than not felt safe. But this policy undermines my trust....bigly.
I guess this latest decisions will have some… REVERBerations for them… YEAHHHHH (puts on sunglasses)
🤣🤣🤣
*cue The Who music* 😂👍.
🥁
Thanks for making this video. Whenever a marketplace facilitates dishonesty by the vendors who operate under their purview, it lets the public know not to trust doing business on there safely.
Selling on Reverb is an absolute nightmare. Not ACTUALLY getting the shipping charges you listed, taxes, fees, and the broken refund policy. Ill never sell through them again, unfortunately it took me selling 6 guitars and a $3k drum kit to learn this lesson
Just got blocked from giving a three star review to a seller who charged undisclosed fees for accepting a return for an item that didn't fit. A THREE STAR REVIEW GOT BLOCKED BY REVERB. That is censorship.
It’s crazy because I actually used to drop ship on reverb. My customers orders always delivered 2-7 days and if there were any issues I offered refunds and compensation. I was fair with my business and 95% people were happy with it after 1000+ 5 star reviews and less than 50 negative. I found a in-country source to drop ship from so delivery times were fast.
It's not Guitar Guru Network is it?
Edit: yep. It's Guitar Guru Network. Doesn't surprise me. So you've been warned. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM.
Noted. Just took a look and you're right. I'm making sure to steer clear away from this "person". Yikes.
Everyone upvote JC's comment please. I've only made one purchase from Reverb but that'll probably be my first and last after seeing this video.
@@HarakiriRock I mean there's lots of good and honest sellers on Reverb, so i think it's just fair to call out dishonest sellers so everyone knows which shops to avoid.
@@Zwidawurzn No doubt about that. I bought a guitar there a couple years ago and have no complaints. I'd rather shop elsewhere in the future though if their buyer protections are this weak and these type of shady dealings are going unchecked.
Always a banger, KDH, absolutely adore your vidyas.
Excellent content. Really had no idea about this stuff.
Have often browsed the site for gear but never pulled the trigger on anything. This gives me pause for future purchases. I appreciate the “consumer perspective” content that you put out. Many thanks 🙏
Every scenario you mentioned has happened to me. I buy and resale about 4 pedals a month to review on my blog. The real problem is Reverb have no meaningful competition. Ideally Sweetwater would set up a site to buy and sell used pedals. That way they are the only seller offering new pedals on the same site. With minor periodical exceptions their new price is matched but not beaten. In short it would be a one stop gear site for most.
eBay offers all the same features and a lower commission for them
Damnitt, I earned my 50 5 star reviews as a hobbyist pedal builders. This devalues that.
Bad reviews tell the seller what they’re doing wrong, most of the time. I think it’s a large oversight, removing negative reviews. Rather than removing a bad review, maybe they could put a tag by the review, to indicate “refund granted” or not; so when reading the reviews, you can see some bits of both sides of the story. Critical, and even negative data is important for the buyer, and keeps the seller accountable. Great video thanks for the insight
Thank you for reinforcing why I stopped buying and selling on Reverb. It’s just turning into a scam hole and run by people who don’t care about your problem unless you’re famous.
Things like this are disturbing, and undermine the good sellers out there actually taking care of their customers. That review reply thing you showed was insane LOL
I’ve been purchasing from fewer and fewer companies because of behavior like this.
I’d leave a review with the Better Business Bureau. Those stay up for three years and are more indicative of a company’s business practices.
Recently got a Mesa Mark III Red Stripe from Chicago Music Exchange that arrived with problems that weren't even disclosed in the listing. They offered me a 100 dollar refund, or I could just send it back with them handling the fees. I've decided to keep it because it does sound really good, and I'm gonna send it to Mike B at Boogie to get it fixed. Never buying from CME again, and certainly am thinking about how much I use Reverb these days.
Reverb is great for pedals, but I’ve never closed a good deal on a guitar.
I've bought 2 . An electric and an accoustic. The accoustic was fine little old but for 70bucks.
The electric on the other hand was listed as dented and the body has cracks in it from a tail drop starts real close to the strap button .
@@findantu Oh, no … did you get a refund or money off?
I've made 48 purchases on Reverb (GAS), 21 were guitars. Everything has gone pretty well considering the numbers except for two guitar purchases. One was a nightmare, but the second return actually went very smooth and I would do business with that seller again.
I agree Reverb is better for pedals. But i bought one guitar on Reverb from a seller in Germany and i knew they're a good shop so i just went for the Reverb deal and pay 50€ shipping instead of spending 14h in the car and 200€ on fuel driving to Germany to pick it up myself. I mean it was some risk of losing money in case of sending it back but the guitar arrived in its hardshell case well packed, everything in perfect condition, worked out fine.
I bought a 78 Yamaha SG from Japan, and it's by far the nicest guitar I've ever owned. Arrived in exactly the condition that was stated, and arrived on time too. I've always had good luck with reverb I think
Curious if you have ever looked into vertex pedals? They have a shady past that’s very interesting…love your videos!
I don't really see there being any trouble now, some people make mistakes and learn from it. That being said, I wouldn't buy from them, but that's more because I don't like the pedals.
Good investigative journalism. Well done kdh
BTW. Get some AR coating on the lenses in your next pair of glasses
"reverb doesn't allow dropshipping". I order three things from the same store last week and yesterday three packages arrived from 3 different locations. Bough also a pickup last week from Rome, and only yesterday the package was sent... from Barcelona.
The seller is Guitar Guru Network
That's a kickass KDH sweatshirt!
+1
You're a consumer champion and I love it.
Hmmmm….. interesting….. back in 2020 I bought a Player Strat from a seller in North Carolina that apparently “had a mixup on the sales floor” and they apparently sold the guitar and I had to wait for a fresh one from Fender. They did give me a deep discount on a tweed case and were very nice, but obviously this raises some questions.
@Manley156 I’m still thinking that. This video was surprisingly close to the mark though just made me think 😂
Apart from this review practice, Reverb is a pain ...a.. because it attracts lots of profiteers with unrealistic prices in mind who wont sell anything, but generates dead adverts.
And the reason why this is so bad is, because everybody who offers his gear on a local platform or on Ebay or anwhere else first looks up common prices in Google and sure as hell is landing at those dead adverts in Reverb. That is what makes prices in general rise to idiot levels. It has led to thousand of unsold adverts on almost every trading site. Left alone for one brand like Fender, Gibson, Marshall or anything the adverts are inti thousands.
Customers look at those price with awe ans prefer to bu new gear instead.
Yeah I've noticed this too.
Thankfully I've never had this problem with Reverb. So far it's only Ebay that I've had a problem with so far. but that might be due to me buying pedals, parts, and hardware from Reverb. But it is a bit of a head scratcher to let sellers remove negative feedback on the site. I get there are those who would completely bash or be overdramatic on an honest shipping issue, but see the potential of these kind of pre-ordered and shipping delays would definitely turn me away from using this site when I happen to be an avid user.
First time buying on Reverb it was a seller near me who claimed the microphone wad in-stock. 2wks later I got the mic and it shipped from across the country. Pretty clear what’s going on.
I sell online for my main source of income, not Reverb(or any music gear) but a few other similar platforms. They all tend to exagerate top seller's stats to make them look better, and hide anything negative. I might have 1 problem for every few hundred sales, so with say 5000 sales, that gives me over 99.5%, they make it 100. But if I had say 90%, that might reduce my sales, and their profit. So automatically, it will shave off the oldest negative reviews, and replace them with a "no review left", until it's at 99.5%, and then they make it 100. Not only that, any refunds are given automatic 5Stars for "satisfied customer". They only care about the profit.
I quit selling on Reverb after the Etsy buyout. Such a pain. I don’t buy from there anymore either. Everything is so overpriced - I get it with all the fees, etc.- now if I can find a brick and mortar shop with a website I go directly to them.
Reverb reviews are almost more useless than paid for Amazon reviews. Shop local and don't deal with these scam-enablers
I had a guitar legitimately stolen in shipment and Reverb never did a thing.
I am a Reverb seller and love your channel, I know I do good business, but dang I got nervous ahaha!
Ebay does a similar thing to this (adjusting reviews and making sure tracking is uploaded first). I am a part of an ecom instrument business, and this is sort of industry standard. The flaw is with tracking validation, not so much reverb themselves, in my opinion. Removal of reviews should be much more careful though, that IS a reverb issue.
This must be about TheGuitarGuruNetwork lmao
Where would one get some merch?
It’s coming soon 😊
@@KDH i'll be waiting
I’ve been buying things off reverb and eBay for like 6 years and I’ve NEVER had a single thing lost in shipping. I’ve ordered from China, India, Spain, all to my house near Chicago and I’ve never had that problem. So if a seller tells you that it got lost in shipping get immediately suspicious.
The worst thing that’s happened to me was they just left it in the shipping warehouse for like 2 months and after I called the place they found it and sent it to me right after that call.
Anyone know the seller so I can avoid them?
Guitar Guru Network
Nice insight.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on the insanity of the shipping prices for small builders, in countries like Argentina and Brazil.
It’s been near the beginning of Covid when I spoke with them.
My anecdote is with retroheadFX, out of Buenos Aires, have excellent pedals, it the shipping is more than the cost of one. Their Cosmic Phaser has many of the features of a Thorpy Doppler, one that came out quite awhile later, plus a couple things the Thorpy doesn’t.
I talked with them on the phone and they said that they sell it for about $150 U.S., but shipping one would cost about the same price. Their other pedals are also excellent, and priced very well, but they said that without a distributor, it just wasn’t viable unless I really want to pay $300 to get one.
I might just do that.
I think someone like Deep Trip in Brazil, or Sabbadius in Argentina, have distribution to keep stuff from those prices, but they sell out fast.
Its probably all about making Reverb more profitable for Etsy, encouraging more sellers to use the platform
Good job, great video
Your shirt says KDH on it, i just noticed this now.
Many of the shipping carriers provide APIs to provide status updates on shipments. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to implement a release funds once the order is out for delivery or delivered, but honestly it is in Reverb's best interest to complete the transaction as soon as possible.
YEAH MAN!!!!
That explains a lot about issues I have had with Reverb sellers, feedback and opinions from those "sellers" who just looooovvvvveeeeeeee to think that their crap doesn't stink, nor require toilet paper for wiping, as a matter of fact, it is so transparent, it needs not flushing as well 😉!!! Oiiiyyyy!!!
However, for the most part, and for me, which is around
99.⁹ % of the time, I have had awesome buying experiences with Reverb vendors, which started some time around 2014, after Winter NAMM. I also, as a verified purchaser have perfect feedback with Reverb, and Ebay for that matter!! But, again, after this explanation of "how shit gets done" with regards to sellers feedback!! Thanks brother!!!!!
ANYWAY, KEEP ON KEEPING ON BROTHER ROCKER!!!!!
PEACE!!!!! 🤘🏼
You are so Smart!
Nice work
Just ordered from Zoundhouse de saying the had epi lp custom in stock on there website. while everywhere else says due September . Now with China in lockdown. I received no communication on confirmation of the purchase but yet the funds are already transferred by the bank. 🤦🤷😭
Wow. That's good information.
I refuse local pick up but it's not because I'm drop shipping. I used to allow pick up but then i got sick of obnoxious folk thinking their some kind of Guitar and gear Guru. I've been playing for 45 years and to be told i don't know what i'm talking about by some Boy cheeses me off and that is why i only post. But i would never abuse somebody in a message , it's spineless and in my opinion the seller in question needs repramanding off Reverb for that reply. Kelan you should out the C*%t really, in my opinion folk need protecting from the likes of that Moron on Reverb. Drop shipping, it's deceitful in this instance.
Reverb used to be great..then Etsy ruined it. They're the biggest instigators in driving gear prices into the stratosphere.
Guitar Center has the same problem. Used to be you could score incredible deals on things like old FRFR speakers, guitars, amps, interfaces, PA equipment, etc. Now, with shipping, GC's used inventory is typically priced above their new stuff. With sales, I've seen their new gear cost significantly less than used gear even without shipping on the latter. Now all GC Used is good for is in-store deals on discontinued gear.
I love that shirt!!!
This is why I only buy from Music Shops that also have a physical shop, such as GAK, PMT, or Andertons (I'm in the UK).
It's funny the amount of times you see people on forums, reviews, youtube videos, or wherever claiming "STUPID USPS LOST MY PACKAGE!!!". After a while you start to wonder how much of that is true, or are people just blaming USPS because it's convenient and they have no one else to blame.
I won’t have any problems with reverb because I won’t be shopping there ever again. A horrible experience too many times. No customer service or accountability in usual tech fashion.
So Reverb has turned to the dark side now too. I used to buy and sell a LOT on ebay for about 5 or 6 years. When I saw the shady stuff start with ebay, I was done. Money always ruins the fairness of any company. Greed!
Just bought a guitar off reverb. Seller said excellent near mint condition. It wasn't. Two days later I'm rebuilding a Floyd Rose. Last time I ever buy a used guitar online.
Yup! I purchased a guitar that was b-stock but advertised as new. The instant I clicked the request return button, the window for feedback disappeared. This issue took 3 months to resolve and ultimately it was Reverb, not the seller, who first had to provide the shipping label because the seller was dragging their feet, and ultimately it was Reverb who credited me because the item was allegedly stuck in customs for over a month. The entire experience was pure poop and I'll never buy from that company again. Yet, on their Reverb page, it's nothing but good reviews. I now do not trust any review lists, anywhere, because I know for a fact they are skewed.
Maybe it's to prevent people from leaving you with a negative feedback even though they were happy with returning it and getting the refund? It kinda makes it look like the seller left them hanging and they weren't able to resolve the issue even with Reverb getting involved. I've forgotten to edit my reviews a bunch of times even after everything was solved, I can understand that many sellers would not want to rely on their customers to not forget it. Not to mention all the people who tend to leave one star reviews without any text. Still a weird procedure though, there must be a better way. In the case you described it's obvious that the system can be taken advantage of way too easily
It would be more realistic to have 1 or 2 bad reviews and offer an incentive to the seller to get it right first time though. Whereas the current policy masks the volume of bad customer experience with no reprisal against the seller whatsoever for essentially outright lying and time wasting on an industrial scale.
I suppose the proper thing to do instead of leaving negative feedback would be to just report the buyer. Also, Reverb doesn’t give special treatment to top sellers. I do over a million dollars a year on reverb and I don’t think anyone at reverb even knows who I am let alone gives special treatment.
I sold a few things on Reverb. I didn't receive payment for over a week for each sale. When I contacted them to remind them that I needed paying, it was as though they didn't care and I was fobbed off with poor excuses. Terrible customer service.
Another thing I noticed was the 'fake watchers'. For every 10 views your listed item gets, Reverb automatically adds a 1 to the 'watchers', so you're led to believe that there are real people interested in your items. I contacted customer service about this, and they either lied to me or they didn't know this was happening.
After this conversation, the fake watchers for every 10 views magically stopped, so I'm assuming it's the former. Pathetic.
OMG - I'm going thru this right now. I purchased and item off Reverb from a seller who's local to me, however the item is being shipped from the other side of country. Looking into it more, the seller is using Amazon Fullfillment (3rd party chain shipping) I contacted Reverb and they gave me a $15 credit for my trouble, but didn't mention doing anything about the drop shipping violation. I don't understand they the sellers don't have to disclose where the item is shipping from.
Good video!!
We live in a world where art critics, book reviewers and restaurant reviewers and their employers get sued for leaving bad reviews. Why is anyone surprised that internet based businesses take the easy way out in order to protect themselves?
Netflix did that after Amy Schumer's dud of a comedy special got ratioed to hell.
Haven't heard much about her lately. 😂
At some point in the last 20 years it became fundamentally impossible to leave any negative feedback of any kind on eBay. It's a really great system.
Is this a joke or do you actually not use eBay? I was given negative feedback for selling an old collectors item. The feedback stated that the batteries in it were old……. I swear that 80% of negative reviews are from Neanderthals that have no clue how technology works, or are just negative about everything in their life.
Either the USPS has an anime-like grudge on that seller, throwing all the packages in the void, or the seller has found a way to scam the system, and Reverb is playing along for the profit.
I remember how 1 star reviews absolutely destroyed a video with high stars LOL
This actually happens more than you think. Lots of webshops do this secretly, because it is illegal in Europe (or at least in holland) to advertise something as "in stock" when it is not.
It's interesting since I just purchased a guitar through a private seller on Reverb. I opted not to review the sale. He didn't even say "thank you" afterwards. People are getting worse. Great job man!
Nice , Dective Work there
Excellent video. Ive experienced this though Reverb and it makes no sense.
Excellent video. Thank you for doing what you do! This video needs to go viral within the guitar / instrument world.
Guitar Center advertised some gear as being in stock and then after the purchase, something magically happened to put me in the back of the line for a back ordered item.
Hey KDH can you do a vid on the scam ads on Facebook offering guitars for $69. Almost everyday I see someone post that they ordered from here and are hoping they got a deal
Where?
Reverb was a great company when it was owned by Chicago Music Exchange! Now that Etsy bought the company they are horrible. I could write pages of things this company has done to my friends and myself.I will list one! I bought a 1978 Tokai reborn Les Paul copy on reverb, Its was a nice guitar but after about 2 weeks decide to sell it. I put it back up on the company i bought it from REVERB, The next day i see they suspended my listing saying it volated trademark and i could not sell it through them! I emailed them that i bought the guitar through reverb and why cant i sell it through reverb? They never emailed me back after sending MANY emails! Please dont buy or sell through this company people. They have since closed my account!! Guess thats there go to when they dont want to answer you anymore
Dang man. I think I literally just had this happen to me. My item was sent to PR instead of VA. Just messaged the seller. Curious what they will respond with
Sadly, I think just like with TH-cam, the number crunching people figured out that limiting feedback is a net positive in the end. You're getting a worse experience, but, at least temporarily, TH-cam will get a boost in views (or rather, in ad views, because that's what actually matters), and Reverb will get a boost in sales.
Great post
Like deployed 👍
😎🎙🎸✅
Yep, this type of behaviour is widespread. I've had negative reviews rejected by food delivery services and electronics retailers. All my positive reviews have been accepted. I no longer bother responding to requests for reviews and also ignore 5 star average ratings.
Yea after this last guitar I'm gonna definitely make sure to inspect alot better.
"A few dings n dents"
Hairline crack you can see running along the bottom you can't see except in good light. Not a small one either it goes almost the length of the body only 100 bucks but still I paid for dings and dents not cracks.
Cool hoodie
Yes. They do that. I bought a pedal that never arrived. Seller did not refund. I left a 1 start feedback and they said I was doing fraud, LOL.