There should never be a ‘rare’ or high end guitar being sold by a person with no transaction history. I’ve turned down local offers in order to build my reputation on Reverb, so there’s definitely a way they could gatekeep better.
They are owned by Etsy now. Etsy has little to no interest in dealing with scams, laundering, counterfeits. It has become a huge problem on all their sites. I am not surprised it has reached reverb.
If you have a delivery scan on an item sent through the Postal Service, it can be tracked to the delivery point. The local Postmaster has GPS coordinates that they can access but customers cannot access the information. You must contact the local office to get the information to assist in filing for your claim. I know how this works, I’m a recently retired Postmaster.
I work at a fairly well-known guitar shop, and we (along with several others) have had our pics, listings, and descriptions copied verbatim and spoofed into multiple fake websites over the last few weeks. Bottom line: if the price looks too good to be true, it is!
The more horror stories like this I hear, the more convinced I am that the way to go is simply not buying used guitars online. Go to a store, try the instrument, then decide.
My favorite is when the Sold Listings show the scam listings for well below market as well, this can easily shift prices in the used market if enough listings are there at once.
I never buy anything not based in the USA. My only foreign purchase was a Duesenberg from a very reputable shop in Germany. I received the guitar in less than 24 hrs from Aschaffenburg......freaking amazing!
That's really odd. I communicated directly with the manager or maybe even part owner and received the guitar via DHS from Germany in under 24hr. I was astounded that happened. @@ledaswan5990
Purchased a Dusenberg from Spain that arrived in six weeks, damaged beyond repair. Luckily it was from a brick and mortar store over there and after ten days of chasing some Spaniard around I was able to get refunded and returned the 1/500 Joe Walsh models they had. Stay away from all International sellers and Reverb in general.
I almost got scammed by a buyer on Reverb. He "bought" the Soloist I was selling and cancelled the transaction. Luckily, I hadn't shipped it out yet. Then, he tried to report me to Reverb for being a scammer myself. They reviewed the listing and my messages with him prior to purchase and took my side. I found out about a week later that the "buyer" runs an eBay store and was only buying it to dox me because I left him honest feedback on an item. After that, I changed to selling in person in a public place.
I worked at a music store in the shipping dept and we were responsible for charging the customer's cards or collecting from PayPal. We got scammed once where someone used a hacked PayPal account to order a mid range acoustic guitar. We ended up having to pay the hacked person back the money AND we lost the guitar. Luckily it only happened that once, but that was like 8 or 9 years ago.
Ebay/paypal horror stories: I once listed a 1970s thunderbird (car; "As is" no warranty) for a friends small used dealership (in Wisconsin).Buyer is from Hawaii wins the bid; pays with a credit card through paypal ;we picked him up at the airport. he does the paperwork, drives off. (contacts us two weeks later from California complains the cars tires are worn and the car needs brake work; demands some money back.We sent him the "As is" paperwork he signed. He puts car on freighter for Hawaii and gets a charge back on his credit card. Paypal takes his(/our) money out of the dealers' account. Buyer now has the vehicle; the title AND %100 of his money back.Took months and a denied paypal claim to get the money back to my friends account. Screw paypal ,e-bay and the horse they rode in on...Never again.
Happening less, but as a seller there used to be a lot of “I am interested, or “my uncle is looking for this” with the “please contact me” at and either an e-mail or a phone number, to try to scam you off of Reverb. Reverb seemed to have put in a filter that flags these and blocks the person because the message will say “you cannot message this person”, though I still reported them anyway.
I got the "My uncle" one last time I sold something on Ebay. Just didn't feel right. I don't hardly list things on either platform, so it took me a second to think about it. Thankfully I just ignored them.
I had a Guild acoustic for sale on Reverb. A guy asked me to send his dad photos of the item. I couldn't respond to his message, but he gave me his dad's email address. Like a dummy, I sent the pics. Immediately, I got a long email response from "dad" saying pictures looked great, he's ready to purchase, will send me a cashier's check, needed some personal information from me, and will arrange for someone else to pick up. Lots of separate hands potentially involved in that transaction - and none of it through the Reverb process. I shut that down. Sketchy for sure.
@@Michael-Willoughby I've gotten those same "Dad" messages. I thought Reverb would be better at weeding them out. But I guess they can't stop them all..
I bought a $400 Squier Strat through the mail, and THAT direct from Fender. I would NEVER EVER buy an expensive, vintage guitar without touching it myself.
The same thing is happening on ebay. I was recently scammed for a Gibson Les Paul custom black beauty and am going through the process of trying to get a refund. The seller shipped the package to a different address in my city so it showed it as being delivered even though it was not delivered to my address. The post office looked into it and said the package details they were able to look up was that it was a small box and clearly not a guitar and they think it was a scam. However, I did not buy it from a country outside of the USA. This ebay seller is based in Colorado which is why I made the purchase.
I would add that anyone selling a Gibson must include a photo of the truss rod. One of the reasons I don’t buy used on Reverb is because when you return a guitar, you are not able to leave feedback. This gives sellers a limitless license to try to dump damaged inventory, hoping to find the buyer that won’t return the guitar. Of the 3 used guitars I’ve bought, two had to go back for significant undisclosed defects. Both were relisted before I even packed the return, with no mention of the problems I found.
If you pay 3'800 dollars for a guitar that has been intensely modified in every corners during her life because it's "collection"... you have a money spending problem. This is an old fart, half destroyed guitar with holes at every corner where they shouldn't belong.
Not just guitars, synth as well. I flagged two synth listings this week. In this case, there was unique woodgrain. Reverb did take the listings down very quickly. One was Switzerland and the other was Florida
I don’t know how big online guitar communities are, but on collector car sites, guys will often be asked to or offer to go look at cars for other guys across the country or around the world. And usually there will be a nominal payment offered for the time & trouble.
Reverb has been a complete shit show since it was sold. Customer service, gone. Fair rates, gone. Keeping blatantly devious and bad people at bay, gone. Protecting sellers, gone. Zero F’s to give. Sad times.
Thanks for the tips. We just need more local music shops so buyers can actually touch and see what they are getting...a dream I know but there has to be a way to set up "Guitar brokers" with scrupples?
Great buys are still to be had at thrift stores. You have to check regularily. You really can't buy a guitar online from a picture because you will get burned. If your looking for a vintage guitar I would only spend money at a reputable dealer.
Lately I've noticed that the fishy late night overseas Reverb listings go up already marked "In someone's cart!" but then hours later it's still there and still in a cart. Wouldn't put it past scammers to work multiple accounts to create urgency that overrides common sense.
Man it seems you can't trust anyone anymore. Ebay and now Reverb are full of scammers and I just had a terrible experience with GoodWill that just turned me off the site completely "lets just say they ruined a vintage jazzmaster". I would say don't buy anything unless you physically see it but I don't know anymore...
I have a beat-to-shyt 73 LP Custom BB FW. It has the embossed pup covers (which they did to early 73) along with an old repaired headstock break. The guitar has serious wear and tear, but the orig speed frets, which still has the nibs, have been well taken care of and the guitar plays amazing. This is truly a magical instrument, and like many old Customs, wakes up a few minutes after you start playing it to deliver 10-fold what you put into it. No other guitar I know of does this so this ones a keeper.
Reverb needs to have serial numbers logged with guitars . Even privately just to the website . Also passport proof or any accredited id system in each country .
This is an especially informative posting, Trogly! Personally, I only BUY on Reverb; and only do so (generally) if the seller is in the Continental U.S., has good feedback, posts photos with the serial # and verifies that in writing on Reverb Message, accepts AMEX payment, and ships UPS or FedEx. Haven't been burnt yet--although my volume is nowhere NEAR what you do! Plug for RUFUS in Vancouver, B.C. for playin' straight on my MIK Kramer Pacer LE!!
For the 2nd time a synth I've purchased on Reverb was within a few hours cancelled, and stated *I* requested a refund (when I didn't). The seller's account in both cases were disabled (assume by Reverb). Reviewing the listings later both were in Switzerland (I've bought from all over the world and never had an issue before) and both were PayPal only (but I paid via PayPal as a "guest" so I wasn't using a PayPal account).
I started shopping for a 1971 P-Bass the other day. Of course I checked Reverb first. found one for 500 dollars. I sighed, and closed the window, deciding on the spot that I am unwilling to take the time or put in the effort to weed out scams. I think I'm just done with reverb for good.
Hey Trog... A few years back, I had a guy pull a "reverse scam" on me. I had a 62' SG reissue on Reverb. Listed at $1,100, he offered me $950 with shipping. I agreed. Got payment and sent guitar out. 4-5 days later, I got a nasty email claiming there were issues and damage to the guitar. I had just had a fresh setup and new strings done before listing, so I knew it was just right. He said I could either discount the guitar buy $300 and he'd keep it, or he would lodge a complaint with Ebay and post negative reviews to my 100% rating. I ended up giving the discount and put the issue to bed. Out of curiosity, I kept an eye on the guy. *2 months later, he had my guitar up for sale! $1,500 and claiming the guitar was perfect and he was the original owner! This guy was on the other side of the USA and not a local sale. Watch out for buyers, trying to hold you hostage for your rating or reputation.
Thanks for looking out and sharing what you've learned about this stuff, Austin. I buy/sell on Reverb often, although not in the thousand dollar range just yet, and I definitely feel a little better equipped to root out scams with what you have said in the past and just now. I hope they do put in better safe guards. It will only encourage people to feel more comfortable making high end purchases!
I got scammed out of a RAT pedal because the seller sent it to an address in the US when in fact the delivery address was in the UK. I've been on Reverb chat 4 times and after about 15 minutes each time I'm told a specialist will email me within 48 hours. The email never came each day I went on the chat for an update. Over a week now and nothing. BEWARE!
Just one more reason to deal locally, and in person, when ever buying, or selling, used instruments. It is always better, even if you have to run ads, and wait a while, to find what you are looking to buy.
I search eBay for Japanese Epiphones and I’ll see the same exact guitar pic on like 5 different auctions. I messaged one of the sellers to ask why and I got a nonsensical reply. What is the scam?
I never buy anything from a different country. I was paranoid as hell when I bought my 1961 jr off of reverb. I messaged the seller multiple times and it all turned out good. Always be cautious people. I'm sorry you got had man.
A friend of mine tried to sell something on Reverb and they asked for banking info, including his account password in order to post a sale. Is that standard practice for Reverb?
I know that Ebony 72! That guitar came through a shop I was working at a handful of years ago for a cleanup and strings. It was certainly a mishmash of mods, but it did play surprisingly well! And the lady that owned it had a really great story!
I've bought two pieces of gear from Reverb, a Schecter guitar and a Blackstar tube amp. Both arrived as advertised but then again, I purchased from retail outlets with a large amount of positive reviews (and verified that said retail outlet existed) instead of some Joe Schmoe.
Many of the red flags can be seen a mile away but when you're caught up in the moment of buying something it becomes way more difficult to spot them. Just take a moment to think things through and don't access links outside of Reverb. I almost got tricked for $700 a while back and managed to figure out the scam at the last moment.
Well its good for local physical music stores at least. I'm scared to buy microphones and the like on reverb, amazon or even market place. There's so much counterfeit stuff now.
Excellent vid. Very helpful! I wish I saw this last week when this happened to me! I "bought" a 1968 Gibson ES-335 on Reverb from a first-time seller in Switzerland. The good price and lack of reviews were indeed red flags, but what got me was the excellent detail in the photos and the corroboration of very specific details pertaining to the guitar's provenance in the description. An hour after the sale I ran a search for 1968 Gibson ES-335s and found the exact same listing for sale from another seller (also in Switzerland), which I promptly flagged. Half an hour later, it was for sale yet again; this time from a seller in Japan. Since then, I have been seeing these scam postings EVERYWHERE in Reverb.
I have to say, I've never done business on Reverb and when I see video like this it sours my inclination of ever doing business on Reverb. Thanks for the tips to protect myself but I remember a car ad that went: "The best way of not getting hurt in an accident is not to get in one in the first place".
Yes, same. Never used Reverb so far. Bought a few things on eBay but all went smoothly, yet still prefer the meet in person hand over cash/instrument in public place option. Reverb is such a great idea and marketplace, but it needs to up its game as there were two sales they lost from Trogly in this one video alone. I've been scammed before on a cheap guitar pedal - so no biggy - but people I know have been scammed even worse for thousands. Only thing that makes any market work is trust and confidence, and right now the online marketplace for high value goods like guitars has neither. It's got to improve :)
"...adding more support isn't necessarily within their budget." Ok let's see about that. As of 2019 Reverb is owned by publicly traded Etsy, which had approx $2.6 Billion in revenue in 2022 with a net of approx $700 Million. Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, apparently took home approx $16 Million in total compensation in 2022. So I wonder if the Reverb security budget could have a little more resources, but then I'm not paid the big bucks to decide.
Reverb could definitely either use a third party verification system (i.e they don't have to store any info on their servers) or utilise some photo matching tech on their newly submitted listings to at least check against their old listings and demand genuine re-sellers of old listings use their own photos. Easy stuff to implement these days! In the meantime there's always the one golden rule - If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Always worth doing a Google image search which will at least give you the heads up that something is a bit "off" when you invariably find the original listing at twice the price. Great vid Trog!
Hey I have a question for you. I use to own a Gibson Les Paul Custom that I sold in the early 90's. I've never known what year it was but it only had 5 numbers on the serial number. The first number was a 5 and the fifth number was a 3. The guitar was really old and had the ebony fretboard, The wiring was original and had the cloth wiring, but everything else was replaced. Brass bridge saddles, bone nut and the old original Grovers with recess letters on the them. The guitar was Red Wine. Would that have been an actual 53? or when did they first make the Red Wine, Les Paul. Customs? Also would love to know what you would think that guitar would be worth today? Thanks, Peace.. Joe
Etsy is doing the same thing. I ordered something from Turkey, showed up in customs in NY. He said it looks like it was delivered to an address in Brooklyn. I contacted the USPS, they too said it had reached its final destination and was marked delivered. The USPS was able to verify that It wasn’t even addressed to me. Etsy refunded me quickly.
And this is exactly why I will not shop for a guitar online, unless it's, trogly. Only person I'll deal with once I can. That's all I say. Only person I will ever trust. If I buy a guitar. I gotta see it in person first
@@CatBlackGuitars exaclty. Always been local shop's for me, except for my last 2 I got off of Sweetwater. 1st 2 I've been the only owner of off. Never got a new guitar. Always bought used stuff and made it my own
I get the sentiment, but I also think complete self-prohibition on online used purchases is really limiting and isn't necessary. I have done literally hundreds of transactions and ran into only a handful of issues in the last 5 years (and no actual scams, though I'm pretty careful). IMO if you ask a lot of questions, you can find out pretty quickly who you're dealing with, and if you stick to people with a clear feedback profile you can do enough research to feel good about your purchase. As Trogly mentions, it's better to stick to Reverb payments (they'll have your back as a buyer).
What if you sell an authentic guitar a buyer buys it and receives it, swaps out parts and sends it back? Does that happen? I haven't sold on there because of that.
I feel that you should send this episode to Scammer Payback. He's gone as far as getting scammer offices shut down overseas. Just a thought. Loved the B Roll footage of those great guitars. I really dig that Special with the blue overspray.
Years ago, Trade Tang from China advertised American made guitars using photos pirated from e-bay. Attractive pricing enticed unsuspecting buyers (don't ask how I know) then once payment was made, they send you a Chinese cheap substitute - not the guitar shown in the photo. They advertise returns and you soon learn that you have to pay shipping easily exceeding the original price you paid for the guitar.
Yeah, bought used Epiphone Gibson Inspired Hummingbird from Reverb, claimed no scratches or problems. Body bowed at the bridge, a lot of people may have missed it , especially a first time buyer, straight edge showed 1/4 from flat, yes some bow but not 1/4 inch, it went back.
Thanks for the warnings! I’ve been fairly lucky through five transactions. I’ll be more careful in the future. I usually have a message exchange to get a sense of the seller. The last time, I didn’t hear back in a day, so I just put in a very low ball offer (to open a conversation) and it was accepted. But … the description of this classical did mention a “small crack” that had been repaired. It wasn’t pictured (although I mistakenly thought I saw it) and it turned out to be 3” on the edge of the lower bout and patched underneath. Fortunately, in that location it doesn’t noticeably affect the sound quality, but it definitely affects the overall value. In the end, because of my low offer, it was a good deal because it is a gorgeously rich sounding flamenco model, handmade by one of Granada’s top luthiers, whose other guitars on Reverb go for roughly twice as much.
Good idea with getting them to add something to the photo. Might be worth getting them to tuck it under the strings as well as that would be very hard to photoshop!
I just got screwed won’t the 7 day thing myself. On a cassette deck. Listed as very good condition. Arrived non functioning. Was too busy to look at it within a week. I didn’t know there was a 7 day clause.
Who gives a rat's butt about idiots paying 5 times, 10 times and up for anything like 'collectible' guitars? Why don't they do arbitrage in the stock market? That's what happens when one sells anything priced so far above it's actual value. Caveat Emptor 😮
Wanted a guitar on Reverb and it was an ok price. About $100 over what id want to pay. It was pick up only off of Broadway in NYC. Had friends there look for the music "store". No luck. I kept emailing the guy stating i have a visual on the address and dont see his business. Asked him if it was in a suite and/or if he was an actual store or a side hustle. No strait answer. So, scam in country...beware.
Sounds like a deposit scam pay d posit via PayPal they refund it and ask you to pay via friends and family to avoid fees most people presume it's not a scam as they just had your money and refunded it to you
My very first transaction on Reverb was a scam (counterfeit Tokai in Canada, I got full refund) so I've ALWAYS been leary of Reverb. Honestly their payment processing fees are a rip.
I notice these fake listing starting in September of 2021. 2 years later they have only gotten more prevalent. I literally go through the recently listed just to report these fake listings. But they have gotten very out of control.
Yeah, it’s frustrating to be a hobbyist in the internet age, particularly when it involves vintage items. People exploit everything for maximum profit.
I was nearly scammed, but my heightened sense of paranoia made me question the transaction just after making it - I was able to shut it down with Reverb and PayPal before it completed. Now, I see these types of ads all the time and report them. I just saw one today that said it was from Milwaukee, WI but shipping from Sweden! No ratings is a tip off as is the ridiculously low price. Report early, report often.
yep. The ONE time I bought a guitar on Reverb, it had a major catastrophic issue that was not obvious. Took me a few months to notice it, which was too late. Scammers.
Ha nice! That flame top flying V is being sold by the guitar shop I used to work at in Missouri. Earnie Williamson Music. They are a great shop (they have a couple locations now). That was fun to see on here.
I stop buying from reverb because of the taxes, which put the prices close to what the items is worth. (Price, shipping taxes) rather market place or local pawnshops.
This is good information to know. I found a guitar I wanted Friday (07/28/23). My left handed Kenny Hickey C-1. I made an offer through Reverb; they had asked me to contact them so we could work out a better deal. Yes I did pay less and skipped all the extra pricing that they have to pay through Reverb. I only paid the cost of it plus their state tax or what ever. Which is still less than the cost asked on Reverb. I have a tracking number, but it has not moved yet as of Saturday (coming UPS to Kansas). So only time will tell if I get it and it is not broke or all F'ed up. Love your channel.
Pretty sure I just fell for this. Except it was a Roland TR-909. About half the going rate, but still expensive. Shipping from “Switzerland” and by the looks of it some non-existent locality. Already paid but gonna get out of it asap.
The only times I have bought on Reverb, I have done so for local pickup only and met them in either a music shop (so I could plug it in and sound check it) or in a police station parking lot (where videocams capture the entire transaction). It keeps the scammers few and sincere.
I was scammed and lost almost a 1000$ when I purchased a stratocaster off eBay. They did the shipping package to another address trick, and eBay sided with them... nothing I could say or do, and believe me, I said a lot. It's a deep cut because not only did I lose the money, but I also was so excited for the guitar to come in and then was let down so hard by the outcome. It makes me a little sick to think about it now. Money is just that, but I'm a father of 3 divorced, and I never buy myself anything, so that hurt. Anyway, I thought I'd share the story since it related. Be safe guys and play on!
Its getting way worse even as a seller too. Recently on Reverb I had a guy with no feedback send a fair offer and I accepted once. He never paid so I promptly relisted after a few hours. Messages me again and says he's trying to figure out the Affirm payments, said Reverb is not letting him get the right financing he wants. I accepted his offer a 2nd time as he said he'd get it done, again no payment. RIGHT AFTER I denied his order and relisted, I got another offer with another account with no feedback almost immediately. Just denied and sold the guitar locally. I've dealt hundreds of orders on Reverb but they are definitely losing control here. Just glad I didn't desperately try to work with these mystery accounts with no history or feedback. The first seller didn't have great conversation but he spoke in clear enough English, so I thought it may be real. Not convinced by any means now all said and done.
Also good to know that experienced sellers like to" get the deals" from new sellers. In other words, watch out for scammers and experienced sellers with no ethics.
I have listed several guitars in the past few years on Kijji and within minutes of the listing being posted I get contacted by someone asking if the guitar is still available and how they are working out of town and will have their mother or friend come and pick it up but the will pay using some money transfer services
Thank you! I have a question. Yesterday I saw a Gibson Les Paul price dropped from 3600 to 12 dollar or so plus shipping, the seller had decent reviews I thought I should take a look send a seller a message wassup with that price or so, but in a second it was sold. Then I saw another seller today as well selling a Santa Cruz 7 strings baritone price dropped from 8600 to 6 USD. I thought I buy it why not let's see what happens. I paid it and then the seller apologized he mixed up the price he had to cancel it. I said ok! I paid with PayPal but the refund money came back immediately. Do you think it was any kind of scam or just a coincidence two people genuinely messed up the price? I thought also somebody hacked a normal listing and dropped the price but still dunno why. Makes no sense. What do you think? Also as far as I understand it is better to pay with card? In my country I cannot use reverb payment so maybe PayPal is still better? Confusing.
Aren't there any alternatives to Reverb, where you dont buy from a private person but from like a company that tests and check the guitar before selling them?
Never ever give anyone a two factor auth code folks. No matter who or what they claim to be. EVER!
I think the message with the code say not to share it with anyone. It’s the keys to the castle
A confidence game at its finest. I’m trusting you so much that I’LL give to YOU, all the info you need to steal from me.
I fell for this once, I then had to get another person’s phone number to then break away a rogue Google Voice account the scammer created.
Especially you’re embittered passive aggressive wife…
Crazy the dome folks don't know that
Scammers ruin EVERYTHING!
Some people scam for subscribers, like some of these 'reviews' right here on YT.
Reverb needs to implement a security check on all buyers and sellers to verify and weed out scammers.
There should never be a ‘rare’ or high end guitar being sold by a person with no transaction history. I’ve turned down local offers in order to build my reputation on Reverb, so there’s definitely a way they could gatekeep better.
It would be continual, some sort of ongoing process or protocol.
They are owned by Etsy now. Etsy has little to no interest in dealing with scams, laundering, counterfeits. It has become a huge problem on all their sites. I am not surprised it has reached reverb.
@@corail53 It has. I'd say about 10-20% of stuff that I am seeing on my feed/newly listed for me are scams.
Chibson pushers everywhere
If you have a delivery scan on an item sent through the Postal Service, it can be tracked to the delivery point. The local Postmaster has GPS coordinates that they can access but customers cannot access the information. You must contact the local office to get the information to assist in filing for your claim. I know how this works, I’m a recently retired Postmaster.
That might work if you have a decent local post office. The post office in my city is run by incompetents.
In general the USPS is great
@@steveparish9210 lol. Sure
@@steveparish9210 Great at drop kicking parcels.
@smelltheglove2038 so is mine.
I work at a fairly well-known guitar shop, and we (along with several others) have had our pics, listings, and descriptions copied verbatim and spoofed into multiple fake websites over the last few weeks. Bottom line: if the price looks too good to be true, it is!
Yeah I agree . . . I am sorry but when you see anything priced far far lower than it should be you should know better
The more horror stories like this I hear, the more convinced I am that the way to go is simply not buying used guitars online. Go to a store, try the instrument, then decide.
Yeah but not at all realistic for most of America. I only order stuff within The US. If it ain't here it ain't mean't to be.
Yes, 100%
Not just that, but the prices are way too high on reverb...
I’ve had trouble on reverb just trying to buy stuff. It doesn’t seem safe to buy from them
And that's how fox news fear mongers trump supporters. "The internet told me to be scared so now I am!"
My favorite is when the Sold Listings show the scam listings for well below market as well, this can easily shift prices in the used market if enough listings are there at once.
Great point.
I never buy anything not based in the USA. My only foreign purchase was a Duesenberg from a very reputable shop in Germany. I received the guitar in less than 24 hrs from Aschaffenburg......freaking amazing!
I tried to buy a Duesenberg from that place. I waited months and it never came. Fortunately after much work I got my money back.
What shop?
That's really odd. I communicated directly with the manager or maybe even part owner and received the guitar via DHS from Germany in under 24hr. I was astounded that happened. @@ledaswan5990
It's called the Guitar-Place in Aschaffenburg, Germany. They are a Duesenberg dealer. They carry all the models@@vgs44
Purchased a Dusenberg from Spain that arrived in six weeks, damaged beyond repair. Luckily it was from a brick and mortar store over there and after ten days of chasing some Spaniard around I was able to get refunded and returned the 1/500 Joe Walsh models they had. Stay away from all International sellers and Reverb in general.
I almost got scammed by a buyer on Reverb. He "bought" the Soloist I was selling and cancelled the transaction. Luckily, I hadn't shipped it out yet. Then, he tried to report me to Reverb for being a scammer myself. They reviewed the listing and my messages with him prior to purchase and took my side. I found out about a week later that the "buyer" runs an eBay store and was only buying it to dox me because I left him honest feedback on an item. After that, I changed to selling in person in a public place.
My gosh, the internet really has revealed the amount of outright sickos there are out there
How in the hell did you ever contact them. They seem impossible to reach.
@ they have an email address you can contact them through.
Thanks for the great security tip! Sucks that musicians are getting scammed, too.
Thank you for watching, Fred
Even more: there are fake (rare) pickups out there. I didn't know about that. It may be uneasy to spot a fake pickup.
I worked at a music store in the shipping dept and we were responsible for charging the customer's cards or collecting from PayPal. We got scammed once where someone used a hacked PayPal account to order a mid range acoustic guitar. We ended up having to pay the hacked person back the money AND we lost the guitar. Luckily it only happened that once, but that was like 8 or 9 years ago.
Ebay/paypal horror stories: I once listed a 1970s thunderbird (car; "As is" no warranty) for a friends small used dealership (in Wisconsin).Buyer is from Hawaii wins the bid; pays with a credit card through paypal ;we picked him up at the airport. he does the paperwork, drives off. (contacts us two weeks later from California complains the cars tires are worn and the car needs brake work; demands some money back.We sent him the "As is" paperwork he signed. He puts car on freighter for Hawaii and gets a charge back on his credit card. Paypal takes his(/our) money out of the dealers' account. Buyer now has the vehicle; the title AND %100 of his money back.Took months and a denied paypal claim to get the money back to my friends account. Screw paypal ,e-bay and the horse they rode in on...Never again.
Happening less, but as a seller there used to be a lot of “I am interested, or “my uncle is looking for this” with the “please contact me” at and either an e-mail or a phone number, to try to scam you off of Reverb.
Reverb seemed to have put in a filter that flags these and blocks the person because the message will say “you cannot message this person”, though I still reported them anyway.
I think the scammer deactivates their account so your only option to continue to talk with them is on the phone
I got the "My uncle" one last time I sold something on Ebay. Just didn't feel right. I don't hardly list things on either platform, so it took me a second to think about it. Thankfully I just ignored them.
Two of my last three Reverb sales had suspicious buyers sending me sketchy messages. 😒
I had a Guild acoustic for sale on Reverb. A guy asked me to send his dad photos of the item. I couldn't respond to his message, but he gave me his dad's email address. Like a dummy, I sent the pics. Immediately, I got a long email response from "dad" saying pictures looked great, he's ready to purchase, will send me a cashier's check, needed some personal information from me, and will arrange for someone else to pick up. Lots of separate hands potentially involved in that transaction - and none of it through the Reverb process. I shut that down. Sketchy for sure.
@@Michael-Willoughby I've gotten those same "Dad" messages. I thought Reverb would be better at weeding them out. But I guess they can't stop them all..
I once reported a fake boutique pedal that was listed there, I was completely ignored & the listing wasn't taken down.
don't waste your time.
I bought a $400 Squier Strat through the mail, and THAT direct from Fender. I would NEVER EVER buy an expensive, vintage guitar without touching it myself.
The same thing is happening on ebay. I was recently scammed for a Gibson Les Paul custom black beauty and am going through the process of trying to get a refund. The seller shipped the package to a different address in my city so it showed it as being delivered even though it was not delivered to my address. The post office looked into it and said the package details they were able to look up was that it was a small box and clearly not a guitar and they think it was a scam. However, I did not buy it from a country outside of the USA. This ebay seller is based in Colorado which is why I made the purchase.
They’re absolutely utter scum! Great video and the ultimate respect for passing on this information.
I would add that anyone selling a Gibson must include a photo of the truss rod. One of the reasons I don’t buy used on Reverb is because when you return a guitar, you are not able to leave feedback. This gives sellers a limitless license to try to dump damaged inventory, hoping to find the buyer that won’t return the guitar. Of the 3 used guitars I’ve bought, two had to go back for significant undisclosed defects. Both were relisted before I even packed the return, with no mention of the problems I found.
If you pay 3'800 dollars for a guitar that has been intensely modified in every corners during her life because it's "collection"... you have a money spending problem.
This is an old fart, half destroyed guitar with holes at every corner where they shouldn't belong.
Do you speak English as a Second Language? (ESL?) Consider having an interpreter write your responses.
Not just guitars, synth as well. I flagged two synth listings this week. In this case, there was unique woodgrain. Reverb did take the listings down very quickly. One was Switzerland and the other was Florida
If Reverb don’t figure this out and end it, their platform won’t last.
Their customer service is dreadful and when you get scammed they give you the cold shoulder.
@@HaroldMaude What customer service? They are impossible to contact?
I don’t know how big online guitar communities are, but on collector car sites, guys will often be asked to or offer to go look at cars for other guys across the country or around the world. And usually there will be a nominal payment offered for the time & trouble.
Kinda makes long for the old days when you get your friends and drive to the city to visit guitar stores. Ancient history, I know.
Reverb has been a complete shit show since it was sold. Customer service, gone. Fair rates, gone. Keeping blatantly devious and bad people at bay, gone. Protecting sellers, gone. Zero F’s to give. Sad times.
Thanks for the tips. We just need more local music shops so buyers can actually touch and see what they are getting...a dream I know but there has to be a way to set up "Guitar brokers" with scrupples?
Great buys are still to be had at thrift stores. You have to check regularily. You really can't buy a guitar online from a picture because you will get burned. If your looking for a vintage guitar I would only spend money at a reputable dealer.
Lately I've noticed that the fishy late night overseas Reverb listings go up already marked "In someone's cart!" but then hours later it's still there and still in a cart.
Wouldn't put it past scammers to work multiple accounts to create urgency that overrides common sense.
Man it seems you can't trust anyone anymore. Ebay and now Reverb are full of scammers and I just had a terrible experience with GoodWill that just turned me off the site completely "lets just say they ruined a vintage jazzmaster". I would say don't buy anything unless you physically see it but I don't know anymore...
I have a beat-to-shyt 73 LP Custom BB FW. It has the embossed pup covers (which they did to early 73) along with an old repaired headstock break. The guitar has serious wear and tear, but the orig speed frets, which still has the nibs, have been well taken care of and the guitar plays amazing. This is truly a magical instrument, and like many old Customs, wakes up a few minutes after you start playing it to deliver 10-fold what you put into it. No other guitar I know of does this so this ones a keeper.
Reverb needs to have serial numbers logged with guitars . Even privately just to the website . Also passport proof or any accredited id system in each country .
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Is there anything that Sweetwater is doing differently with their used marketplace?
This is an especially informative posting, Trogly! Personally, I only BUY on Reverb; and only do so (generally) if the seller is in the Continental U.S., has good feedback, posts photos with the serial # and verifies that in writing on Reverb Message, accepts AMEX payment, and ships UPS or FedEx. Haven't been burnt yet--although my volume is nowhere NEAR what you do! Plug for RUFUS in Vancouver, B.C. for playin' straight on my MIK Kramer Pacer LE!!
For the 2nd time a synth I've purchased on Reverb was within a few hours cancelled, and stated *I* requested a refund (when I didn't). The seller's account in both cases were disabled (assume by Reverb). Reviewing the listings later both were in Switzerland (I've bought from all over the world and never had an issue before) and both were PayPal only (but I paid via PayPal as a "guest" so I wasn't using a PayPal account).
I started shopping for a 1971 P-Bass the other day. Of course I checked Reverb first. found one for 500 dollars. I sighed, and closed the window, deciding on the spot that I am unwilling to take the time or put in the effort to weed out scams. I think I'm just done with reverb for good.
Ask for a picture with a newspaper in it to be added to the listing
Hey Trog...
A few years back, I had a guy pull a "reverse scam" on me. I had a 62' SG reissue on Reverb. Listed at $1,100, he offered me $950 with shipping. I agreed. Got payment and sent guitar out. 4-5 days later, I got a nasty email claiming there were issues and damage to the guitar. I had just had a fresh setup and new strings done before listing, so I knew it was just right.
He said I could either discount the guitar buy $300 and he'd keep it, or he would lodge a complaint with Ebay and post negative reviews to my 100% rating.
I ended up giving the discount and put the issue to bed. Out of curiosity, I kept an eye on the guy.
*2 months later, he had my guitar up for sale! $1,500 and claiming the guitar was perfect and he was the original owner!
This guy was on the other side of the USA and not a local sale. Watch out for buyers, trying to hold you hostage for your rating or reputation.
I had the same problem with an epi firebird i sold. I told the guy, go ahead report me.
Thanks for looking out and sharing what you've learned about this stuff, Austin. I buy/sell on Reverb often, although not in the thousand dollar range just yet, and I definitely feel a little better equipped to root out scams with what you have said in the past and just now. I hope they do put in better safe guards. It will only encourage people to feel more comfortable making high end purchases!
I got scammed out of a RAT pedal because the seller sent it to an address in the US when in fact the delivery address was in the UK. I've been on Reverb chat 4 times and after about 15 minutes each time I'm told a specialist will email me within 48 hours. The email never came each day I went on the chat for an update. Over a week now and nothing. BEWARE!
Just one more reason to deal locally, and in person, when ever buying, or selling, used instruments. It is always better, even if you have to run ads, and wait a while, to find what you are looking to buy.
Tip: only buy from sellers that have been selling for at least a year and have lots of positive reviews and feedback.
That can be faked too selling picks to other accounts
I search eBay for Japanese Epiphones and I’ll see the same exact guitar pic on like 5 different auctions. I messaged one of the sellers to ask why and I got a nonsensical reply. What is the scam?
Thanks for the heads up! I’m leaning towards using Sweetwater over Reverb for just this reason.
It's been taken over by Chibson peddlers
I've had good luck with Reverb, but I only buy from reputable sellers with lots of positive feedback.
Scams are out of control on Reverb….scroll down down on listing and click on “report listings”
Scary world we live in today and on top of it all the scammer/opportunists out there. Thanks for what to watch out for Trogly 👍
I never buy anything from a different country. I was paranoid as hell when I bought my 1961 jr off of reverb. I messaged the seller multiple times and it all turned out good. Always be cautious people. I'm sorry you got had man.
A friend of mine tried to sell something on Reverb and they asked for banking info, including his account password in order to post a sale. Is that standard practice for Reverb?
I know that Ebony 72! That guitar came through a shop I was working at a handful of years ago for a cleanup and strings. It was certainly a mishmash of mods, but it did play surprisingly well! And the lady that owned it had a really great story!
I've bought two pieces of gear from Reverb, a Schecter guitar and a Blackstar tube amp. Both arrived as advertised but then again, I purchased from retail outlets with a large amount of positive reviews (and verified that said retail outlet existed) instead of some Joe Schmoe.
Many of the red flags can be seen a mile away but when you're caught up in the moment of buying something it becomes way more difficult to spot them. Just take a moment to think things through and don't access links outside of Reverb. I almost got tricked for $700 a while back and managed to figure out the scam at the last moment.
Well its good for local physical music stores at least. I'm scared to buy microphones and the like on reverb, amazon or even market place. There's so much counterfeit stuff now.
I tried reporting a bad listing to Reverb but it’s still there. You clearly see 2 different necks but apparently they deemed it legit.
@@michaelpacinus242 I don’t need glasses to see a hole for a truss rod
Excellent vid. Very helpful! I wish I saw this last week when this happened to me! I "bought" a 1968 Gibson ES-335 on Reverb from a first-time seller in Switzerland. The good price and lack of reviews were indeed red flags, but what got me was the excellent detail in the photos and the corroboration of very specific details pertaining to the guitar's provenance in the description. An hour after the sale I ran a search for 1968 Gibson ES-335s and found the exact same listing for sale from another seller (also in Switzerland), which I promptly flagged. Half an hour later, it was for sale yet again; this time from a seller in Japan. Since then, I have been seeing these scam postings EVERYWHERE in Reverb.
I have to say, I've never done business on Reverb and when I see video like this it sours my inclination of ever doing business on Reverb. Thanks for the tips to protect myself but I remember a car ad that went: "The best way of not getting hurt in an accident is not to get in one in the first place".
Yes, same. Never used Reverb so far. Bought a few things on eBay but all went smoothly, yet still prefer the meet in person hand over cash/instrument in public place option. Reverb is such a great idea and marketplace, but it needs to up its game as there were two sales they lost from Trogly in this one video alone. I've been scammed before on a cheap guitar pedal - so no biggy - but people I know have been scammed even worse for thousands. Only thing that makes any market work is trust and confidence, and right now the online marketplace for high value goods like guitars has neither. It's got to improve :)
I've bought a couple guitars from reputable sellers on Reverb and am extremely satisfied.
"...adding more support isn't necessarily within their budget." Ok let's see about that. As of 2019 Reverb is owned by publicly traded Etsy, which had approx $2.6 Billion in revenue in 2022 with a net of approx $700 Million. Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, apparently took home approx $16 Million in total compensation in 2022. So I wonder if the Reverb security budget could have a little more resources, but then I'm not paid the big bucks to decide.
Reverb could definitely either use a third party verification system (i.e they don't have to store any info on their servers) or utilise some photo matching tech on their newly submitted listings to at least check against their old listings and demand genuine re-sellers of old listings use their own photos. Easy stuff to implement these days! In the meantime there's always the one golden rule - If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Always worth doing a Google image search which will at least give you the heads up that something is a bit "off" when you invariably find the original listing at twice the price. Great vid Trog!
Hey I have a question for you. I use to own a Gibson Les Paul Custom that I sold in the early 90's. I've never known what year it was but it only had 5 numbers on the serial number. The first number was a 5 and the fifth number was a 3. The guitar was really old and had the ebony fretboard, The wiring was original and had the cloth wiring, but everything else was replaced. Brass bridge saddles, bone nut and the old original Grovers with recess letters on the them.
The guitar was Red Wine. Would that have been an actual 53? or when did they first make the Red Wine, Les Paul. Customs? Also would love to know what you would think that guitar would be worth today? Thanks, Peace.. Joe
Great PSA Trogly! More "Loyal Viewer Hours" content please!!!
Etsy is doing the same thing. I ordered something from Turkey, showed up in customs in NY. He said it looks like it was delivered to an address in Brooklyn. I contacted the USPS, they too said it had reached its final destination and was marked delivered. The USPS was able to verify that It wasn’t even addressed to me.
Etsy refunded me quickly.
And this is exactly why I will not shop for a guitar online, unless it's, trogly. Only person I'll deal with once I can. That's all I say. Only person I will ever trust. If I buy a guitar. I gotta see it in person first
@@CatBlackGuitars exaclty. Always been local shop's for me, except for my last 2 I got off of Sweetwater. 1st 2 I've been the only owner of off. Never got a new guitar. Always bought used stuff and made it my own
I get the sentiment, but I also think complete self-prohibition on online used purchases is really limiting and isn't necessary. I have done literally hundreds of transactions and ran into only a handful of issues in the last 5 years (and no actual scams, though I'm pretty careful). IMO if you ask a lot of questions, you can find out pretty quickly who you're dealing with, and if you stick to people with a clear feedback profile you can do enough research to feel good about your purchase. As Trogly mentions, it's better to stick to Reverb payments (they'll have your back as a buyer).
What if you sell an authentic guitar a buyer buys it and receives it, swaps out parts and sends it back? Does that happen? I haven't sold on there because of that.
That why I got mine from you. Thanks again! Love the show ,and yes the scammer are out there.
Thank you Trogley. A reminder is always appriciated. Learning is good too. Thank you.
Guitars that should never have left the factory have been my problem, but since I've auctioned my collection I'm Free!
What's a 1969 Fender Jazz brown color worth? Like general I haven't found any with this color.
I feel that you should send this episode to Scammer Payback. He's gone as far as getting scammer offices shut down overseas.
Just a thought. Loved the B Roll footage of those great guitars. I really dig that Special with the blue overspray.
The red Firebird is also beautiful!
Years ago, Trade Tang from China advertised American made guitars using photos pirated from e-bay. Attractive pricing enticed unsuspecting buyers (don't ask how I know) then once payment was made, they send you a Chinese cheap substitute - not the guitar shown in the photo. They advertise returns and you soon learn that you have to pay shipping easily exceeding the original price you paid for the guitar.
...and I am 100% against providing my ID to anyone online...
I bought an “unplayed” guitar from lovies through reverb. NONE of the pictures were of the guitar I got
Yeah, bought used Epiphone Gibson Inspired Hummingbird from Reverb, claimed no scratches or problems. Body bowed at the bridge, a lot of people may have missed it , especially a first time buyer, straight edge showed 1/4 from flat, yes some bow but not 1/4 inch, it went back.
Thanks for the warnings! I’ve been fairly lucky through five transactions. I’ll be more careful in the future. I usually have a message exchange to get a sense of the seller. The last time, I didn’t hear back in a day, so I just put in a very low ball offer (to open a conversation) and it was accepted. But … the description of this classical did mention a “small crack” that had been repaired. It wasn’t pictured (although I mistakenly thought I saw it) and it turned out to be 3” on the edge of the lower bout and patched underneath. Fortunately, in that location it doesn’t noticeably affect the sound quality, but it definitely affects the overall value. In the end, because of my low offer, it was a good deal because it is a gorgeously rich sounding flamenco model, handmade by one of Granada’s top luthiers, whose other guitars on Reverb go for roughly twice as much.
In the uk, the post office provides times and gps coordinates. Most couriers use a photo of the package on your doorstep
Good idea with getting them to add something to the photo. Might be worth getting them to tuck it under the strings as well as that would be very hard to photoshop!
I just got screwed won’t the 7 day thing myself. On a cassette deck. Listed as very good condition. Arrived non functioning. Was too busy to look at it within a week. I didn’t know there was a 7 day clause.
Who gives a rat's butt about idiots paying 5 times, 10 times and up for anything like 'collectible' guitars? Why don't they do arbitrage in the stock market? That's what happens when one sells anything priced so far above it's actual value. Caveat Emptor 😮
Wanted a guitar on Reverb and it was an ok price. About $100 over what id want to pay. It was pick up only off of Broadway in NYC. Had friends there look for the music "store". No luck. I kept emailing the guy stating i have a visual on the address and dont see his business. Asked him if it was in a suite and/or if he was an actual store or a side hustle. No strait answer. So, scam in country...beware.
Sounds like a deposit scam pay d posit via PayPal they refund it and ask you to pay via friends and family to avoid fees most people presume it's not a scam as they just had your money and refunded it to you
My very first transaction on Reverb was a scam (counterfeit Tokai in Canada, I got full refund) so I've ALWAYS been leary of Reverb. Honestly their payment processing fees are a rip.
Unfortunately, you just can't trust anyone, anywhere.
I notice these fake listing starting in September of 2021. 2 years later they have only gotten more prevalent. I literally go through the recently listed just to report these fake listings. But they have gotten very out of control.
Watch out guys also hello
Greetings Random
I have bought 100's of items off of Reverb, never had an issue. Then again, I don't buy 20,000 dollar guitars and use reputable dealers
reverb is the worst thing thats ever happened to the guitar community
Yeah, it’s frustrating to be a hobbyist in the internet age, particularly when it involves vintage items. People exploit everything for maximum profit.
I was nearly scammed, but my heightened sense of paranoia made me question the transaction just after making it - I was able to shut it down with Reverb and PayPal before it completed. Now, I see these types of ads all the time and report them. I just saw one today that said it was from Milwaukee, WI but shipping from Sweden! No ratings is a tip off as is the ridiculously low price. Report early, report often.
Z is for late.
Cheers Sgt!😃
🧇🧇
yep. The ONE time I bought a guitar on Reverb, it had a major catastrophic issue that was not obvious. Took me a few months to notice it, which was too late. Scammers.
✌️
Peace Peace Hector
@@sgt.grinch3299 ✌️
I have quite a few guitars, and I have purchased several through Reverb and eBay, but I would never buy a guitar from an overseas seller.
So what should I take away from this? Is it that if i purchase a guitar from Reverb, I should only do it if the seller accepts payment through Reverb?
Ha nice! That flame top flying V is being sold by the guitar shop I used to work at in Missouri. Earnie Williamson Music. They are a great shop (they have a couple locations now). That was fun to see on here.
I stop buying from reverb because of the taxes, which put the prices close to what the items is worth. (Price, shipping taxes) rather market place or local pawnshops.
This is good information to know. I found a guitar I wanted Friday (07/28/23). My left handed Kenny Hickey C-1. I made an offer through Reverb; they had asked me to contact them so we could work out a better deal. Yes I did pay less and skipped all the extra pricing that they have to pay through Reverb. I only paid the cost of it plus their state tax or what ever. Which is still less than the cost asked on Reverb. I have a tracking number, but it has not moved yet as of Saturday (coming UPS to Kansas). So only time will tell if I get it and it is not broke or all F'ed up. Love your channel.
Pretty sure I just fell for this. Except it was a Roland TR-909. About half the going rate, but still expensive. Shipping from “Switzerland” and by the looks of it some non-existent locality. Already paid but gonna get out of it asap.
The only times I have bought on Reverb, I have done so for local pickup only and met them in either a music shop (so I could plug it in and sound check it) or in a police station parking lot (where videocams capture the entire transaction). It keeps the scammers few and sincere.
I was scammed and lost almost a 1000$ when I purchased a stratocaster off eBay. They did the shipping package to another address trick, and eBay sided with them... nothing I could say or do, and believe me, I said a lot. It's a deep cut because not only did I lose the money, but I also was so excited for the guitar to come in and then was let down so hard by the outcome. It makes me a little sick to think about it now. Money is just that, but I'm a father of 3 divorced, and I never buy myself anything, so that hurt.
Anyway, I thought I'd share the story since it related. Be safe guys and play on!
Its getting way worse even as a seller too. Recently on Reverb I had a guy with no feedback send a fair offer and I accepted once. He never paid so I promptly relisted after a few hours. Messages me again and says he's trying to figure out the Affirm payments, said Reverb is not letting him get the right financing he wants. I accepted his offer a 2nd time as he said he'd get it done, again no payment. RIGHT AFTER I denied his order and relisted, I got another offer with another account with no feedback almost immediately. Just denied and sold the guitar locally. I've dealt hundreds of orders on Reverb but they are definitely losing control here. Just glad I didn't desperately try to work with these mystery accounts with no history or feedback. The first seller didn't have great conversation but he spoke in clear enough English, so I thought it may be real. Not convinced by any means now all said and done.
I had a similar experience selling a graphics card on eBay. Terrible experience.
This happened to me with a HELIX!!
They kept calling and calling from PayPal. It’s so stupid I quit using PayPal they dint get anything from me because I called my bank
Paul Landers LP .. looks to be gone.
Can't even find the shop.
Also good to know that experienced sellers like to" get the deals" from new sellers. In other words, watch out for scammers and experienced sellers with no ethics.
I have listed several guitars in the past few years on Kijji and within minutes of the listing being posted I get contacted by someone asking if the guitar is still available and how they are working out of town and will have their mother or friend come and pick it up but the will pay using some money transfer services
Thank you! I have a question. Yesterday I saw a Gibson Les Paul price dropped from 3600 to 12 dollar or so plus shipping, the seller had decent reviews I thought I should take a look send a seller a message wassup with that price or so, but in a second it was sold. Then I saw another seller today as well selling a Santa Cruz 7 strings baritone price dropped from 8600 to 6 USD. I thought I buy it why not let's see what happens. I paid it and then the seller apologized he mixed up the price he had to cancel it. I said ok! I paid with PayPal but the refund money came back immediately. Do you think it was any kind of scam or just a coincidence two people genuinely messed up the price? I thought also somebody hacked a normal listing and dropped the price but still dunno why. Makes no sense. What do you think? Also as far as I understand it is better to pay with card? In my country I cannot use reverb payment so maybe PayPal is still better? Confusing.
Reverb should verify all sellers.
Aren't there any alternatives to Reverb, where you dont buy from a private person but from like a company that tests and check the guitar before selling them?
Scams are happening everywhere