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If reverb send the money to the seller as soon as he provides a tracking number they have to know their back account or whatever right? I mean can't they contact authorities there?
Based on previous knowledge, if they really want this to stop, have the sellers just sell Yngwie Malmsteen guitars. Theyll be sending C&Ds and takedowns by the metric tonne!
I've seen a bunch of dodgy listings, multiples of the same listing with stock Photos, half of the ad copy and listed as brand new by "individuals" who have no feedback. I found about 6 listings for an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, basically the same description from random people. Obviously fake listings and i always report. I've not noticed THAT being so much of an issue at the moment. Great video, thanks for making people aware.
Closed my Reverb account this week (well, started the process as it takes time). Not so much because of the scams, but because for synth gear - which is my main interest - it's very US centric, and the prices are crazy. People see something listed for a crazy price, and then list theirs for the same, unaware that they're rarely selling as the prices are unrealistic. So I've gone back to eBay, where prices seem to be getting sensible again as sellers there wise up.
Mabe you can help me with this... I don't know anything about synth gear. I am interested in a yamaha reface cp, and I can't find a new one in any online store. All that shows up ate high prices from Japan. Like $200 over msrp. I don't really trust these listings, some share the same pictures. Should I just wait for a restock?
@@Sorrowablaze Buying synths from Japanese sellers on Reverb and eBay used to be great - there were lots of bargains, as Japan has lots of second hand shops full of hi-tech gear. Then the sellers started to increases their prices and I guess the second hand shops had done the same. But the problem now is that a lot of less scrupulous sellers list things they know are popular, then when someone buys it they scour the shops to buy one. That means the item is often not the one shown in the pictures on the listing, or the sale is even cancelled if the seller can't track down the item in one of the shops. I've had this happen twice recently - one item clearly not the one in the listing as it had lots of wear and one item cancelled.
I stopped selling on reverb when they started gouging the individual sellers that created their empire.when they were around 5%, it was fair. Now between shipping, bumps and increased fees, it’s simply not worth it.
The problem I have ran into with reverb is that they have obviously lowered standards for those that sell items . I am running into my second issue with sellers who just simply don’t ship after payment and reverb gives the seller A MONTH TO SHIP . Think about that before you spend big money on reverb . I wouldn’t do it
You know not 48 hours after watching this video, this happened to me. A mint condition 2022 American Ultra strat showed up for 500. I went to message the guy, he had no ratings or anything. I reversed google searched the image and nothing popped up. So I messaged him asking if he could send a video of him playing the guitar and if he could write a note with the days date on it so I knew it was legitimate. Right when I sent the message, the post got taken down and the account did as well. This happened in North America. Thanks KDH for the video!
A problem I've had on Reverb is the last two times I've bought something someone tried to use my card numbers to buy other things. Luckily my bank caught it and I didn't lose any money. But I won't pay with my card on Reverb anymore.
Very good video - thanks! Reverb could change their policy to release the money to the seller once the buyer has confirmed receipt. A simply yet affective solution. As a buyer or seller I would have no issue with them doing this.
The latest possible scams I've seen have listings with nice controllers, synths, or guitar modelers. Like a helix for 795 from France, Germany, or Mexico with a one line description and free shipping. They almost got me because they responded within minutes but I ultimately didn't want to risk it. Don't know how it works but I've seen hundreds of those listings.
I buy and sell on Reverb. I'm left handed and I'm always looking for guitars. I have seen that they even reverse the images from right handed guitars to list them. The best way is to always ask for updated pictures from the seller, or just ask reverb to contact them.
Good advice. Nowadays I don't fall for these things but I remember being young and seeing online sales that looked amazing and being young and somewhat dumb I wanted to believe they were true. Luckily, I never had the money even for the scam, but if I did I would've probably fell for at least one. Same thing with bundles. As a camera guy, back in the day, there were so many "bundles" that were just a way of ripping you off haha. They still exist, but not in the same amount. But it's important that people like you make these videos because it can really help out a lot of people that think they found a bargain and want to believe it's true because let's be honest, who doesn't want an amazing bargain. Once you grow up a bit you don't normally fall for this, but still many people do. As I said, I would've several years back, like a dummy hehe.
Great video. Zero or very low feedback is a good indicator it is very likely as scammer. However all sellers at some point had zero feedback. Ask questions, lack of communication is another good indicator since scammers do not want to engage in a communication specially if they do not have the item they are listing. Ask for additional specific pics or even facetime to verify they have the item on hand. Bottom line use common sense and report suspicious listings. Finally as a good measure use PayPal so you get your money back instead of Reverb credit. Thanks for the video.
These are wise words, sir, thank you. Also, look super closely at the pictures. Some years ago, I bought a Tony Iommi signature SG, but the seller edited the pics to hide a cracked horn. Reverb was very helpful, but it took a long time to resolve. Luckily, just a couple weeks ago, I found another in great condition and it's practically perfect, like new... except for the fact they sent it in a Les Paul hardshell case, but it survived shipment.
In these scam listings, there usually seems to be an extra space in the seller's store name before the apostrophe, like "Todd 's Gear Garage" having an extra space after the last D in Todd. Another clue to watch out for, in addition to the clues you mentioned.
As a reverb seller my first 3-5 sales I couldn’t get my money until the buyer had received there item. This was probably 4-5 years ago and I imagine they didn’t remove that safety feature. So scammers may try but they don’t get the money.
I just bought a guitar from Reverb and had googled it to get an idea of the price range. It turned up a previous listing and some of the photos in the new ad were identical. I messaged the seller and asked for an additional photo with something dated in the photo. He confessed he did in fact borrow some of the original seller's photos and did supply me with a photo accompanied by a receipt in the photo from only a couple days before. He was very accommodating, I made the purchase and received the guitar. It was everything he claimed it was. It doesn't hurt to ask for that additional proof and honest people, like this seller, was completely understanding. Turned out to be a great transaction.
Surely it's not legal for Reverb to give you credit rather than a refund. It's written in The Consumer Rights Act that for online purchases they have to give you a refund.
I've been wanting a Jackson RR3 hardtail for a long time. I found a few of them on Reverb some new some used. I chose a "reputable" brick and mortar store I thought I could trust. Everything seemed fine once the guitar arrived. I had to do some tweaking of intonation and a couple of other adjustments. I started playing the guitar and found a defect on the back of the neck. There was a pretty big divot that you could really feel when you ran your hand up and down the neck. I've always been leery of buying a guitar sight unseen but I figured they had a no questions asked return policy so I pulled the trigger. Luckily they honored the return and fully refunded me. Lesson learned don't buy a guitar you can't inspect and play first.
For zero feedback sellers I believe they hold the money in escrow until the buyer actually receives the item. After that it’s like you said where it’s only held in escrow until a tracking number is given.
Man, I've reported the same Randy Rhodes Les Paul Custom (Same pics and Serial No.) Multiple times. That goes up for sale every day by different start up accounts across the world and they always stay up and sell. There's a lot of Chibsons floating around out there.
It's very obvious and I always buy from preferred sellers or someone I've purchased from before, etc. That ks for this video. You probably saved some people from losing money, time and effort and much emotional turmoil. ♥️🤘
I've never had a bad Reverb experience...but I don't just buy the first guitar that fits what I want. I'll always be thankful for being able to talk down a Store from $225 for a New Schecter C6 to $175 total. Bought it for a friend and they love it.
THANK YOU FOR TELLING US. I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE THE HORRIBLE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO SELL A 1935 CF MARTIN C.F. MARTIN 5-17T TENOR GUITAR IN IT'S ORIGINAL CASE WITH THESE REVERB CLOWNS. I'M SURE GLAD YOU MADE MY DECISION FOR ME. I'M PRETTY SURE I'M GOING TO "STAY LOCAL" ON THE SALE OF THIS VINTAGE INSTRUMENT NOW....
I stopped using Reverb last year. I sold a lot of gear and bought almost as much, but as both a seller and a buyer, I realized they don't stand behind their sellers (the legit ones) and their customer service has been terrible since the Etsy buyout. That being said...If I remember correctly, they won't release your funds to the seller if they have zero feedback and/or no completed transactions, until the item is actually delivered. Again, I haven't used Reverb for a year and that may have changed, and of course, this wouldn't matter if you received a box of rocks, but you would have enough time to call your credit card company if you found out it was a scam in the time beforehand. These scammers prey on your greed. If you suspect it's too good to be true, then it's up to you to protect yourself above all. You are your own best protection.
"That being said...If I remember correctly, they won't release your funds to the seller if they have zero feedback and/or no completed transactions" Yes but now apparently they have an option to make "instant sale" where the seller get the payment right away, without the seller knowing if they dont pay attention. Ive sold a few guitars on reverb, and i only got my account validated to get fund right away after making 5 confirmed sales, now i get the fund once i add the tracking numbers, on my first 5 sales, i had to wait for the seller to get the delivery
If reverb send the money to the seller as soon as he provides a tracking number they have to know their back account or whatever right? I mean can't they contact authorities there?
@@claire6650 I think it was 3 sales when I started, but it could have been 5. It was a while ago. But yes, that still means a new scammer with zero feedback or completed sales still won't get the funds until delivery. Again, that really won't matter if you get a box of rocks, but It does give the buyer or reverb a little time to catch a scam as opposed to instant payment upon a tracking number, especially if they had multiple listings and someone else was scammed first because they were located closer to the seller.
I was in private negotiations with Reverb prior to Etsy acquisition, an unpaid consultant you could say. I brought up this specific issue as well as the ludicrous video of how to pack a nitro-finished instrument in bubble wrap. Needless to say both fell on deaf ears.
reverb will have to change their name to Re-Fund if this keeps up, i wonder if the scammers ever get caught .. I'm guessing not yet if they're still at it.
I just bought a Schecter Hellraiser at a very good price, after purchasing I got worried about it being a scam because the person seems new to the site because it said 100% positive feedback but they only sold one item. But I actually watched the price go down several times for over a month so it seems this is not a scam and this person really wants to sell it.
good gravy man!!! i love revolve guitar shop in bartlett, tn!!!!! it is repugnant that some scammer nicked a picture from one of their guitars...smh...
I only buy used items from 'bigger box stores' on Reverb, like Eddie's, Wild West, Wildwood, Melody Music Shop, Willcut's, Humbucker Music, Manchester Music Hill, etc. If I'm buying new there's no reason for me to not go direct to manufacturer if possible, or a local music store.
The reasons these scams are successful is uneducated misinformation and or ignorant people who believe what they are told and are easily misled...you'd think in today's day and age w the awareness of scams that people would look closer at things but....ppl do stupid things... however you have done the world a great service w this PSA..lol...good looking out.. keep doing the good work u do brother
There's a common scam in the synth world too, Roland Juno series synths being sold for half of what they're worth, always claiming to be fully restored. They always use pictures straight from reverb and are mostly based in South America but I've seen a few from Europe. The sellers always have no feedback.
I've purchased Gotoh Trems where they charged me 70$ per unit (2 on one order) the day after I checked out. Fortunately I got the unauthorized charges reversed, but they sent me a rude message saying I should contact them before purchasing. I still overpaid shipping by 15$ per unit at 30$ each. Yes, my home Alaska is far away, but I ship/receive to/from the lower 48 all the time, and it's not highway robbery shipping costs. It's a sketchy place. I feel safer buying on Ebay, seriously.
I saw a funny one on Ebay yesterday. 7 string multiscale guitars from China that look really nice. There was a bunch of them in different finishes all with a starting bid at 1 cent. Upon closer inspection I noticed the shipping was listed at $785.00 US lol.
Almost fell for a scam; someone was selling a EBVP anniversary pedal for 20 bucks plus shipping, new store, stock images only and copied seller desc. Turns out some poor sucker bought it before me and the guy's account is up still, glad i trusted my gut on this.
Thankfully it's only happening in Europe for now but it's only a matter of time till it comes to the States. One thing I've been doing and hope everyone does, is flag the posts as soon you see them. The faster you flag it the faster it gets taken down and one less person gets scammed.
One time, I took a chance on a deal I thought was too good to be true. I found an SE Standard 24 on eBay for $420. Because it was bought and returned the very next day, they discounted it as a used guitar and offered a free extended warranty. After week 3 of no guitar, I was getting worried. I contacted the seller and asked him where my guitar was. He provided me a screenshot of the tracking info which matched the tracking number I was provided. Apparently, there was a glitch in the USPS system and it got sent on a wild goose chase. It went from the store in Florida, up to Washington state, down to Colorado, up to Kentucky, to Oklahoma City, back to Colorado, and finally, during week 4, to me. Ever since that happened, they've shipped through FedEx and UPS instead. I've ordered an SLXT, two sets of pickups, and four or five sets of tuners through them. That one gamble turned into me going through them when I need parts or when I'm looking for a guitar.
I am currently hot-rodding my Schecter omen active fr. I am look at changing out the floyd rose special for standard floyd rose and maybe the pickups as they sound a bit flat to me any input on making the a screaming dive bomber.
Thing is, what if I just want to sell one guitar or something... if people are going to think I'm a scammer simply because I've never sold anything before, then how would anyone get started, or just do one sale. I thought the whole point of Reverb was for individual musicians, not necessarily big dealers who can get a lot of reviews?
International sellers can now opt out of Reverb payments for direct payments. Meaning, when you buy the item, the money is sent directly to them, before they ship the item. This is not mentioned anywhere on their site or in the listing. This has led to a string of fake listings, where Reverb gets their fee, and they can simply say "Sorry, we can't offer a refund, the payment has already been sent, you will have to ask your financial institution for a refund"
Still waiting for my refund. Some guy sold me straight up something that didn't work. Contacting anyone is impossible. Looking forward to getting store credit at least though
Maybe Reverb could introduce a policy where a new seller (low feedback etc) actually sends the guitar to the facility that Reverb can check the item first..I know it would require additional costs and more infrastructure for Reverb but it would save them money in the long term and create a more secure and Trustworthy platform...They could request additional payment from sellers upfront for postage etc and refund them later on when the transaction is complete..
Hey, KDH, thanks for doing all the work you do exposing scams and rock stars who are assholes or offer enough over-priced crap merch to furnish your house with. Lookin' at you, Bonamassa.
@@jeffwagner7853 1) I was joking. 2) Why? Why should I lay off a guy who has more money than jah, and will soon own every last Burst that was ever made? I don't think I'm hurting his feelings.
@@aprilkurtz1589 Criticisms is welcomed but it has to be based on important facts, not just complaining for the sake of it. What's important and valid for criticism that it has to be said about Bonamassa? Whining how he's got a lot of money to collect guitars he likes it's not.
Like a store has never scammed anyone Why should we reduce the options available to us because of scammers? I live in Leeds, which is the 3rd largest city in the UK and we lost most of our guitar shops. Dawsons - gone, Northern Guitar - gone, Music Room - gone. Even when they were open, they should never compete on prices and selection of online.
@@MaxPowweer1 I agree with you in principle but the fact is scammers are out there and buying from eBay and reverb always carries an element of risk. The only way to be 100% sure is to buy from a store.
I remember going on Reverb and discovered my guitar for sale except it wasn’t. Someone was using photos they had taken from an old Ebay auction that I had won. Reported it and it was immediately taken down.
Another thing is I've seen some scam listings using a variation in spelling or punctuation of a known legit gear vendor that's just different enough if you don't commit their exact spelling to memory might have some people thinking these could be legit vendors. Be super careful!
These scams are actually pretty clever. I actually got hit by one. There was a Stingray for sale that I bought - but the price wasn't absurd for a used stingray; it was actually pretty par for the course as far as used stingrays go. I paid with paypal at first, then got met with a refund, asking if I could pay through reverb. I thought that was weird, but figured Reverb still had good protection so hey, went for it. IMMEDIATELY I was given a tracking notice (I had purchased the Stingray on a Saturday, the seller's location was in Australia so it would've been Sunday and things would've been closed) so I look at the tracking number and it was generated Friday and in Texas. This rose some red flags so I messaged the seller for an explanation, but the account was soon after shut down so I couldn't. I made a Reverb ticket and the "package arrived" while I waited for a reply... or so said the tracking, but I never got anything. Reverb finally got back to me and gave me a full refund in actual money (not store credit like your video says). The worst part about the process was Reverb's customer support, as their automated chat system was fucking awful to deal with and I waited literal hours for a person to talk to. I scolded them about this on their "how did we do" review after the fact and they said they were working on restoring phone support in the near future. An annoying little adventure, but, ultimately, I came out okay. Edit: forgot to mention, this guy had 2 reports of 5 star feedback, but they were blank.
I once bought a used musicman cutlass on there. it was a replica. It had the musicman neck but I think the body wasn’t one. The inside wast painted like in musicman and it was missing the battery compartment. Reverb didn’t refund me at all. This was when Chicago music exchange owned them. I had to ask my bank to get the money back. It took over 1 year for them to refund my money to my credit card. I returned the guitar too Chicago music exchange. Idk what they did with it. I have since then never bought anything from reverb. My last purchase was some tuners from hipshot from another vendor. I don’t trust reverb anymore. I just buy stuff from musicians friend. Sweet water scammed me and I never went back. Musicians friend does accept returns tho. I haven’t had a problem with them. My recent purchase from them was some pedals. So far so good.
Somebody in my area is buying up all the fire fly guitars (gibson copy cats) and they're selling them over 3x what they paid for them, 250$ = 799+ with full upgrades, spoiler they are bone stock dry.
Hate to say, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more and more wary of private sellers. If I can see the item in person first I can be persuaded to give it a go. But this Is why I refuse to do it online. It can happen so easily and so often, and it’s not something they can easily fix. One way they might try to is to have the seller send it to reverb, but this would require reverb to cover some shipping costs associated with this method.which means they’d need to take more money from every seller, meaning that they have more overhead and warehouse space needed, money for QA to check the items (and be trained on how to do so) and Reverb just becomes another middleman, and sellers are better off going elsewhere to try and find a direct customer
Easy for me to avoid. I was kicked off reverb for reporting scammers. One scammer complained to reverb that I was reporting him and they kicked me off. Ha. Whatever I know better than buying on reverb. Everyone now knows to just shop on reverb and then contact the seller and buy it offline. Reverb is trying to stop paying taxes because they charge so much. They are terrible and will be equal to MySpace soon.
i bought a cusyom shop bc fich from the late 90s and then i saw it on ebay listed for bids starting 100 but it was from a different seller who also had high end watches starting bids for 24.95. u should make a vid of those too! they have gibsons fenders etc. all custom shop models. they just ripped peoples photos and make ads
Seen a ton of shit like this on Reverb, I also recently saw a "1970s Fender Stratocaster vintage 3 three bolt maple neck" For like $500 (down from 1K) 🤨🤨🤨🤨
Yeah this happened to me with trying to buy an Angry Charlie..I'm in the process of trying to get my $80 refund and I imagine I'll get it. The thing is though why scam for such a small amount? After fees and costs associated with scamming the DHL/USPS trying to get Reverb to release their money. I just don't see why not go big or go home? Like why such a small item?
Reverb isn't perfect, but I will say that I've had couple of purchases that went south and I returned them to sellers that were not being very cool about return shipping labels and credits. You have to go through some time periods to give the seller the chance to step up, but when it gets down to it, Reverb has come through both times and facilitated my credits within hours of filing the complaint.
Reverb very, very rarely equals bargains. Reverb is notoriously the place to go to see fantasy pricing! They should get into auctions. I gather they charge 5% on a transaction vs Ebay which is about 13% ish if you use PayPal. Reverb also has pretty crappy reach. Especially in the UK. Over the last five years I've bought one FX pedal off reverb and that's it
I don't use reverb most of the time because A. Nearly all the preowned/used shit is overpriced and in bad condition. B. Nearly all the good shit gets bought straight away. C. I preordered a guitar that was supposed to be sent in January and it's now mid June and it hasn't even been taken out of the shipping container yet.
Im somewhat suprised Reverb reacts that quickly, maybe the Europaean market is just easier to oversee...Todd's gear garage, few if any sellers in Germany have actually English titles...
I had my Guitar Cloned on eBay by someone in Italy..I was made aware of this by a member who had been interested in the guitar previously.. The guitar was sold in Euros but then showed up again in the US.. It was removed only to be cloned again in the UK... I added another 2 guitars for sale with no international shipping, both listing were again sabotaged by Fake international accounts, One was later cloned and added to eBay in Finland.. Such a waste of time and energy dealing with these scumbags..It must cost eBay & Reverb a small fortune trying to eliminate this, Unfortunately it feels like they are fighting a hydra...No chequered flag in sight..m
I don't know how these scammers succeed though, you have to have a successful sale where buyer receives the item first rigjt? The sales after that initial sale work where you upload a tracking number and the money is released but if I remember correctly the buyer had to receive my first sale before I got the money
Sometimes the buyer can truly get scammed. The seller does ship you a guitar and it could be a fake or nothing like you expected. This then goes to a dispute where you may or may not get your refund. Or you may receive package without a guitar and the seller will claim the guitar was shipped and you're lying. This goes to dispute and you may or may not get a refund. Also the seller can get scammed You ship a guitar and the buyer claims the box contained bricks. Reverb then refunds the buyer
If you don't live in the US, using Reverb is pointless because you'll spend enough in shipping/customs that you might as well have just bought whatever it is brand new.
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question - before I clicked on this video it said it had 200k+ views, now that im on the video it says 1603 views. WTF is going on here???
Dayum bro, you're getting a little chubby 😂 your face says it so
@Richard Harrold no, it definately said 200k views
I wish you would've posted this 2 weeks ago man. I've bought a ton of things on there.
If reverb send the money to the seller as soon as he provides a tracking number they have to know their back account or whatever right? I mean can't they contact authorities there?
I had a dream last night with you in it. You talked me out of buying a Gibson. I appreciated it. Good times.
Did you give him a handy after?
@@robbirose7032 ...it involed lemon oil yes.....if you're interested I'll sell you the movie rights.
@@luken9263 hahahah. Nice.
@@robbirose7032 Psst, he used his mouth TOO! ;oP
@@robbirose7032 What the actual fuck?
Based on previous knowledge, if they really want this to stop, have the sellers just sell Yngwie Malmsteen guitars. Theyll be sending C&Ds and takedowns by the metric tonne!
Peak KDH is when he is pointing out frauds in the industry
I've seen a bunch of dodgy listings, multiples of the same listing with stock Photos, half of the ad copy and listed as brand new by "individuals" who have no feedback. I found about 6 listings for an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, basically the same description from random people. Obviously fake listings and i always report. I've not noticed THAT being so much of an issue at the moment. Great video, thanks for making people aware.
Closed my Reverb account this week (well, started the process as it takes time). Not so much because of the scams, but because for synth gear - which is my main interest - it's very US centric, and the prices are crazy. People see something listed for a crazy price, and then list theirs for the same, unaware that they're rarely selling as the prices are unrealistic. So I've gone back to eBay, where prices seem to be getting sensible again as sellers there wise up.
Mabe you can help me with this... I don't know anything about synth gear.
I am interested in a yamaha reface cp, and I can't find a new one in any online store. All that shows up ate high prices from Japan. Like $200 over msrp. I don't really trust these listings, some share the same pictures.
Should I just wait for a restock?
Reverb IS a scam! EVER tried SELLING thru it? Total ARSE rape!
@@Sorrowablaze Buying synths from Japanese sellers on Reverb and eBay used to be great - there were lots of bargains, as Japan has lots of second hand shops full of hi-tech gear. Then the sellers started to increases their prices and I guess the second hand shops had done the same. But the problem now is that a lot of less scrupulous sellers list things they know are popular, then when someone buys it they scour the shops to buy one. That means the item is often not the one shown in the pictures on the listing, or the sale is even cancelled if the seller can't track down the item in one of the shops. I've had this happen twice recently - one item clearly not the one in the listing as it had lots of wear and one item cancelled.
Spoken as a true buyer
I stopped selling on reverb when they started gouging the individual sellers that created their empire.when they were around 5%, it was fair. Now between shipping, bumps and increased fees, it’s simply not worth it.
When I buy from Reverb, I am paying for shipping. How is this impacting the seller? Thanks.
You're a hero! Scammers are the worst but at least we've got folks on the lookout
I’ve spent a lot of money on reverb, I’ve had no problems yet, but I have heard horror stories, thanks for the info, I love your channel!
The problem I have ran into with reverb is that they have obviously lowered standards for those that sell items . I am running into my second issue with sellers who just simply don’t ship after payment and reverb gives the seller A MONTH TO SHIP . Think about that before you spend big money on reverb . I wouldn’t do it
You know not 48 hours after watching this video, this happened to me. A mint condition 2022 American Ultra strat showed up for 500. I went to message the guy, he had no ratings or anything. I reversed google searched the image and nothing popped up. So I messaged him asking if he could send a video of him playing the guitar and if he could write a note with the days date on it so I knew it was legitimate. Right when I sent the message, the post got taken down and the account did as well. This happened in North America. Thanks KDH for the video!
A problem I've had on Reverb is the last two times I've bought something someone tried to use my card numbers to buy other things. Luckily my bank caught it and I didn't lose any money. But I won't pay with my card on Reverb anymore.
Paypal is super handy
That's a risk of any online vendor. Paypal is excellent for that
Very good video - thanks! Reverb could change their policy to release the money to the seller once the buyer has confirmed receipt. A simply yet affective solution. As a buyer or seller I would have no issue with them doing this.
The latest possible scams I've seen have listings with nice controllers, synths, or guitar modelers. Like a helix for 795 from France, Germany, or Mexico with a one line description and free shipping. They almost got me because they responded within minutes but I ultimately didn't want to risk it. Don't know how it works but I've seen hundreds of those listings.
I buy and sell on Reverb. I'm left handed and I'm always looking for guitars. I have seen that they even reverse the images from right handed guitars to list them. The best way is to always ask for updated pictures from the seller, or just ask reverb to contact them.
Good advice. Nowadays I don't fall for these things but I remember being young and seeing online sales that looked amazing and being young and somewhat dumb I wanted to believe they were true. Luckily, I never had the money even for the scam, but if I did I would've probably fell for at least one.
Same thing with bundles. As a camera guy, back in the day, there were so many "bundles" that were just a way of ripping you off haha. They still exist, but not in the same amount.
But it's important that people like you make these videos because it can really help out a lot of people that think they found a bargain and want to believe it's true because let's be honest, who doesn't want an amazing bargain. Once you grow up a bit you don't normally fall for this, but still many people do. As I said, I would've several years back, like a dummy hehe.
Great video. Zero or very low feedback is a good indicator it is very likely as scammer. However all sellers at some point had zero feedback. Ask questions, lack of communication is another good indicator since scammers do not want to engage in a communication specially if they do not have the item they are listing. Ask for additional specific pics or even facetime to verify they have the item on hand. Bottom line use common sense and report suspicious listings. Finally as a good measure use PayPal so you get your money back instead of Reverb credit. Thanks for the video.
These are wise words, sir, thank you. Also, look super closely at the pictures. Some years ago, I bought a Tony Iommi signature SG, but the seller edited the pics to hide a cracked horn. Reverb was very helpful, but it took a long time to resolve. Luckily, just a couple weeks ago, I found another in great condition and it's practically perfect, like new... except for the fact they sent it in a Les Paul hardshell case, but it survived shipment.
reverb should offer a verification process where sellers submit the serial number to reverb
or... STAND BEHIND THE GEAR SOLD ON THEIR SITE.... You know- LIKE A REAL BUSINESS.
In these scam listings, there usually seems to be an extra space in the seller's store name before the apostrophe, like "Todd 's Gear Garage" having an extra space after the last D in Todd. Another clue to watch out for, in addition to the clues you mentioned.
As a reverb seller my first 3-5 sales I couldn’t get my money until the buyer had received there item. This was probably 4-5 years ago and I imagine they didn’t remove that safety feature. So scammers may try but they don’t get the money.
I just bought a guitar from Reverb and had googled it to get an idea of the price range. It turned up a previous listing and some of the photos in the new ad were identical. I messaged the seller and asked for an additional photo with something dated in the photo. He confessed he did in fact borrow some of the original seller's photos and did supply me with a photo accompanied by a receipt in the photo from only a couple days before. He was very accommodating, I made the purchase and received the guitar. It was everything he claimed it was. It doesn't hurt to ask for that additional proof and honest people, like this seller, was completely understanding. Turned out to be a great transaction.
Surely it's not legal for Reverb to give you credit rather than a refund. It's written in The Consumer Rights Act that for online purchases they have to give you a refund.
This is a great PSA when I was a kid I had no idea about the differences in price, quality, manufacturing etc.
I've been wanting a Jackson RR3 hardtail for a long time. I found a few of them on Reverb some new some used. I chose a "reputable" brick and mortar store I thought I could trust. Everything seemed fine once the guitar arrived. I had to do some tweaking of intonation and a couple of other adjustments. I started playing the guitar and found a defect on the back of the neck. There was a pretty big divot that you could really feel when you ran your hand up and down the neck. I've always been leery of buying a guitar sight unseen but I figured they had a no questions asked return policy so I pulled the trigger. Luckily they honored the return and fully refunded me. Lesson learned don't buy a guitar you can't inspect and play first.
For zero feedback sellers I believe they hold the money in escrow until the buyer actually receives the item. After that it’s like you said where it’s only held in escrow until a tracking number is given.
hi,thanx for the update on reverb, i hadn't heard phil mention it, but I can always count on you for Music world info etc. thanx again .
Man, I've reported the same Randy Rhodes Les Paul Custom (Same pics and Serial No.) Multiple times. That goes up for sale every day by different start up accounts across the world and they always stay up and sell.
There's a lot of Chibsons floating around out there.
It's very obvious and I always buy from preferred sellers or someone I've purchased from before, etc. That ks for this video. You probably saved some people from losing money, time and effort and much emotional turmoil. ♥️🤘
scams suck. thanks for sharing the info
I've never had a bad Reverb experience...but I don't just buy the first guitar that fits what I want. I'll always be thankful for being able to talk down a Store from $225 for a New Schecter C6 to $175 total. Bought it for a friend and they love it.
Wow, wild to see my LOCAL store show up in one of your videos. Love Revolve! Will have to send this to them! You’re doing honest work good sir!
can't wait for the short scale video!
THANK YOU FOR TELLING US.
I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE THE HORRIBLE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO SELL A 1935 CF MARTIN C.F. MARTIN 5-17T TENOR GUITAR IN IT'S ORIGINAL CASE WITH THESE REVERB CLOWNS.
I'M SURE GLAD YOU MADE MY DECISION FOR ME.
I'M PRETTY SURE I'M GOING TO "STAY LOCAL" ON THE SALE OF THIS VINTAGE INSTRUMENT NOW....
You can also use Tin Eye to reverse image search the picture.
I stopped using Reverb last year. I sold a lot of gear and bought almost as much, but as both a seller and a buyer, I realized they don't stand behind their sellers (the legit ones) and their customer service has been terrible since the Etsy buyout.
That being said...If I remember correctly, they won't release your funds to the seller if they have zero feedback and/or no completed transactions, until the item is actually delivered. Again, I haven't used Reverb for a year and that may have changed, and of course, this wouldn't matter if you received a box of rocks, but you would have enough time to call your credit card company if you found out it was a scam in the time beforehand.
These scammers prey on your greed. If you suspect it's too good to be true, then it's up to you to protect yourself above all. You are your own best protection.
"That being said...If I remember correctly, they won't release your funds to the seller if they have zero feedback and/or no completed transactions"
Yes but now apparently they have an option to make "instant sale" where the seller get the payment right away, without the seller knowing if they dont pay attention.
Ive sold a few guitars on reverb, and i only got my account validated to get fund right away after making 5 confirmed sales, now i get the fund once i add the tracking numbers, on my first 5 sales, i had to wait for the seller to get the delivery
If reverb send the money to the seller as soon as he provides a tracking number they have to know their back account or whatever right? I mean can't they contact authorities there?
@@claire6650 I think it was 3 sales when I started, but it could have been 5. It was a while ago. But yes, that still means a new scammer with zero feedback or completed sales still won't get the funds until delivery. Again, that really won't matter if you get a box of rocks, but It does give the buyer or reverb a little time to catch a scam as opposed to instant payment upon a tracking number, especially if they had multiple listings and someone else was scammed first because they were located closer to the seller.
@@EbonyPope They're located in other countries. There's not much that can be done once the scammer receives the payment and empties the bank account.
@@Darth.Shredder That's shocking. But wouldn't have this been possible before when the UK was part of the EU?
One of my simple joys in life is reporting fraudulent posts on reverb.
I was in private negotiations with Reverb prior to Etsy acquisition, an unpaid consultant you could say.
I brought up this specific issue as well as the ludicrous video of how to pack a nitro-finished instrument in bubble wrap.
Needless to say both fell on deaf ears.
Reverb using the ‘monopoly money’ standard of protection there.
between Reverb and Paypal and a CC company, I've never lost on even the most sketchiness....just like winter - layers is the key.
i love this channel. thanks for being you dude.
Thanks bro. Gotta be safe out there. Especially us guitar heads who know their collection is indefinitely incomplete!!
reverb will have to change their name to Re-Fund if this keeps up, i wonder if the scammers ever get caught .. I'm guessing not yet if they're still at it.
I just bought a Schecter Hellraiser at a very good price, after purchasing I got worried about it being a scam because the person seems new to the site because it said 100% positive feedback but they only sold one item. But I actually watched the price go down several times for over a month so it seems this is not a scam and this person really wants to sell it.
good gravy man!!! i love revolve guitar shop in bartlett, tn!!!!! it is repugnant that some scammer nicked a picture from one of their guitars...smh...
Love your channel bud, Cheers from Canada!
I only buy used items from 'bigger box stores' on Reverb, like Eddie's, Wild West, Wildwood, Melody Music Shop, Willcut's, Humbucker Music, Manchester Music Hill, etc.
If I'm buying new there's no reason for me to not go direct to manufacturer if possible, or a local music store.
The reasons these scams are successful is uneducated misinformation and or ignorant people who believe what they are told and are easily misled...you'd think in today's day and age w the awareness of scams that people would look closer at things but....ppl do stupid things... however you have done the world a great service w this PSA..lol...good looking out.. keep doing the good work u do brother
Hear Here! Stoooopid is as stoooopid doth doo.
There's a common scam in the synth world too, Roland Juno series synths being sold for half of what they're worth, always claiming to be fully restored. They always use pictures straight from reverb and are mostly based in South America but I've seen a few from Europe. The sellers always have no feedback.
Also that's Revolve in Bartlett, Tn. Great guys and they always have good deals. I traded with them for years.
I've purchased Gotoh Trems where they charged me 70$ per unit (2 on one order) the day after I checked out. Fortunately I got the unauthorized charges reversed, but they sent me a rude message saying I should contact them before purchasing. I still overpaid shipping by 15$ per unit at 30$ each. Yes, my home Alaska is far away, but I ship/receive to/from the lower 48 all the time, and it's not highway robbery shipping costs. It's a sketchy place. I feel safer buying on Ebay, seriously.
KDH…good stuff…and perfectly explained…sometimes I watch vids and come away more confused then when I started…but then again, I’m an idiot 😳
I saw a funny one on Ebay yesterday. 7 string multiscale guitars from China that look really nice. There was a bunch of them in different finishes all with a starting bid at 1 cent. Upon closer inspection I noticed the shipping was listed at $785.00 US lol.
Almost fell for a scam; someone was selling a EBVP anniversary pedal for 20 bucks plus shipping, new store, stock images only and copied seller desc. Turns out some poor sucker bought it before me and the guy's account is up still, glad i trusted my gut on this.
The H in KDH stands for hero.
Thankfully it's only happening in Europe for now but it's only a matter of time till it comes to the States. One thing I've been doing and hope everyone does, is flag the posts as soon you see them. The faster you flag it the faster it gets taken down and one less person gets scammed.
good lookin out dood!! much Appreciated
I hate these type of scams. I bought a really expensive Reverb pedal recently that turned out to sound more like Delay 😡
??
That's nowhere near the same lmao
Seems like you've gotten scammed out of brain cells also
One time, I took a chance on a deal I thought was too good to be true. I found an SE Standard 24 on eBay for $420. Because it was bought and returned the very next day, they discounted it as a used guitar and offered a free extended warranty. After week 3 of no guitar, I was getting worried. I contacted the seller and asked him where my guitar was. He provided me a screenshot of the tracking info which matched the tracking number I was provided. Apparently, there was a glitch in the USPS system and it got sent on a wild goose chase. It went from the store in Florida, up to Washington state, down to Colorado, up to Kentucky, to Oklahoma City, back to Colorado, and finally, during week 4, to me. Ever since that happened, they've shipped through FedEx and UPS instead. I've ordered an SLXT, two sets of pickups, and four or five sets of tuners through them. That one gamble turned into me going through them when I need parts or when I'm looking for a guitar.
I am currently hot-rodding my Schecter omen active fr. I am look at changing out the floyd rose special for standard floyd rose and maybe the pickups as they sound a bit flat to me any input on making the a screaming dive bomber.
Thing is, what if I just want to sell one guitar or something... if people are going to think I'm a scammer simply because I've never sold anything before, then how would anyone get started, or just do one sale. I thought the whole point of Reverb was for individual musicians, not necessarily big dealers who can get a lot of reviews?
International sellers can now opt out of Reverb payments for direct payments. Meaning, when you buy the item, the money is sent directly to them, before they ship the item. This is not mentioned anywhere on their site or in the listing. This has led to a string of fake listings, where Reverb gets their fee, and they can simply say "Sorry, we can't offer a refund, the payment has already been sent, you will have to ask your financial institution for a refund"
Still waiting for my refund. Some guy sold me straight up something that didn't work. Contacting anyone is impossible. Looking forward to getting store credit at least though
Maybe Reverb could introduce a policy where a new seller (low feedback etc) actually sends the guitar to the facility that Reverb can check the item first..I know it would require additional costs and more infrastructure for Reverb but it would save them money in the long term and create a more secure and Trustworthy platform...They could request additional payment from sellers upfront for postage etc and refund them later on when the transaction is complete..
Hey, KDH, thanks for doing all the work you do exposing scams and rock stars who are assholes or offer enough over-priced crap merch to furnish your house with. Lookin' at you, Bonamassa.
Leave Joe out of this
@@jeffwagner7853 1) I was joking. 2) Why? Why should I lay off a guy who has more money than jah, and will soon own every last Burst that was ever made? I don't think I'm hurting his feelings.
@@aprilkurtz1589 Criticisms is welcomed but it has to be based on important facts, not just complaining for the sake of it. What's important and valid for criticism that it has to be said about Bonamassa? Whining how he's got a lot of money to collect guitars he likes it's not.
Good video, mate.
Best way to avoid scams? Buy from a legitimate dealer. Either a shop or online retailer.
Like a store has never scammed anyone Why should we reduce the options available to us because of scammers? I live in Leeds, which is the 3rd largest city in the UK and we lost most of our guitar shops. Dawsons - gone, Northern Guitar - gone, Music Room - gone. Even when they were open, they should never compete on prices and selection of online.
@@MaxPowweer1 Did those stores close because of online shopping or because of the ridiculous overreaction to the "vid"?
@@MaxPowweer1 I agree with you in principle but the fact is scammers are out there and buying from eBay and reverb always carries an element of risk. The only way to be 100% sure is to buy from a store.
Good suggestions
I remember going on Reverb and discovered my guitar for sale except it wasn’t. Someone was using photos they had taken from an old Ebay auction that I had won. Reported it and it was immediately taken down.
KDH, thanks much!
Another thing is I've seen some scam listings using a variation in spelling or punctuation of a known legit gear vendor that's just different enough if you don't commit their exact spelling to memory might have some people thinking these could be legit vendors. Be super careful!
This brings to mind Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #294: A bargain usually isn't.
These scams are actually pretty clever. I actually got hit by one. There was a Stingray for sale that I bought - but the price wasn't absurd for a used stingray; it was actually pretty par for the course as far as used stingrays go. I paid with paypal at first, then got met with a refund, asking if I could pay through reverb. I thought that was weird, but figured Reverb still had good protection so hey, went for it.
IMMEDIATELY I was given a tracking notice (I had purchased the Stingray on a Saturday, the seller's location was in Australia so it would've been Sunday and things would've been closed) so I look at the tracking number and it was generated Friday and in Texas. This rose some red flags so I messaged the seller for an explanation, but the account was soon after shut down so I couldn't. I made a Reverb ticket and the "package arrived" while I waited for a reply... or so said the tracking, but I never got anything. Reverb finally got back to me and gave me a full refund in actual money (not store credit like your video says). The worst part about the process was Reverb's customer support, as their automated chat system was fucking awful to deal with and I waited literal hours for a person to talk to. I scolded them about this on their "how did we do" review after the fact and they said they were working on restoring phone support in the near future.
An annoying little adventure, but, ultimately, I came out okay.
Edit: forgot to mention, this guy had 2 reports of 5 star feedback, but they were blank.
I once bought a used musicman cutlass on there. it was a replica. It had the musicman neck but I think the body wasn’t one. The inside wast painted like in musicman and it was missing the battery compartment. Reverb didn’t refund me at all. This was when Chicago music exchange owned them. I had to ask my bank to get the money back. It took over 1 year for them to refund my money to my credit card. I returned the guitar too Chicago music exchange. Idk what they did with it. I have since then never bought anything from reverb. My last purchase was some tuners from hipshot from another vendor. I don’t trust reverb anymore. I just buy stuff from musicians friend. Sweet water scammed me and I never went back. Musicians friend does accept returns tho. I haven’t had a problem with them. My recent purchase from them was some pedals. So far so good.
Somebody in my area is buying up all the fire fly guitars (gibson copy cats) and they're selling them over 3x what they paid for them, 250$ = 799+ with full upgrades, spoiler they are bone stock dry.
I would kill for a Paul Gilbert ibanez for under £100 that is a bargain! Good reporting dude new sub 👍 👌
DUDE YOU GOT THAT PGM FOR A STEAL!!!!!!!!! I know it’s a mini but always my favourite signature of his (original)
Thank you, my Irish brother.
Hate to say, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more and more wary of private sellers. If I can see the item in person first I can be persuaded to give it a go. But this Is why I refuse to do it online. It can happen so easily and so often, and it’s not something they can easily fix. One way they might try to is to have the seller send it to reverb, but this would require reverb to cover some shipping costs associated with this method.which means they’d need to take more money from every seller, meaning that they have more overhead and warehouse space needed, money for QA to check the items (and be trained on how to do so) and Reverb just becomes another middleman, and sellers are better off going elsewhere to try and find a direct customer
04:40 in my experience the money didn't go to the seller until I told reverb that I received the item and it was good
Easy for me to avoid. I was kicked off reverb for reporting scammers. One scammer complained to reverb that I was reporting him and they kicked me off. Ha. Whatever I know better than buying on reverb. Everyone now knows to just shop on reverb and then contact the seller and buy it offline. Reverb is trying to stop paying taxes because they charge so much. They are terrible and will be equal to MySpace soon.
Imagine if your business model was lets not lower our prices, let’s stop taxes. Ha…..
Any advice how to contact sellers outside without getting in trouble?
i bought a cusyom shop bc fich from the late 90s and then i saw it on ebay listed for bids starting 100 but it was from a different seller who also had high end watches starting bids for 24.95. u should make a vid of those too! they have gibsons fenders etc. all custom shop models. they just ripped peoples photos and make ads
And they always want u to contact their “pawnshop” and will sell u anything for 3k. its crazy
appreciated dude
Seen a ton of shit like this on Reverb, I also recently saw a "1970s Fender Stratocaster vintage 3 three bolt maple neck" For like $500 (down from 1K)
🤨🤨🤨🤨
*hygrometer 🖕😄
I usually use it to help me price some of my higher value/vintage pedals and now there's suddenly a bunch of them for way cheap. Probably all scams.
Yeah this happened to me with trying to buy an Angry Charlie..I'm in the process of trying to get my $80 refund and I imagine I'll get it. The thing is though why scam for such a small amount? After fees and costs associated with scamming the DHL/USPS trying to get Reverb to release their money. I just don't see why not go big or go home? Like why such a small item?
Reverb isn't perfect, but I will say that I've had couple of purchases that went south and I returned them to sellers that were not being very cool about return shipping labels and credits. You have to go through some time periods to give the seller the chance to step up, but when it gets down to it, Reverb has come through both times and facilitated my credits within hours of filing the complaint.
Reverb very, very rarely equals bargains. Reverb is notoriously the place to go to see fantasy pricing! They should get into auctions. I gather they charge 5% on a transaction vs Ebay which is about 13% ish if you use PayPal. Reverb also has pretty crappy reach. Especially in the UK. Over the last five years I've bought one FX pedal off reverb and that's it
I don't use reverb most of the time because A. Nearly all the preowned/used shit is overpriced and in bad condition. B. Nearly all the good shit gets bought straight away. C. I preordered a guitar that was supposed to be sent in January and it's now mid June and it hasn't even been taken out of the shipping container yet.
I saw scams on Reverb and all I could think of is Mike and Mikes guitar bar.
I dont use buyer protection because noone at Reverb can state what the benefit is.
Im somewhat suprised Reverb reacts that quickly, maybe the Europaean market is just easier to oversee...Todd's gear garage, few if any sellers in Germany have actually English titles...
I saw what looked like a scam which was a left handed 8 string Ibanez for £150 and free shipping
I had my Guitar Cloned on eBay by someone in Italy..I was made aware of this by a member who had been interested in the guitar previously..
The guitar was sold in Euros but then showed up again in the US..
It was removed only to be cloned again in the UK...
I added another 2 guitars for sale with no international shipping, both listing were again sabotaged by Fake international accounts, One was later cloned and added to eBay in Finland..
Such a waste of time and energy dealing with these scumbags..It must cost eBay & Reverb a small fortune trying to eliminate this,
Unfortunately it feels like they are fighting a hydra...No chequered flag in sight..m
I don't know how these scammers succeed though, you have to have a successful sale where buyer receives the item first rigjt? The sales after that initial sale work where you upload a tracking number and the money is released but if I remember correctly the buyer had to receive my first sale before I got the money
Sometimes the buyer can truly get scammed. The seller does ship you a guitar and it could be a fake or nothing like you expected. This then goes to a dispute where you may or may not get your refund. Or you may receive package without a guitar and the seller will claim the guitar was shipped and you're lying. This goes to dispute and you may or may not get a refund. Also the seller can get scammed You ship a guitar and the buyer claims the box contained bricks. Reverb then refunds the buyer
Trogly got sent a little plastic guitar instead of a real one, and I think it was a Reverb listing.
Hi from Memphis! I go to that music store lol
If you don't live in the US, using Reverb is pointless because you'll spend enough in shipping/customs that you might as well have just bought whatever it is brand new.
A bargain on Reverb?
NEVER have I seen such an item.
A few fairly priced items but bargains?
Yes, I love this content!! Now buy my R L James aluminum guitar ;)
I brought some pink strat sadles from China - they arrived and they were made of marzipan.