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It can do as it does, because it has no competition. I hope Reverb starts to compete here in Blighty, but it takes many years to build up a market awareness the likes of eBay.
People have set up their own websites or use facebook. Social media is the big game changer really. Then there are sites like etsy and other free classifieds. There are lots of alternatives, especially if you have a particular niche.
I think Ebay is in trouble big time.
They'd rather the entire transaction took place online where they can claim their 13%.
I can kind of understand that they don't want people using eBay as a glorified classifieds resource & bypassing their fees, but the Draconian approach they're using seems counterproductive.
Perhaps increased upfront listing fees would work?
Punters who have paid a listing fee on an item that fails to sell moan. If eBay shifts the emphasis to taking a percentage of the final selling price, vendors of high value items moan.
The system is geared up to serve on-line retail of "brand new in box" items. The business model does not suit those hoping to sell bulky or self-propelled items or, for that matter, any item that it would be unwise to buy without checking in person.
As soon as buyer, seller, goods and negotiable currency are gathered together, eBay/PayPal is out of the loop.
I'd be relatively certain that that would be a fairly sensible move on their part too---I'd imagine that problem sellers and items are far more likely to come from the "second hand, private seller" pile than from the "brand new, business seller" pile.
I've never bothered replying with "I used to sell on Ebay, until you changed all the rules and made it a nightmare for small-volume, high-value-item private sellers", since I assume it wouldn't make any difference even if it got read...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
You can get banned by association too. A few years ago I got my account suspended for several months just for being related to someone who got banned. I hadn't done anything wrong and had 100% feedback etc, squeeky clean selling account.
Thing with Reverb is it's like a marketplace for anoraks like us, so there's no bargains, they even give you a price guide when you list. I've not had any success with Reverb, just listings that go on for ages with the occasional watcher.
I think people are underestimating the user rate of eBay for musical instruments. I'd guess that only 1 out of 5 guitarists in this country have heard of Reverb, maybe less - you'd only become aware of it if you were already involved in the online music space, and plenty of people aren't.
If they banned me i wouldnt be that bothered TBH.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I've pretty much stopped using eBay except to purchase small value items. I still scan the pedals regularly hoping to find that 14 pin OD-1 for a hundred quid but I'm not holding my breath. If you're interested in collecting old pedals though, where else is there? Reverb is uniformly overpriced and not much vintage pedal stuff passes through here.
Not excusing the way they're treating their patron's but for all the "fuck eBay, sell on reverb" diatribe you'll nearly always find a buyer on eBay and when selling on reverb can be a pain in the ass.