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Listing views - eBay vs Reverb


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So I thought I would try Reverb out as the fees are slightly cheaper than eBay. As Reverb is just for music gear I thought it might be interesting to list an item on both sites and compare the interest.

 

I am listing a Nord Electro 6D 61 which is a popular keyboard. Price with a Nord gig bag is about £350 below retail so I expected to get some interest. After 6 days I have had over 100 views and one enquiry on eBay compared with just 6 - yes 6 views on Reverb.

 

11 watchers on eBay and none on Reverb.

 

I ended opening a private window in Safari and refreshed the listing loads of times to see if it was updating so it"s now saying 19 views. No views at all today. Now Reverb has the bump option but if your item sells you pay extra.

 

I don"t get it - do I need to use the bump option?

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I wouldn't use the bump option unless there were dozens of similar keyboards in a similar price range. My guess is that anyone spending that much would take the time to at least scroll through the listings. I have sold on both websites, but prefer Reverb over eBay for the better protection they provide for sellers, although that's only second-hand info and I haven't put it to the test. I do tend to believe there are more potential buyers for music gear on eBay, tho.
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Just for curiosity, I did a search for it on Reverb, and got the message ' We don't have any used listings for this product right now.'

So, is it spelled correctly in the add ? Or is it listed as a new item ?

/Bjørn - old gearjunkie, still with lot of GAS
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There are all sorts of factors here. Ebay has been around a LONG time, I started in 2000 and it was going strong then.

They've had time to build an enormous international customer base. It could take time for Reverb to build an equivalent base for music gear, even though they've been around for a while.

 

And, eBay has declared war on Reverb. One shot across the bows is the fees that eBay recently changed for all guitar listings (which is probably their best musical instrument sales listing area if one just counts $$$ and number of customers).

 

Ebay fees for selling guitars is currently 3.5%, that is lower than Reverb fees by a considerable margin. That should draw that customer base back to eBay, at least to some extent.

 

Both sites have their benefits and defects but your numbers don't sound skewed to me but more or less what I would expect. When I am shopping, I also check the Guitar Center used section, there are bargains to be had there due to a company policy of flipping out of any gear that has been in a store for one year or more. That and the probability that they did not give much for a trade in on an item in the first place.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Just for curiosity, I did a search for it on Reverb, and got the message ' We don't have any used listings for this product right now.'

So, is it spelled correctly in the add ? Or is it listed as a new item ?

Interesting but I have searched for Nord Electro 6 and it came up, although it was low down in the results. I used their recommended title. I think I will change that to just Nord Electro 6D.

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And, eBay has declared war on Reverb. One shot across the bows is the fees that eBay recently changed for all guitar listings (which is probably their best musical instrument sales listing area if one just counts $$$ and number of customers).

 

Ebay fees for selling guitars is currently 3.5%, that is lower than Reverb fees by a considerable margin. That should draw that customer base back to eBay, at least to some extent.

 

I wasn"t aware of the lower fees for guitars. Maybe Reverb know it"s listed on eBay and have bumped it down!

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I don't see it either. Is there something in your settings that indicates you aren't willing to ship to the US, and for that reason Reverb might not show it to me? Or maybe there is something in my settings that needs adjustment :idk:

You're probably right because it's local pickup in the UK.

 

At least here in the US, there are a ton of listings for the E6D. You didn't mention if it was a 61 or 73, but there are lots of both here.

I edited the title from "Nord Electro 6D 61-Key Semi Weighted Keyboard" to "Nord Electro 6" on the basis that less info might provide more hits. No difference. I've only had one viewing today.

 

Let's see if there is any action in the next few days.

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You're probably right because it's local pickup in the UK.

 

 

Let's see if there is any action in the next few days.

 

Are you comparing it to "local pickup in the UK" listings on eBay that are in the same area?

Otherwise it's apples and oranges.

 

I will guarantee you that aspect of your listing is the biggest factor in your results. You've eliminated a large customer base with that requirement.

I'm not saying it's wrong, I sell stuff on craigslist all the time and it is 100% "come get it here". Bellingham isn't a large city either, maybe 90+ thousand. I don't know how many people look at my craigslist listings but I've sold quite a few items that way. It is much easier if you don't have to ship something. But I would avoid Reverb and eBay for local listings since they both have return policies and you want to sell it once and be done with it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I've experienced some odd search results on Reverb.

 

As a seller, I'd probably stick to Reverb...actually as a buyer also though I'm more likely to buy new these days if I can find a deal. My used favorite dealer is guitar center, mainly because I have time to try things out and can return locally if I don't like it.

 

In reality I am sitting on some gear right now because the though of going through the selling process (whether craigslist or shipping via reverb) just leaves me with very little motivation. Ugh.

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Is Reverb cheaper for the seller than Ebay?

Reverb charge 5% plus fee of around 2.5% for handling the financial transaction. For most items I think eBay charge 10% although someone said earlier it"s 3.5% for guitars. I haven"t checked that is the case in the UK. There is no PayPal fee if you opt into letting eBay handle the money. So on the face of it Reverb is 2.5% cheaper.

 

But I have been selling on eBay for around 15 years and my seller status is 'above standard'. The reason I mention that is because every 2-4 weeks I receive a sellers offer usually offering a max fee of £1 or £2. So for the last few years I have sold most items for a max fee of £1 plus Paypal fees. However, now I don"t even pay those. This represents savings running into hundreds of pounds.

 

I"ve been downsizing for the last few years in preparation for moving house next year so I only have a few bits of gear left. I decided to use Reverb last month because I thought eBay had stopped giving me offers, thinking it might be linked to how many items I sell. Anyway, I got another offer so the Nord is on eBay (max fee £1) and i have removed the Reverb listing. I was still only getting one view a day but I did have one watcher!

 

I am still wary that eBay favours the buyer but pickup only helps to avoid some of those issues even if you narrow your market. As ever YMMV!

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Is Reverb cheaper for the seller than Ebay?

 

The only real answer is "it depends".

 

All Reverb listings are configured the same way, you post a price and shipping cost and buyers will generally make offers that are lower than your listed price.

Your price can only go down on Reverb (or on non-auction postings on eBay).

 

If the item you are selling is something that is very popular and no longer made then you might do better using the auction format on eBay.

I know I've done very well sometimes with eBay auctions, better than the "going rate".

 

Other items you are probably just as well off on Reverb. I've sold on both places but not recently on either.

I do remember that eBay had very generous discounts on shipping, particularly FedEx was about 40% discount from retail.

Reverb does discount shipping but not to the same extent. That may or may not be an equalizing factor.

 

In the end, we either sell it on one place or another and you can't compare one thing to the same thing sold elsewhere unless they are identical in all respects.

I do prefer Reverb's general tendencies to respect sellers as well as buyers but I've only had a couple of returns on eBay with 957 total feedback - good sharp photos showing all defects and brutally honest listings have been a factor in that equation. If buyers know what's wrong with an item going in they are much less likely to want to return it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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