Any experience with offers / counter-offers on Reverb.com?

[HSS]

Late last night I listed a "vintage" chrome-over-brass early 70's Rogers Dynasonic 6.5" x. 14" snare drum on Reverb.com at a price point a couple of hundred bucks below what others were listing similar drums for ($750 - $1000). When I woke up this morning, much to my surprise I already had a couple of offers, one of which was just $50 below my target price ($475 plus $75 shipping). I'm thinking about a counter-offer but I don't want to risk losing a quick sale for $50.

 

Of course offers and counter-offers are the way transactions are normally done but I've read on some forums that there is a lot of "ghosting" on Reverb.com with potential buyers low-balling and then disappearing when their initial offer isn't accepted or when payment is supposed to be made. In fact, I read on couple forums that, for whatever reason, ghosting is a lot more common on Reverb.com than on Ebay or CL.

 

Back to the original question: Does anyone have any experience with offers / counter offers on Reverb.com?

 

FWIW I've also listed my Hammond SK2 on Reverb.com as well as here in the KC classifieds.

[Doerfler]

Everything I've ever listed on Reverb gets offers below what I am asking if I include a make offer option. I would always take a quick 90% of what I was asking if that is the best offer I got and move on. As always, YMMV, but that's what I would do.

[OB Dave]

Same here. Pretty much anything I sell there or on CL I price assuming there will be some haggling. I generally would take a 90% offer without much hesitation.

 

FWIW I've never had anyone 'ghost' on my on Reverb, but then I've only sold maybe 10 pieces of gear there.

[hardware]

I dont budge an inch.

 

I make the price for a quick sale, Ive already made my money with it.

 

But still somebody always tries to beaver me down on price with an offer.

I always counter offer with a price higher than the asking price.

Puts an end to the haggling.

[Threadslayer]

I always counter offer with a price higher than the asking price.

That's one of my old moves. If you do it right, it drives people nuts.

[MathOfInsects]

I always counter offer with a price higher than the asking price.

That's one of my old moves. If you do it right, it drives people nuts.

 

I do it to the kids for the remaining minutes of something. "Five minutes and we're going." "How about 10?" "How about three then." "OK five!!"

[HSS]

I went for the quick sale with no counter-offer and sold my snare drum yesterday afternoon. This was the first-time I've sold anything on Reverb.com and I'm, at least initially, satisfied with the site.

 

The total fee paid to Reverb.com for my sale was 6.2% (using Reverb's credit card payment) which is substantially less than Ebay. Also, there's a decent shipping discount if you purchase and print the shipping label on site. All-in-all, my initial impression is that Reverb.com seems to be a better deal for selling music gear than Ebay, although Ebay certainly has a much larger audience.

[OB Dave]

Glad you had a smooth sale. Reverb.coms customer service is great too. I had a keyboard get damaged in shipping and they covered the repair without any hasssle.

[BluMunk]

I sold a few instruments on Reverb for the first time earlier this year. No complaints.

 

Considering the market locally is quite small, I was able to take home much more money than I would have had I waited on a craigslist bite (which, for pricier keyboard gear, can take an eternity).

 

I had one guy offer a lower price a day or two after I listed, but I said no thank you. I wasn't desperate enough yet to give someone a great deal just because he asked for it.