Ebay and Reverb question

Narzugon

Narzugon

Power User
I don't sell much gear. I have an Ebay account but it's been a while since I've listed anything. I've never sold on Reverb. I was looking at the fee's for each. Ebay is really confusing. It looks like I'd pay a total of 3.5% but then I do their Fee Calculator and Illustrator and it looks like 10%.

From what I can tell about Reverb it would be 3.5%. But I'm unsure of payment processing fees. The way I'm reading it those are passed to the buyer?

For those of you who are regular sellers, what total percentage can I expect to pay?

Selling: Axe Fx MkI and MFC MkII

Ebay: I'm not a store and rarely sell. No bells or whistles on my add. Basic everything. Fixed price for 1 week. Buyer pays shipping.

Reverb: I just created an account and would sell with the same/similar options as ebay.
 
I've sold a ton of stuff on reverb. I think it was 3.5% - and it comes out of the SELLER, not the buyer. And if you end up changing your mind, or selling it to your neighbor, you just take it down - no fees.
 
Had a guitar dealer tell me a week or so ago that eBay reduced their fees on Musical Instruments to compete with Reverb. I can't confirm that but it's worth a check.
 
mwd said:
Had a guitar dealer tell me a week or so ago that eBay reduced their fees on Musical Instruments to compete with Reverb. I can't confirm that but it's worth a check.
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That is interesting, and your post made me do a quick search. It seems that eBay did drop their fees but only on guitars and basses?

https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-reduces-fees-for-music-enthusiasts/

Edit: I saw the article mentions amps, pedals, etc. but I sold an amp a few months back and paid the full 10% FVF...
 
Agreed about Reverb. Approx 3.5% fees. And you can get your shipping thru them which saves you a bunch (I don't know if Ebay has a similar option). I just sold my Deluxe on Reverb and probably saved $30 or more compared to just going to the UPS store.

I also feel like there's more accountability on both sides w/ Reverb, though I have no actual facts. A buddy of mine does Ebay pretty frequently and rarely has a problem, but something about Reverb just feels more transparent.
 
I've sold a bunch on Reverb. Seems to be a great place to exchange gear these days. It's about 3.5% fees and then another 3ish for credit card/paypal fees. I usually account for 6%. I love the option of purchasing a shipping label right through reverb too. I've also used their shipping protection and ended up using them as an item I had sold was damaged in shipment and they took care of the repair for the buyer. Made that really easy.
 
Manny Kuhn said:
That is interesting, and your post made me do a quick search. It seems that eBay did drop their fees but only on guitars and basses?

https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-reduces-fees-for-music-enthusiasts/

Edit: I saw the article mentions amps, pedals, etc. but I sold an amp a few months back and paid the full 10% FVF...
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I didn't see the article but from what I've found on EBay's support site 3.6% only applies to anything under their category labeled "Guitar and Basses". Everything outside of that category is 10%.

https://www.fees.ebay.com/feeweb/feecalculator

Thanks for the advice and info gents. I think I'll give Reverb a shot.
 
I started using Reverb 2-3 years ago. Now I only sell on Reverb, but I will buy on eBay. I found eBay was about 9-10% fees and Reverb is 6-7%. My numbers include Payal fees because that is the expected payment method. I sold off $20k worth of studio gear on Reverb just over a year ago. It works! Plus they will actually communicate with you if you have a problem or a question.
 
ebay lowered fees to 3.5% on only guitar/bass related stuff- so pro audio- mics and amps are still more

I think the flat fee for NONE STORES is 10%
but having a store will drop you to 3.5%

if it's a $2000 axe/mfc - it pays for itself in one month

I think a store starts at only $15 a month-

ALSO....
Narzugon said:
From what I can tell about Reverb it would be 3.5%. But I'm unsure of payment processing fees. The way I'm reading it those are passed to the buyer?
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The reverb fees are almost the same as paypal about 3%- so you eat that...
lets say an axefx+mfc is $2000 used- (idk what they're going for now)
you would get $1940

They're also super slow compared to paypal in processing payment-
Paypal is immediate- reverb processes it SEVERAL days after the item SHIPS



Narzugon said:
Buyer pays shipping.
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This is where you're wrong
BIG TIME

Ebay likes free shipping
Buyers like free shipping
That's why amazon is worth trillions- free/fast shipping

SO what does ebay do to get people to offer free shipping- charge a final value fee on shipping
Which is 10%

$1950 axefx/mfc +$50 shipping
68$ fees
$5 shipping final value fee
60$ paypal
=133 round trip

NOW
$2000 free shipping
$70 fees
$60 paypal
=130

A better example- you sell that axe fx internationally and shipping is $150
Fees on the shipping $15 right?
NO- if your first option for domestic shipping is FREE- you don't get charged anything on international shipping

Last-
without a store to get you the lower fees...
you'd be paying $260 in fees and a store is $15-20 a month for one month

I'll tell you this- anything with free shipping sells faster than charge shipping
AND flat shipping sells faster than calculated shipping

BUT- cover the shipping
you pass it along to the buyer anyway- might as well look better and save yourself a few bucks
 
I have bought and sold on both for quite a while. I much prefer Reverb. Their pricing is much lower and they protect the Seller as well as the Buyer. eBay only protects the Buyer. I was scammed on eBay more than once by unscrupulous buyers. Reverb has protected me twice now from such shenanigans. Do yourself a favor and use Reverb.
 
Sold a preamp on the bay for $350. The bay and PayPal took just over $50 in fees for the sale. I sold a power amp on Reverb for $350 and they took $12 and change. Both sales were about 3 years ago but Reverb is still the way to go.
 
I try to sell on Reverb first, and if it doesn't sell after a while, I'll go to eBay.
Reason: Reverb has less fees, but eBay has greater traffic.

But if eBay has reduced fees to be in line with Reverb, I'll likely start putting more on eBay.

I generally have loved Reverb....up until (recently) I had a dead beat buyer. He was jerking me around for weeks. I contacted Reverb twice, and although on the site, they say 'we take non paying buyer issues very seriously'....they didn't do anything. I mean not a single thing.
 
I've bought and sold on both. While Reverb has been a generally good experience, Ebay has many times the users and has always moved items faster for me, and had a wider selection for most items when I am shopping. They're both businesses, so expect that using them will cost and take the time to see what your cost will be up front. The forgoing posts will be a great help.

I know a lot of folks slam Ebay, and I am sure they have good reason, but I have been on since 1998 and find that if you educate yourself on the market for your item, and their cost structure, you pretty much get exactly what you expect. Reverb has gained ground, and you can always list the items right here on Fractal Forum. Get the facts, make an educated choice, and you'll be fine on any of the three.
 
Jeries said:
SO what does ebay do to get people to offer free shipping- charge a final value fee on shipping.... Which is 10%
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I can't say as to their current promotions such as Fast-n-Free but back in the day the reason they started charging a final value fee on shipping was because instead of selling (example) a 150.00 item plus a true 20.00 shipping merchants were selling a 150.00 item for 100.00 bucks plus 70.00 shipping.

The ending price was still reasonable but eBay was (theoretically) getting screwed out of a chunk of their fees due to a large percentage of the final price being collected as ridiculous shipping rates that eBay did not charge fees for.
 
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