Reverb site rant

I haven't actually bought anything on Reverb, but gut level, I don't feel like eBay has my back at all, and Reverb sort of does, kinda.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
That's absolutely not true. I don't use Plaid, never heard of them, and pay and get paid through Reverb, without it.

Stop spreading rumors and stick to accurate statements and separate the app from the company. Reverb isn't behind this, Plaid is, so drop Plaid, change your password, and take it as a lesson learned.
Click to expand...
Wow, I find it interesting that you seem to know exactly what reverb told me. They specifically told me this was the only option just yesterday. So how about you stop assuming I get off on spreading misinformation. If it’s wrong it is reverb that spread it to me. I got the info from customer service via online chat
 
It may be that this is a new requirement if people are just setting up direct deposit. Like I said I was PayPal before and it’s been maybe a year since I’ve sold anything.
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
Wow, I find it interesting that you seem to know exactly what reverb told me. They specifically told me this was the only option just yesterday. So how about you stop assuming I get off on spreading misinformation. If it’s wrong it is reverb that spread it to me. I got the info from customer service via online chat
Click to expand...
I know what Reverb told me…

Chat started on 29 Nov 2021, 07:58 PM (GMT+0)​
(07:58:43)* Greg Ferguson joined the chat *
(07:58:43)Greg Ferguson: I'm trying to get some information on rumors that Reverb will only accept payments through "Plaid".
(07:58:46)* Sam R. joined the chat *
(07:58:49)Sam R.: Hey, Sam from Reverb here!
(07:58:56)Greg Ferguson: Hi Sam!
(07:59:09)Sam R.: We can always disable Plaid for our sellers, but Plaid does make it easier to confirm your bank information.
(07:59:30)Sam R.: https://help.reverb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002778613-How-to-Get-Paid-with-Reverb-Payments-
(07:59:35)Sam R.: You can read more about using Plaid there!
(08:00:17)Greg Ferguson: K. Excellent. But, to confirm, Plaid isn't a requirement, it's just to make it easier to confirm the payment information.
(08:00:48)Sam R.: Plaid makes it easier for you to confirm your payout information, which helps with any bounce backs.
(08:01:01)Sam R.: We can't see as much of that info otherwise, so it would take a little longer to process.
(08:01:07)Greg Ferguson: And, I'm guessing that Plaid would step out of the way once that information has been cleared?
(08:01:10)Sam R.: So if you do not want to use Plaid, let us know and we can always disable it for your account/
(08:01:19)Sam R.: Yes.
(08:01:52)Greg Ferguson: K. Well, I've been selling on Reverb a long time, have had no problems with payouts and they're fast. I'm just trying to understand what's going on.
(08:02:09)Greg Ferguson: Are existing merchants/sellers going to be pressed to switch to using it?
(08:02:52)Sam R.: No.
(08:03:10)Sam R.: As mentioned, it is always very easy for us to disable it as well.
(08:03:12)Greg Ferguson: Good. I'm a creature of habit that way. :)
(08:03:15)Sam R.: But your current info is still in there.
(08:03:18)Sam R.: All good!
(08:03:50)Greg Ferguson: Y'all might want to have a look at this thread to see if you can calm down a firestorm…https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/reverb-site-rant.179063/
(08:05:19)Greg Ferguson: You've answered my questions well and I appreciate the time. Thanks!
(08:05:35)Sam R.: It's my pleasure helping you today. If there's anything else you can check our Reverb Help Center. https://help.reverb.com
(08:05:38)* Sam R. left the chat *
(08:06:00)* Greg Ferguson left the chat *
 
AS I mentioned, Reverb was pretty good, got worse, now has gotten better. They seem to be trying to adjust to life in the music world vs the pure Esty world. The payment thing is pretty much the standard process these days with selling on reverb or ebay...it just is reverb cut out paypal it seems and that isn't really all that bad. The other thing is, paypal has a direct link to your bank account just like Reverb does, but any strong bank has a fraud area and they usually are on top of anything happening.
 
So anyway, maybe I didn’t ask the right questions but they certainly never mentioned to me any options to disable Plaid. There were certainly no options other than Plaid in the link bank dialog. The screenshot I includdd above was the end, nothing else to do.

Either way I think it’s kind of strange that you’re hell bent on defending Reverb. I asked for another option, they refused. Am I at fault for not asking the right questions? I’m still claiming BS
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
I think it’s kind of strange that you’re hell bent on defending Reverb.
Click to expand...
I'm not interested in defending Reverb, I just want information that makes sense and that fits the experience I, and others, have had and that fits into what I know about how their systems need to work.

Reverb, like every other company out there, has to take advantage of improvements. I worked in IT a long time in many capacities, from major corporations to startups, and had my hands in a lot of code, and have a good idea the issues Reverb and other companies encounter, and the rules they have to follow regarding financial information. It's an extremely tightly controlled environment that is a major PITA because of the legal rules. A company like Reverb, or the startups I was in, cannot afford to screw that stuff up. So for them to work with a company like Plaid who was, seemingly, asking for personal account information for the wrong reasons, alarms went off in my head.

Researching Plaid, and based on what Reverb's support said, plus my experience in my corporate day-job, fits together and tells a different story than what was being promulgated.

Plaid is trying to provide a simple interface for companies who need to talk to user's bank accounts. There are thousands of banks, credit-unions, financial institutions, etc. in the U.S., all with different ways of connecting. Companies that need to move money have to write and maintain APIs, and they break every time the user's "bank" changes their method of connecting. It's hugely expensive and frustrating for the company, and for their users. Plaid has a simple API and they handle the work of managing that connection. "Why is Plaid involved?" discusses it. As an IT-kinda guy, this is a MAJOR improvement for the companies, and lets them focus on their core tasks. I'd do it if I was a CIO/CTO/CFO if the offering company had the credentials to prove they were responsible for their data and the data connections. "How we handle your data" is also useful.

As Reverb said, it's not essential that people sign up for Plaid. But, without it, payouts could be delayed, especially when there's a problem in the transaction that has to be diagnosed.

This information was missing from the OP, and was needed. If you don't want Plaid, and want to use Reverb, then do so. If you don't want to use Reverb, then don't. I don't care. I do care when it sounds like there's a man-in-the-middle attack going on or phishing, especially if it involves a company I use for my own sales and purchases because it could affect me too.
 
Last edited:
Some of the bruhaha here is on me for bringing up the phishing possibility, but you can see how that happened, and it's not an unreasonable worry, given the situation as described.

Some of it is on Reverb, for not simply displaying the option not to use Plaid, instead of you having to know there's an invisible alternative, and having to contact support to get it enabled.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Some of the bruhaha here is on me for bringing up the phishing possibility, but you can see how that happened, and it's not an unreasonable worry, given the situation as described.

Some of it is on Reverb, for not simply displaying the option not to use Plaid, instead of you having to know there's an invisible alternative, and having to contact support to get it enabled.
Click to expand...

Yup. After checking my own account Reverb is DEFINITELY herding people towards the Plaid (plaid or played?) ;)
App, and making it look like there are no other options for syncing a bank account to Reverb Payouts.
 
la noise said:
Yup. After checking my own account Reverb is DEFINITELY herding people towards the Plaid (plaid or played?) ;)
App, and making it look like there are no other options for syncing a bank account to Reverb Payouts.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm looking at the link on the account policies page where you set up bank account info for payouts. I see no option presented there except Plaid, which entails giving them your bank account username/password. I understand sellers who linked their bank account long ago didn't need to go through this, but that page presents no alternatives for new sellers.

It seems to me the OP has a good question here: "What the F is wrong with Reverb’s newish payout policy?"
 
Yup. If you are overseas they give you the option of a "manual entry." No such
thing presented for those in the USA or Canada.

Makes me wonder if Reverb/Etsy has entered with some kind of mutually beneficial ($$$)
agreement with Plaid.
 
VISA purchased, and now effectively owns, Plaid. VISA gave a $5.3 billion purchase to its developers.

My hunch is Plaid is gonna be around for a while.
 
la noise said:
making it look like there are no other options for syncing a bank account to Reverb Payouts.
Click to expand...
I really dislike that kind of manipulation - I mostly buy/sell gear locally, cash only + meet in a public place type thing and using local buy/sell boards. I've probably missed out on a lot but have just heard too many horror stories. The only thing I've sold long distance was my Axefx Ultra years ago using paypal for payment - after shipment, the buyer no longer wanted to sign for it and starts trying to get me to change the shipping terms so someone else can accept the package and then got po"d with me cuz I insisted he accept it so I have proof the person I sold it to is the one who actually got it - what a royal pita - I can't be bothered any more - got a bunch of stuff to sell but procrastinating due to just not wanting to deal with the bs.
 
sprint said:
I really dislike that kind of manipulation - I mostly buy/sell gear locally, cash only + meet in a public place type thing and using local buy/sell boards. I've probably missed out on a lot but have just heard too many horror stories. The only thing I've sold long distance was my Axefx Ultra years ago using paypal for payment - after shipment, the buyer no longer wanted to sign for it and starts trying to get me to change the shipping terms so someone else can accept the package and then got po"d with me cuz I insisted he accept it so I have proof the person I sold it to is the one who actually got it - what a royal pita - I can't be bothered any more - got a bunch of stuff to sell but procrastinating due to just not wanting to deal with the bs.
Click to expand...
I only sell to GC these days. I'm tired of Craigslist lowlifes wasting my time. I'm tired of ebay buyers scamming me. I'm tired of Paypal treating me like dirt. I'm tired of the time it takes to do a good job of shipping. Yes, I costs me a bit to sell through GC, but it's well worth it for me to get my money, hassle free, in just a few minutes.
 
GlennO said:
costs me a bit to sell through GC,
Click to expand...
no GC in Canada - we have Long and McQuade which is similar - they buy used stuff but their take is high for me as a home player selling gear that's usually like new in original box. But ya - for the convenience and no hassle/no bs - probably worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom