Reverb Trend: Extortion by buyers
I have been selling on Reverb for nearly 3 years now. I launched a proper shop (called Callus Guitars) a few years ago. I am a luthier by trade and bend over backward to properly test and set up my guitars. If I wouldn't play it, I don't list it. I have 5 star feedback. Going along with that, I usually over-explain the condition of instruments in my listings, with many high resolution photos. But I have noticed a trend in the last couple of months with buyers using the Reverb complaint system to take advantage and extort sellers. Word is out that Reverb "resolution specialists" almost always side with the buyer and issue a refund. Here's the most recent and worst case:
I sold an Ibanez AE510 acoustic guitar that was in absolutely beautiful shape, with deluxe case, with paperwork, etc. A pro instrument in pro condition. Listed as "excellent" because it was. One of the few guitars I ever imagined having issues with given its condition. The buyer, who had zero transactions, lowballed me, and I eventually came down about $120 on it. Then he messaged a week later with damage claims and asked for a $200 refund. His message included such unkind language as "you better make this right or I will make it right." He mostly was arguing that this was not "Excellent" in terms of condition and noted:
- scuffing on pickguard
- wear around where the bridge pins seat, one "mismatched" bridge pin and damage on the bridge around the bridge pins (I later confirmed the damage was caused by the buyer himself when he was messing with the bridge)
- the guitar needs a setup
- there is a scratch on the neck near the neck strap button (most likely caused by the rubbing of a previous strap) and an indentation above the first fret (which was clearly visible in my photos).
I explained to him that pre-owned guitars typically show signs of being played and typically need a setup for new owners. I pointed him to my many high resolution photos. And then I showed him that there was no damage around the bridge. (I do extensive demo videos before I ship all guitars to protect against this kind of thing). I declined his refund request. It seemed pretty obvious what was going on. Fast forward a week later, and I get message from Reverb that a dispute was filed and Reverb, without any of my input immediately sided with the buyer WHO HAS NOW REQUESTED AND BEEN GRANTED $350. So they give him $350 on a guitar with a total cost of $681 without even involving me. Man, did he win the Reverb lottery. He got it half price!
I messaged my "resolution specialist" in the case, and informed him that Reverb and I were being extorted. That this behavior does damage to my business and to Reverb's business. I asked to speak to someone. "No" is always the response when you ask for a call, and I got a swift "no" within minutes. Of course, the "resolution specialist" gets defensive because they are the ones who personally ruled in the case, so now they are defending the buyer. But they defends the buyer by showing me my own photos of my own sales listing that clearly show all the wear that the buyer is complaining about. So I ask again for a call. We'll see what happens.
I note this as a trend because I have had three such cases like this recently. In one case in December 2024, it was another guitar in excellent condition that the buyer messaged showing CRACKS had magically appeared in it. He was hardly even trying. He was photographing a different guitar (but the same model that I had sold him) with cracks in it in an attempt to get money out of me. He also filed a dispute with Reverb using those terrible photos. I told that Reveb "resolution specialist" to acquire video of the damage that included verification of the serial number. I don't think they are even checking this stuff. I didn't hear anything else from them after the first email. They have so many requests and so few employees that they just plow through these cases without any due diligence. Some higher up probably told them that it is more advantageous to keep buyers happy than sellers. That way they will keep coming back. And I cannot understand their refusal to ever have a phone call with anyone ever.
Sorry for the length. Really not trying to make this a rant. I just wanted to share. Not sure what I can learn here or do better to avoid. I guess I should not accept sales from someone with no transactions? The thing is, I don't even think that listing the condition as "Very Good" instead of "Excellent" would have helped me here. The buyer could have still made the claim that it wasn't "Very Good" according to him and probably got his $350. I list about half my stuff as "as-is" now because I have had guitars returned in the past that were damaged. Reverb also charges me the max insurance amount on all my items now (3%). So, for example, even if I sell a vintage Gibson ABR bridge for $300, which is basically indestructible, I am paying $9 in Reverb insurance. I wish I could buy extortion insurance. That I would pay 3% for.
Feel free to share your stories. What have you been seeing? Aren't pictures considered to be part of the "description" of the listing? How do you handle this? What else can I do to protect against extortion on Reverb?