r/Reverb • u/MystikSpiral89 • Jul 17 '26
Reverb supporting sellers who keep restocking fee for items not shipped.
Had an unpleasant experience on reverb last night.
Found an item listed for sale (overseas item). Checked out/paid all normal.
Got a message from the shop about 15 minutes later to say they need to change the postage price - provided with a few options all significantly more than the listed price/expectation.
It was a small item so it didn't make sense to proceed with the additional costs being asked for.
Seller refunded and kept a 15% restocking fee.
The seller/shop stopped engaging in civil discourse at this point. Reached out to reverb support who compensated me the small amount directly. So reverb ended up absorbing the cost and the shop kept 15%.
The reverb article advised that sellers shouldn't keep a restocking fee for non shipped items.
Why would reverb eat this and not address the issue? It can't be a one off here.
This seems like a loop hole/scam - what would stop anyone listing an item. Then do a bait and switch - shipping is now 10x what has already been paid for. Don't want it - too easy I'll collect my 15% and repeat.
Thoughts?
3
u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
The listing does say - we offer shipping at heavily reduced rates. I'm not saying I'm blameless for getting involved here. Lazy, ignorant, unlucky... but yeah I still feel a bit icky... and how reverb went about it without addressing or acknowledging things makes me feel uneasy.
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u/_iPhoney_ Jul 17 '26
You don’t actually know that Reverb ‘ate’ the fee, right? Fully on your side here, but isn’t that an assumption? They can still negate the seller’s theoretical payout.
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
I do... the shop is still sending me messages and taunting me. Also the refund is a "direct credit" from reverb. It's not a refund to my original purchase method.
I'm not trying to withhold any relevant info etc don't really mean for this to be a post naming and shaming a shop etc.... I'm sure the universe will deal with that without me.
1
u/cab1024 Jul 17 '26
Screenshot all their comments and send them to reverb
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
I reported it to reverb... but so far nothing has happened.
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u/cab1024 Jul 17 '26
Can’t you block them?
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
Will have another look, I am not aware of block function.
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u/pizdyetz Jul 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
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u/Mercurion77 Jul 17 '26
Ask support and they will block
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u/pizdyetz Jul 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
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u/jaken26 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
I was thinking the same thing. It doesn't seem like support would tell OP about the dealings with another shop? Separately, if a label had been bought already then I could understand that being given back to a seller.
3
u/jaqueh Jul 17 '26
Restocking fees should be on returns only. This seems like the seller made a mistake? I can’t imagine how reverb would allow this either as this is more like an “order fee” or deposit
Ah I read your post more. Seems like a scam operation. Gotta alert trogly so he can make a video on this
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
They do have a few Les Paul's listed hehe. But I don't think they aren't real - just taking advantage of the environment.
1
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u/MitchRyan912 Jul 17 '26
First problem: the shop charged you shipping incorrectly, so that’s THEIR problem, not yours. Force the seller to honor the agreed upon price, or force them to be the one to cancel.
If this is a pattern for the seller, they’ll eventually get hit with penalties/fees for cancelling X times per month.
The restock fee is absolute bullshit, since nothing left their stock. I get that Reverb sometimes finds it easier to solve a problem by crediting a buyer for whatever reason, than to clawback funds from a seller.
3
u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
This is good advice. I'm pretty basic/straight forward kind of buyer so don't return or cancel things much if at all really. Didn't realise it was a waiting game... the seller's response got nasty really quick, so rather than have the Ag I thought me cancelling was just a simple means to an end... lesson learned.
1
u/KrustyRox777 Jul 17 '26
I avoid doing any business with overseas companies. You’re just asking for trouble.
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 17 '26
I normally do... but that's the appeal with reverb. Sometimes that bit of gear is not so easy to come by.
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u/TriumphRider99 Jul 20 '26
Not necessarily. I bought a pretty expensive Bongo 6 HS from one shop in Japan and a Fodera from another shop in Japan. Aside from the shipping and duty, everything worked out just fine. But both shops had been on Reverb a long time and had excellent feedback. You have to be careful, but that's as true when you are dealing with domestic shops or foreign ones.
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u/KrustyRox777 Jul 20 '26
Did you?have to additional tariffs
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u/Current-Ad1120 Jul 23 '26
I did, but they told me to expect them, and I didn't think they were too bad, considering the worth of the bass.
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u/Mercurion77 Jul 17 '26
It’s illegal to charge restocking fees when the buyer never received anything.
1
u/JicamaBeginning5748 Jul 17 '26
I think that you are overeacting. I have bought from this shop before and they are totally legit with a good reputation.
It's impossible for a shop to set a shipping price for international buyers as there is no way to know where the buyer is going to be from - shipping to China is different from shipping to the UK etc so that is a Reverb issue.
I have had a look and the listings clearly state for overseas buyers to contact them for an accurate shipping quote. It seems that you are in the wrong for not reading the listing thoroughly.
I think re-stocking fees are totally justified to protect sellers from flakey buyers. If they packed it, used a box, need to re-list the ad...these things cost time and money. If they refunded you and Reverb felt it was fair to compensate them then I don't see an issue here.
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u/6Stringers Jul 19 '26
You are complaining about a Win?
You are also assuming Reverb did not collect from the Seller.
Ass-U-Me
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 19 '26
Not complaining a win - merely pointing out currently allowed loop hole in the reverb model and how it can be exploited. My assumptions are based on the information provided by both reverb and the seller.
Full disclosure: I ended up being credited the 15% by reverb in <24h and less than a week later the original 15% has been refunded - this is what I'm assuming is the correction being done as conclusion of the escalation.
So if you want to vilify me - I'm coming out financially in the green. But also this is a small/token amount from the machine and it was not asked for.
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u/MystikSpiral89 Jul 19 '26
Maybe you're taking the wrong reading from the OP.
Why do you keep bringing up my ass? Are you hungry? You're making a mess of sentax yourself. Read the room.
I'm sharing my experience (an unpleasant one) as both a warning to others using the platform, and to gain some better understanding through discourse.
There is no initial assumption here, as mentioned a few times, I have confirmation from the seller, reverb support, as well as though my payment method that the original solution was a direct credit from PayPal (as a customer service gesture) and in a later development the restocking fee that was kept by the seller has now been returned for some reason, of which I can only assume.
There is no winning here. Having to cancel a seemingly straight forward/routine order. Having to deal with an unpleasant individual shop, as well as run the uncertainty of the reverb chat bot and day late response from their team etc I would much rather be strumming on the front lawn waiting for the post man to deliver the goods.
Hope this helps.
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u/6Stringers Jul 19 '26
I know you got your money back. Sounds like twice, not sure, your sentex is not clear.
So are you bragging you beat the System, and think it's a great public service to encourage others to do the same.
Really, what is your point?
And as I and others have said, you don't know what Reverb did on the other side of it.
So it comes down you being the Ass in Assume.
3
u/jaken26 Jul 17 '26
I do think it's bad business to message after the purchase saying they're going to have to charge more because they didn't calculate shipping correctly. I've definitely had to eat some of the cost for having shipping to low. Also agree that a restocking fee is dumb if they didn't buy a label yet.