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Do Scammers use Reverb?

wernerg

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Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
I just sold a vintage Les Paul on Reverb, and buyer paid immediately via Reverb.

However, he says he is not in the U.S., and I am to ship to his "shipping agent" in Oregon.

Is this legit? Is there any way he can accept the guitar and cancel the payment?

In the past, for that same guitar, I have gotten fake PayPal confirmations, but this went through the official Reverb channels...
 

wernerg

Active member
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Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
I chatted with Reverb customer service and was impressed by their quick response. They confirmed this buyer was in good standing, no red flags preventing me from shipping, and that I was protected anyway, as long as my shipment plays by the rules.

I know Reverb is an LPF sponsor, so kudos to them!!!
 

jrgtr42

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Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I get why this sounds fishy, and scammers can, will and do use every platform they can to weasel you out of your money and / or goods.
But looks like you did exactly what |I was going to suggest - talk to Reverb themselves about it, and see what does and doesn't cover.
I would additionally make sure you have photos of the packing process, make sure when you ship it there's tracking all along, and let the buyers know the tracking info.
Beyond playing by the rules, I would go above and beyond them just to be safe.
|Probably also keep in touch with Reverb customer service a well... again to be safe.
 

wernerg

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Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
I get why this sounds fishy, and scammers can, will and do use every platform they can to weasel you out of your money and / or goods.
But looks like you did exactly what |I was going to suggest - talk to Reverb themselves about it, and see what does and doesn't cover.
I would additionally make sure you have photos of the packing process, make sure when you ship it there's tracking all along, and let the buyers know the tracking info.
Beyond playing by the rules, I would go above and beyond them just to be safe.
|Probably also keep in touch with Reverb customer service a well... again to be safe.
Yes, jrgtr42, that's exactly what I did: took pictures of the condition of the guitar in front of the running TV for timestamp verification, and again took pictures of the box. Sent everything via the process prescribed by Reverb.

I am very happy to let Reverb earn a small part of my sales revenue, in consideration of their platform. Money well spent.
 

Stone

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Jun 22, 2003
Messages
147
I don't know about this buyer in particuar, but the "shipping agent" stuff is pretty common for us folks outside the US who want to buy from sellers scared to ship outside of the US. Unfortunately pretty common on Reverb.

You buy and get it shipped to an US address and the agent then forwards you the item to your European Union home address.

In the end, between shipping, agent fees, customs and whatnot it's a pretty penny you pay extra, but sometimes it's worth it for some items.
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
I sold to several Straw buyers over the years , never a problem .

Although yes it is deceptive when you state clearly in your add , No sale or Shipping outside the USA .

Now the buyer using a deceptive STRAW buyer has engaged a air of DECEPTION unsettling to a seller .

Yes I do feel SCAMMED when buyers behave in such a fashion of DECEPTION .

If buyer is unhappy I will use all the transaction resources available to block any funds being returned .

Bottom line, yes STRAW buyers are a SCAM !!!!!!
 

gakees

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Joined
May 11, 2004
Messages
141
I just sold a vintage Les Paul on Reverb, and buyer paid immediately via Reverb.

However, he says he is not in the U.S., and I am to ship to his "shipping agent" in Oregon.

Is this legit? Is there any way he can accept the guitar and cancel the payment?

In the past, for that same guitar, I have gotten fake PayPal confirmations, but this went through the official Reverb channels...
I'm guessing I sold a guitar to this same person a couple of years ago. Your story sounds all too familiar. The transaction went great.
 

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
I sold to several Straw buyers over the years , never a problem .

Although yes it is deceptive when you state clearly in your add , No sale or Shipping outside the USA .

Now the buyer using a deceptive STRAW buyer has engaged a air of DECEPTION unsettling to a seller .

Yes I do feel SCAMMED when buyers behave in such a fashion of DECEPTION .

If buyer is unhappy I will use all the transaction resources available to block any funds being returned .

Bottom line, yes STRAW buyers are a SCAM !!!!!!
It's not a scam to want to buy something from seller who doesn't want to ship international. The seller is not inconvenienced in any way. What's the problem?
 
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AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
It's not a scam to want to buy something from seller who doesn't want to ship international. The seller is not inconvenienced in any way. What's the problem?
You really need this spelled out ? , I have 35+ of brick & mortar Business ownership & yes some includes buying & selling .

  • Complexity. Using a mail forwarding service significantly complicates returns and exchanges.
  • Diminished goodwill. International buyers that have already paid high shipping costs and endured long wait times for mail forwarding are often more frustrated—and thus more difficult to work with—than domestic buyers if something goes wrong.
  • Cost disputes. Buyers may expect/believe that sellers ought to cover return shipping if the product is defective—but in mail forwarding cases this can mean very high shipping costs and added headaches.
  • Risk of damage and loss. When a seller ships to a mail forwarding service, they lose control over the shipment method and package handling involved; there is no way to know who will handle the package at the service, how they will handle it or what shipment service they will use to send it on to its final recipient.
Pretty much business 101
 

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
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That all makes sense from a business standpoint.

Using Reverb and other person to person buying selling services, this has never been a problem for me. All international buyers that I have sold to disclosed up front and acknowledged their liability. none have question any items and all understood that without fail. Most "had a friend in the US" and I don't think any used a commercial service.
 

wernerg

Active member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
Update: After Reverb customer service (super helpful, super quick) told me that the buyer has a solid track record, I shipped the guitar to the agent's address in the U.S. following the Reverb process. Reverb authorized the payment to me and I expect the money to hit my account before the end of the week.

Whoever ends up owning this guitar - good luck to them. I feel bad for doubting the legitimacy of the buyer, but at the end of the day, it was a great transaction, facilitated by Reverb,
 

nedieudon

New member
Joined
Jun 21, 2021
Messages
2
You did nothing wrong. Scammers today use every platform they can to benefit from inattentive users. So, in this case, your pickiness is pretty justified. It helps the security system to track suspicious tricks and prevent potential scams. You're lucky that the Reverb customer service reacted super quickly to your situation because sometimes trading platforms can be super slow. I guess Reverb uses chargeback prevention software similar to https://covery.ai/products/ethoca-chargeback-prevention that increases the acceptance rate and eliminates fraud risks. No doubt, modern technologies are beneficial, but people should be careful anyway.
 
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wmachine

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
303
No, scammers don't use Reverb. They all take a vow at scammer school to make Reverb off limits. Truth is that scammers are at epidemic levels in every imaginable place, and a lot of unimaginable places. So unfortunately, that forces "us" to take precautionary measures that unfortunately untrusting. Sad that it has come to that.
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
You really need this spelled out ? , I have 35+ of brick & mortar Business ownership & yes some includes buying & selling .

  • Complexity. Using a mail forwarding service significantly complicates returns and exchanges.
  • Diminished goodwill. International buyers that have already paid high shipping costs and endured long wait times for mail forwarding are often more frustrated—and thus more difficult to work with—than domestic buyers if something goes wrong.
  • Cost disputes. Buyers may expect/believe that sellers ought to cover return shipping if the product is defective—but in mail forwarding cases this can mean very high shipping costs and added headaches.
  • Risk of damage and loss. When a seller ships to a mail forwarding service, they lose control over the shipment method and package handling involved; there is no way to know who will handle the package at the service, how they will handle it or what shipment service they will use to send it on to its final recipient.
Pretty much business 101
This is all very true and as you said business 101 . You could not have spelled it out any more clearly , and this is so simple to understand .
 

wernerg

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Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
This is all very true and as you said business 101 . You could not have spelled it out any more clearly , and this is so simple to understand .
... and this is precisely what Reverb indemnifies you against, and why their 9% fee is well earned. I shipped a 1973 Les Paul Triumph Bass with issues that were clearly documented and sold "as is". Buyer issued cost dispute after the fact, which Reverb managed and settled at their expense.

In the case of the international buyer, they verified his clean buying record, and he was totally legit. Even gave me 5-star rating.

Very happy with Reverb.
 

fred dons

Active member
Joined
Jul 20, 2001
Messages
318
I sold to several Straw buyers over the years , never a problem .

Although yes it is deceptive when you state clearly in your add , No sale or Shipping outside the USA .

Now the buyer using a deceptive STRAW buyer has engaged a air of DECEPTION unsettling to a seller .

Yes I do feel SCAMMED when buyers behave in such a fashion of DECEPTION .

If buyer is unhappy I will use all the transaction resources available to block any funds being returned .

Bottom line, yes STRAW buyers are a SCAM !!!!!!
Ok, so never a problem but you feel scammed, sorry to hear Karen
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
Ok, so never a problem but you feel scammed, sorry to hear Karen
Have never sold on Reverb , Have had motorcycle parts I sold with the parameters sells & ships USA only .

Come to find they shipped Internationally, terms sale of donns & most if not all payments outside of cash can be retracted & arbitrated .

When someone steps outside of my terms of sale I feel scammed so yes donns .

Read my post #10 donns it spells out some of the perils of drop shipments, straw buyers .
 
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Carmen Holmes

New member
Joined
Jul 11, 2022
Messages
3
I just sold a vintage Les Paul on Reverb, and buyer paid immediately via Reverb.

However, he says he is not in the U.S., and I am to ship to his "shipping agent" in Oregon.

Is this legit? Is there any way he can accept the guitar and cancel the payment?

In the past, for that same guitar, I have gotten fake PayPal confirmations, but this went through the official Reverb channels...
If you are not sure about the reliability of the platform, it is better not to make a transaction, Or contact Assistance-Refund. However, Reverb does not have a reputation of being a fraudulent company, so I hope that your transaction was successful.
 
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