Reverb is one of the most prominent online shopping marketplaces for musical instruments in the world. Here’s how you can use it to get the safest deals and the lowest prices on your dream guitar!
Whether you’re a bedroom strummer or a seasoned rockstar, chances are you’ve heard of Reverb, one of the most prominent digital marketplaces for musical instruments in the world.
In this guide, we help you to navigate some of Reverb to make sure you get the safest deals and the lowest prices on your dream guitar.
What Is Reverb?
If you’re unfamiliar with the website, Reverb.com is an online platform for buying and selling all kinds of musical instruments, gears and accessories. But it’s made a name for itself by being so much more; it’s also a source of music knowledge and pricing trends!
For example, Reverb’s resources include videos like “How To Sound Like (your music idol)”.
Screengrab: How To Sound Like John Mayer with Effects Pedals | Reverb Potent Pairings
On top of this, Reverb’s website interface is easy to navigate and provides you with a whole host of tools to help inform and protect you as a buyer.
Let’s jump into a few of these features.
Spotting A Good Reverb Seller
Imagine: You’re looking for a new Fender Stratocaster. You look into Google Search, only to be faced with thousands of listings. You picked out a few that caught your eye, but where do you go from here?
Any online shopping aficionado will tell you that finding a reliable seller is 90% of the battle won. Reverb makes this super easy by rewarding quality sellers with three different earned badges.
Look out for Reverb stores with these badges next to their names:
Quick Responder:
To earn this badge, stores have to respond to offers within 12 hours and respond to messages within 16 hours.
Quick Shipper:
If you’re in a rush, look for this badge. Quick Shippers have a track record of shipping your newly bought guitar within 24 hours!
Preferred Seller:
The “Preferred Seller” badge is a top honour for a Reverb seller. Preferred sellers have to maintain a 4.5/5 star rating from customers and participate in site-wide sales (so you know there’ll be good deals around).
Feedback Score:
Always look out for the Feedback score given by customers. An example of a highly rated Reverb store is the Chicago Music Exchange. No wonder they’re so popular, their service is great!
Picking The Right Reverb Listing
Before you begin shopping, it’s good to decide on what your priorities are. Are you looking to own a brand new guitar or do you prefer a cheaper, but well kept second-hand set? Perhaps you’re on the hunt for an expensive vintage collectable?
Shopping Brand New
On Reverb, instruments listed as “Brand New” come from authorised retailers. These retailers may also have a physical store. Their product offerings are bought directly from the manufacturer and come with standard warranty protection.
Brand new instruments are mostly price-controlled, and you won’t see much fluctuations in prices. This is the recommended option if you want to be your instrument’s first owner and be reassured of absolutely no defects.
Buying Second-Hand
If you’re looking to stretch your budget and you’re not too picky about a scratch or two, consider shopping for second-hand instruments! Reverb has plenty of great deals for used gears. This helps you save money, and it’s a great way to get an instrument that would typically be out of your budget too. You might even find some unique pieces this way too.
MONO Vertigo Electric Guitar Case: Brand new vs “Mint” condition.
You could save a good chunk of money on a used piece that’s still in perfect shape.
Variations in used gear prices typically come down to the product’s condition. Reverb helps buyers and sellers by categorising listings with several gear condition labels. Here are the ones you should know.
Mint: Just shy of “Brand New”. Mint items include the original packaging and have no blemish.
Excellent: Used but still close to new. Instruments are almost entirely free of blemishes and other visual defects. It has been used with the utmost care.
Very Good: This describes items with more cosmetic imperfections than “Excellent” but is still in great condition overall. With a “Very Good” guitar, you might find some scratches, buckle rash, or other minor blemishes. There should be nothing that affects the playability or function of the instrument.
Good: You’ll find scratches, dents and other visible imperfections on the instrument, but it’ll still work perfectly fine.
Using Reverb’s Price Guides
If you’re unsure about product market rates, especially for second-hand items, make sure to refer to Reverb’s Price Guides. This helps you by offering the latest pricing trends so that you’ll know that you’re not overpaying.
Making The Most of Reverb
Cast Your Net Wide
Singapore’s a small place, and there’s an entire WORLD of guitars to explore. Prevent Reverb from pinning you to just Singapore, and select “Everywhere” for an unfiltered look at what’s available on the web.
While most Reverb stores and sellers will know how to handle international shipping, your dream listing may come with unsatisfactory shipping terms – or none at all. That’s where freight forwarders come in handy. We’ve got some great freight forwarding guide prepared for you!
Make sure to look out for good express shipping rates and insurance coverages. Quality guitars aren’t cheap, so the more coverage you have and the less time they spend in transit, the better.
Reverb Shipping Tips
Ensure that your guitar is packed well before shipping! Guitars are extremely fragile, and it pays to check that your seller takes all measures to ensure it arrives in the exact condition that it left in.
Here are some pointers:
- Loosen all strings (you don’t want any tension with the guitar bumping around in transit!)
- Before going into a box, make sure the guitar is packed into a hard case or a high-quality gig bag like the MONO Vertigo
- Add extra packing material inside the case and in the box to ensure that the guitar is snug. It shouldn’t jostle around!
To know more about what to request from your shipper, watch this Youtube Guide: How to Pack and Ship A Guitar.
Reverb Protection for Buyers
Part of what makes Reverb a safe and fun space to shop for guitars is the platform’s commitment to protecting buyers like us. This includes a simple return process and involving real human agents for transaction disputes.
Make sure to check out the Reverb Protection process before you pay, so you know how to make the best of any (unfortunate) situation.
Get A New Guitar For Cheaper With YouTrip!
You probably know this by now, but don’t forget to use your YouTrip card when you check out on Reverb! Nobody wants to pay overseas transaction fees, and you get maximum savings with YouTrip’s Wholesale Exchange Rates.
If you still haven’t gotten your free YouTrip card yet, use promo code <BLOG5> to sign up and receive a free S$5 in your account. 😎For more great guides like this, join our Telegram Community (@YouTripSquad) and subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here or down below!
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