Selling My Gear On Sweetwater's Used Platform

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[@BrianSGuitars]

If Sweetwater wants to really cut into Reverb they need to offer lower seller costs. That would do it overnight.

[@TheChristafershawn]

For sure. The having to wait three days after shipment arrives for payment is also a big deterrent I'd imagine.

[@michaelgotthardt4727]

D@mn straight, brother. Also, it wouldn't hurt to not have the BS extra shipping "coverage" that is way above discounts you get.

[@mattc6147]

I am selling on Reverb right now and just said to my friend in conversation yesterday that I would try it on Sweetwater if the fees were lower. You are spot on with your comment.

[@TechyTimM]

I sold four different items on Gear Exchange so far. The first sold in 30 minutes and the Nord Stage 3-88 keyboard was the most expensive and took ten days to sell. The platform is really trying to make it safe for both buyers and sellers. I took cash payouts, but can see how it could be a great way to turn more from selling used gear into getting the new gear you want. I got good feedback from the buyers, which sped up the payout. I'm happy. Time to empty my closet!

[@Msoulantzos]

Thank you for this video, Phil. I saw it when you first shared it, and made a Gear Exchange account while watching. I finally started listing some items last month and have been selling them off. I've had so many items for YEARS but have been reluctant to list it all on EBAY because of the lowballers that offer $150 for an $800 bass. And those people seem to be buying things they don't know about, just to flip em. Thanks again!

[@kevinpatton108]

Reverb hit me with an additional shipping charge a month after the sale had been completed, it was only a couple of bucks and it could have been charges UPS sent them, but that really didn't sit well with me. I always overestimate weight and size just to avoid such problems. Considering I flip gear into more gear, the gift card option is great providing they have what I want in stock.

[@lespaulranger]

the gift card can only be used on new items

[@gasaddict]

They did the same to me 6 months after something shipped. 37 dollar charge. I will never use that commie owned site again

[@DJPLAYNICE]

Thanks for spreading the channel coverage into new areas. You RAWK! 🤘🏼

[@craigbragg2842]

From the buyer perspective, one of the advantages of Reverb over Gear Exchange is the ability to use pay-over-time programs like Affirm, even from most individual sellers. This is especially helpful for larger purchases. Perhaps Sweetwater could look at somehow making the Sweetwater credit card available for use on Gear Exchange.

[@chrisday5341]

Agreed! That would be a nice incentive.

[@cancelbubble6535]

Their fees are way too high for being a new platform. They need to undercut their competition to gain some market share. Or provide a better service, which it doesn't look like they're doing at this point being a new platform. They can slowly raise their fees as they gain market share, while still attracting new users.

[@ChrisEck13]

I agree but it seems like they're really pushing for people to take the zero fee gift card option. I think that's probably the main focus of this gear exchange, get people to be paid in gift cards so they can buy more stuff from Sweetwater.

[@ericbgordon1575]

This upload was helpful in informing me that Sweetwater has got a used gear exchange. I thought they exclusively marketed and sold brand new equipment. Up to now, I've only purchased one brand new guitar from them, because I have since then come to believe that pre-owned guitars are better. I have gotten other equipment from them though that I like.

[@ZL1LoVeR]

Using the gift card option with zero seller fees has been great!!

[@ZL1LoVeR]

@This Guy I think most users, myself included, fall into the first camp. It’s not a B2C platform/retail storefront… rather it’s a way for players and enthusiasts to have a secure channel other than craigslist or offerup or whatever that’s specifically tailored for music gear. Unlike Reverb, Sweetwater is an actual musical instrument and devices retailer itself… why would it be in line with their business model to allow other retailers to reach their own customer base AND for free? I don’t see the incentive to do so

[@Utube-g3g]

Tbh I want cash not more gear

[@ZL1LoVeR]

@@Utube-g3g ummm… you can get cash, there are fees for using the platform. That’s the default option. It’s a fee waiver if instead you decide to use the money to buy something else from Sweetwater… I’m failing to see the issue

[@EricMakingWaves]

I sold an amp for $675 plus $35 shipping and only kept $560. It feels bad to give up over a hundred bucks when I could have just sold it locally. I only post to Reverb when I absolutely have to. I’ll be trying Gear Exchange this week though. The gift card idea is great.

[@loubadabin420]

Thanks for sharing Phil, competition in the market is beneficial for everyone.....

[@michaelslaughter6557]

Do you humidity control your guitar room ? All those guitars on the wall. In NY they'd be destroyed in 3 months. Cracked fretboard etc do to season changes in humidity

[@nickdryad]

Man, Trading Post was the best.

[@tbone2451]

Great info Phil , thanks !

[@devonsmith6110]

I sold a Sterling Cutlass on Sweetwater for full ask in less than 24 hours and shipping was about $5 less than Reverb. Watch out for con’s looking to get you to move the transaction offsite.

[@Utube-g3g]

Is Sweetwater going to protect you if you get scammed? Scammers are on every site now. They’re worse than ever.

[@AchtungBeccaC]

This is interesting. I’ve just put up three pieces of gear on both Reverb and Sweetwater. I have at least double the views on Sweetwater than I have on Reverb. I also just sold one of the items (a Yamaha 3/4 acoustic) in Sweetwater and haven’t even had any offers on Reverb. Oh, and FYI, looks like you can attach picture in the messaging feature on SW now.

[@JimboLodisC]

Yeah I think Sweetwater doesn't need to rush too quickly into trying to take away eyes from Reverb, keeping similar pricing is fine because when Reverb raised fees it was a big whole fiasco, I'm sure Sweetwater doesn't want to undercut Reverb only to tell everyone "hey, thanks for coming, it's time to raise fees!"

[@Rnjt-zv2cu]

There's no outside advertising. At least they should make the video option available. You're selling to a small group make it easier to sell not harder.

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

I have been thinking about a purge of some of my gear this year and perhaps I'll do a Sweetwater vs Reverb just to see what happens! Thanks again for a great video Phil! 😎🎸🤘🎶🎵

[@limpindug]

Thanks for the information Phil, a good comprehensive run through. 👍👍🥃Respect to you mate

[@Gene_Cali]

11:46 a.m. , I'll make a sandwich and watch again! Thanks KYG!

[@abnerpgonz]

they for sure have my business ... Selling a piece of gear for me is always to fund another piece of gear so that is perfect for me

[@CraigDeubler]

Hi Phil, did Sweetwater give any indication if they're going to open the platform up internationally?

[@herbiecactus6687]

I think they are less interested in competing with Reverb and more interested in providing an easy and attractive way to turn used gear back into revenue for Sweetwater. I wouldn't expect the fees for cash payout to become much more competitive.

[@TheMandaloriann]

Immediately just saw the gear that I just posted because of a recent video you mentioned Sweetwater did this!

[@TheMandaloriann]

Scammer 👇👇👇

[@michaelheller8841]

It's not a bad idea on the surface, do they buy your old gear as another option? that would be good if they do. It's very obvious that it's also designed to keep you as a customer. You can see your own gear turn it into a gift card and by some new gear. I honestly would prefer a trade in option.

[@colinburroughs9871]

I live down the street from the store and this online deal has cleared out some of the gems that I can usually find when I go in.

[@Utube-g3g]

If you live near them then yea it’s great but aren’t we basically on our own? We still have to package and ship it which is the worst part and hope we don’t get ripped off and also hope the shippers don’t break or lose anything.

[@DarrenWaters75]

Reverb allow independent builders and looking at the prices people are asking on gear exchange vs. reverb... I'll wait until it becomes alot less like the GC used section.

[@vancesnyder2426]

What do think of adding the appr cost of shipping and then put no shipping cost.

[@duffyweber3701]

You said it looks a bit like EBay, well as a sales engineer I can tell you we actually have the guy who ran EBay’s music resale page as our new head of the gear exchange lol

[@xisotopex]

totally forgot about this place... just bought a pedal on reverb a day ago, for $24 more than I found here... lol :(

[@stoneysdead689]

If you really want tom sell your stuff fast, list it on multiple platforms. I usually list on both Reverb and eBay and stuff gores pretty quickly- but I'm going to start listing on this platform to- the more ppl that see it, the faster it sells. I hate starting on a new platform though- you generally have to wait until they receive the item and ok the purchase before they'll release your money. So when I start on a new platform I restrict sales to the continental US only- so I don't end up waiting for weeks for someone to receive it, and I sell less expensive, smaller items first- to build up my rating, make it through the probationary period so I can start receiving my money at the time of sell, and make sure I understand the process. Then I can start selling bigger, more expensive stuff.

[@edgardner7025]

Hi Phil love your show anyway I'm from Cave Creek Arizona went through a divorce now I'm in a one bedroom apartment needless to say when my friends come over my neighbor is getting pissed off any idea on soundproofing that's not going to cost me an arm and a like

[@CammedFox]

Is there a feedback profile for sellers on GX? I found a guitar listed that I'd like to buy, but I messaged the seller and made an offer and he hasn't responded to either at all. I know he has 48 hours to reply, but it's been over 24 hours and who doesn't respond in 2023 in over a day? I have no way of checking if he has sold anything or has positive or negative reviews. The whole thing feels more "craigslist" than "reverb" to me so far.

[@thisguy2973]

I sold a DL4 MKII on GearExchange, and just on the first sale, the payout is two weeks unless you receive feedback. There’s also no seller fee if you receive your payment in sweetwater gift card codes. I liked it a lot, but the story about an item sitting for two weeks is real. Mine sat there for about the same amount of time before it got a nibble. One guy was a butthole questioning what sweetwater classifies as a “demo item”, and I couldn’t link him to Sweetwater’s description of demo items(I bought the dl4 on the Deals site.) the second bite asked if I’d make a deal so I switched to the flat rate type to bidding and he snatched it up immediately and gave me five stars when it delivered as expected.

[@DavidHBurkart]

Caught the goodbye !!

[@lanceholland]

I listed 3 pedals on the gear exchange and got nothing but a handful of views. A week later, I made identical ads (including the price) on Reverb and two pedals sold right away, the third a week later. The Gear Exchange is kind of invisible as anyone doing a product search on the main Sweetwater site doesn’t see any results from the exchange.

[@kennethh2430]

I'm sticking with Reverb to sell items. I'm paid as soon as I generate the shipping label, which is huge. I'm also able to message the buyers' pics of my packaging process as I get things ready to ship to them. The folks I sell to love it and it reassures them their $$$$$ guitar or gear will reach them undamaged. Gives me piece of mind as well :D Attaching video links is a feature I use on Reverb too, helps people get a real sense of the guitar they're thinking of buying. @Phillip, what about Gear Exchange Support? I've communicated a couple times with Reverb Support and they've also been very quick to help, especially via chat. Email support is also very fast. I'm willing to keep paying for Reverb's great service and the security they afford me as a seller and consumer. Looking forward to the rest of the vids in your Experience :D

[@idiotburns]

I sell new, I sell items I make as an independent builder, this doesnt let me sell my guitar brands or case brands inventory new. So kinda a limited use for me.

[@michaelrosa2589]

Hey Phil do they have a " local pickup only" category?

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Yes, and you can do both or just one

[@michaelrosa2589]

@@PhillipMcKnight Thanks man!

[@lolipoable]

Sweetwater people are clever enough, am sure they will improve the website. I guess as this is not main business priority, they will be testing new features slowly. I can see thus growing nicely for them with free fees voucher option. Specifically as Sweetwater seem have right pricing. I hope they won't get too greedy as most companies tend to do after little while, before they start damaging the business because of greediness.

[@farmduck2762]

What is the surf green single cut with the huge white pickguard on the wall behind him?

[@alanpettibone]

I think I will hold off until they start offering some of the shortcomings Phil brought up. It seems like the platform is somewhat lacking in selling features.

[@Sunflowrrunner]

Can you use the gift card option to buy stuff on gear exchange?

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Sadly no. Only new stuff from Sweetwater.

[@PhillipMcKnight]

At least that I could find

[@t.c.v.t.]

probably not as its private sellers.

[@TechyTimM]

You can only buy new gear from Sweetwater. Although Sweetwater handles the credit card payments, buyers and sellers are basically transacting directly. So you're not selling to Sweetwater or buying used gear directly from them and can't use the gift card payout to buy from another person.

[@Sainte305]

I don't like Reverb, in fact I hate the com[any, so Gear Exchange is probably where I would go. However, I don't really sell my gear, if I do I just sell it on Facebook marketplace. Which I also hate, but I can meet up with local people pretty easily and there are more than a few local guitarists in my area.

[@mikedr1549]

I actually thought about buying that from you but (sadly) don't think I would use it much.

[@brandonanderson2066]

How reliable are the seller reviews, how easily can a scammer fake these and are scams common?

[@Rnjt-zv2cu]

They just postponed the law for a year. So this year is normal. No 600.00 cap.

[@kevinjhess4633]

Sucks that engaging in a hobby gets you double taxed - at purchase, then again at resale. I mean, how many people kept their receipts from buying gear ten years ago in order to argue with the IRS that there wasn't any profit on a resale?

[@jasonbidwell]

Can you use tiny url to bypass the youtube link filter?

[@randygomez9595]

Honestly this looks quite subpar to Reverb. So I don't see any reason to use this over Reverb. At least right now

[@briandejean6785]

It wouldn't take much to be better than the cesspool known as Reverb. A guy literally sold me an acoustic guitar that smells like cat piss from inside the body. Obviously, this wasn't disclosed in the listing. There was a big cat piss stain on the body. Reverb refused to hold the guy accountable for selling a cat piss guitar because the smell of cat piss is "subjective". I found out during this process that Reverb has allowed other people to unload cat piss guitars on its site. God couldn't come down and make me buy anything else on Reverb. Period. Not sure I agree with the gift card versus fee policy, but I can't see Sweetwater making excuses for scumbags.

[@gtmuse329A]

Gonna give this a try. I have some major purchases I need to make, so I will certainly use gift card money towards that which should, hopefully, give me more value in the long run. Did you find the buyer/seller protections about equal to Reverb?

[@lespaulranger]

the gift card can only be used on new items

[@suzannecoholic1467]

no video option? hmmmm....

[@davidkastin4240]

What is the tax form for?

[@TractorMonkeywithJL]

The IRS wants their cut of what you made I assume, but I thought I heard that it only applies it you sell over a certain dollar amount and make a profit for that year.

[@Rnjt-zv2cu]

As soon as you hit 600.00. I think it use to be 20 thousand.

[@chadbouterse8617]

The 10-99 generates after $600, but you only pay taxes on money youve made in the sale… so of you have a receipt showing you bought the piece of gear for $5000 and you sell it for $4500, it generates a 10-99 form, but when filling out your taxes you have proof that you didn’t make money and won’t owe additional tax 👍. If you dont have an old reciept from your purchase, you get screwed over $600

[@Rnjt-zv2cu]

I read somewhere you could use fair market value for proof. Who's going to have receipts for something they bought 15 -20 yrs. ago.

[@kevinjhess4633]

@@Rnjt-zv2cu I hope this is true and that there's a source for market valuations that the IRS will accept. When that first wave of 1099-K forms go out there are going to be some very angry people. Reverb has been lobbying to maintain the 200 transactions and/or $20k thresholds.

[@popskustom7382]

If they want to separate themselves from Reverb, they could allow the Sweetwater card as a payment option. Money for nothin!

[@gigmandrew8975]

Moon pie guitars. Uhh...yeah right

[@tonepilot]

There’s no compelling reason to use the Sweetwater site. It seems more outdated and cumbersome than Reverb.

[@MJ-xz5ft]

It’s nearly impossible to speak to a human at reverb customer service is gear exchange better?

[@beanapalooza6614]

You could just put the title of the video. And those of us who know......willl... well know..yup

[@foxote640]

first

[@zeronyne]

The gift card option makes sense for both parties. I had an issue where the app never told me something had sold, and luckily, the buyer was understanding and I got it right out to him. Coincidentally, Sweetwater called me to do a user test of their used site, and as a UX professional, I was fascinated hy the test they were running. I think they are doing the right thing to develop this into something really attractive. If you use the gift card option, just know that it doesn’t dump into your account as a positive balance…you have to look at the invoice for the payout like a regular gift card. I’m sure they’ll be a lot of haters here. I’m not even looking at the comments because I don’t want to get incensed. But I’m gonna give kudos to Sweetwater for at least giving this a try after reverb jacked their rates. Obviously sweetwater is a retailer that has a fiscal motivation, but I feel like they’re trying to do this the right way.

[@Utube-g3g]

That should be the last thing that infuriates you. In 2023 the irs will be a sending out sellers a 1099 form for u to pay 28% if you made more than $600. It’s been taxed over and over already and most of us are hobbyists.