Overview
Reverb is the world's largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear. Musicians, music shops and brands buy and sell new, used and vintage guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, synthesisers, drums, pro audio equipment and music software. For a music equipment brand or retailer, Reverb is a specialist channel with a passionate global audience of musicians.
Who is behind Reverb
Reverb was founded in Chicago in 2013 by David Kalt, who had bought the vintage guitar store Chicago Music Exchange and was frustrated with existing ways to buy and sell gear online. Etsy acquired Reverb for USD 275 million in 2019. In 2025 Etsy sold it to Creator Partners and Servco, investors with strong ties to the music industry: Creator Partners has links to BMI and SoundCloud, and Servco, a large private company from Hawaii, is a major investor in Fender. Reverb now operates again as an independent business, led by CEO David Mandelbrot, and has said Fender will not receive preferential treatment on the platform.
What the shopper sees
Reverb offers a huge range of gear from private sellers, music shops and brands, plus a price guide based on real transaction data that helps buyers and sellers understand the market value of instruments. Its database covers more than 240,000 different vintage and used products. Reverb also sells music-making software.
How selling on Reverb works
- Free listings. Sellers can list gear without a listing fee.
- Selling fees. Reverb charges a selling fee on each sale plus payment processing fees. In the US, the selling fee has been 5% plus payment processing. In September 2025 Reverb relaunched its UK store with an all-in fee of 5%, down from 8%, along with UK market trend data and discounted postage options.
- Shops and brands. Music retailers and brands can run storefronts and sell new gear next to used listings.
- International reach, with buyers in many countries.
What a brand should think about
- Fit. Reverb works best for music gear brands and dealers.
- Pricing next to used gear, since new products appear alongside used and vintage items.
- Shipping of fragile and bulky items.
Why Reverb matters for brands
Reverb is where many musicians go to research and buy gear. For music brands, it is a natural channel to reach engaged buyers worldwide.
How eBrands looks at Reverb
eBrands works with brands on marketplaces across Europe and North America. If you have a music gear brand and want to see whether Reverb fits your plans, we are happy to talk it through.
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