Enter your cost and asking price. Kickflip applies Reverb's 5% selling fee, payment processing and shipping to show your true payout on a gear flip.
Fee estimates use the primary tier rate from each platform's public schedule. Tiered pricing, promotion rates, and buyer-fee ranges vary — always confirm current rates with the platform before listing.
Reverb runs one of the lowest commissions in the marketplace world, with the fee capped per item:
| Category / tier | Selling fee | Payment processing | Buyer-side fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard SellerSelling fee capped at max $500 per item | 5.00% | $0.49 | $0.00 |
| Reverb Preferred SellerDiscounted payment processing for high volume | 5.00% | $0.49 | $0.00 |
Rates change. Treat these as estimates and confirm against Reverb's current published fee schedule before you commit to a purchase.
Reverb's 5% selling fee is capped at $500 per item. On a $20,000 vintage instrument that cap turns an effective 5% into 2.5%, which is why high-value gear consistently lands here rather than on general marketplaces.
Shipping is the real variable in gear resale. Amplifiers, cabinets and keyboards are heavy and fragile; a proper packed label plus insurance can easily exceed $100 and needs to be in your numbers before you buy.
Music gear is one of the most reliable arbitrage categories because prices are well documented and condition is objective. Pedals, mics, interfaces and mid-tier guitars turn up under market on local marketplaces and pawn shops constantly, and Reverb's audience knows exactly what they are worth.
eBay's Guitars & Basses category runs a 6.7% final value fee, so the two are closer than people assume — compare both above with your real shipping cost before deciding where to list.
A 5% selling fee on the sale, capped at $500 per item, plus payment processing of roughly 2.7% and $0.49 per order.
Usually. Reverb's 5% beats eBay's 6.7% Guitars & Basses rate and most other categories, and the per-item cap makes it far cheaper on expensive instruments.
Either — you can charge the buyer or offer free shipping. Given how heavy gear is, this single decision often determines whether the flip is profitable.
It can be, because pricing is transparent and condition is verifiable. The risks are shipping damage and slow sell-through on niche items, so target gear with steady demand.