Reverb.com

What Reverb.com does

Reverb.com is an online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling new, used, and vintage musical instruments and audio equipment. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, the company operates a two-sided platform serving individual musicians, professional collectors, and music retailers across categories including electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards and synthesizers, effects pedals, amplifiers, recording gear, drums, DJ equipment, and band/orchestra instruments. The platform supports transactions globally through its website and iOS/Android applications, with auxiliary sub-brands Reverb Outlet (certified pre-owned and B-Stock gear), Reverb Gives (youth music education grants supporting 200+ programs since 2018), and Artist Shops featuring musicians such as Victor Wooten, deadmau5, and Sonic Youth.

The platform's underlying technology centers on a catalog-driven marketplace with listing autofill, a proprietary Reverb Price Guide built on historical sold-listing data, integrated shipping label generation (USPS/UPS), and a Reverb Protection program covering lost, damaged, or misdescribed items. Supporting infrastructure includes Reverb Payments, Reverb Wallet for faster seller payouts, Reverb Credits, and a Seller Hub with pricing assistance. Content surfaces include Reverb News, category-specific Buying Guides, and an Exclusives and Makers section for boutique builders, all of which feed top-of-funnel acquisition.

Reverb's business model is a transaction-based take rate: sellers list for free and pay a 5% selling fee on completed sales, plus payment processing fees, with optional paid services such as Bump fees for increased visibility, shipping labels, and cross-border fees. The company was acquired by Etsy in 2019 for approximately $275 million, then divested to eBay in 2025 for $105 million in cash, with the sale completed June 2, 2025. Reverb continues to operate as a standalone platform under eBay's ownership, reporting 2024 annual GMS of $918M (down 2.6% YoY) and Q4 2024 GMS of $228.3M, with a headcount of 251–500 employees.

Name

Reverb.com

Legal name

Reverb.com LLC

Website

https://reverb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instruments Marketplace

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH), Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent) (CRALAEAC), DJ Equipment & Electronic Music Gear Retail (CRALAEAD)

Keywords

• Online music marketplace
• Musical instruments marketplace
• Used music gear
• Vintage instrument trading
• Music equipment sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Transaction Fees: Reverb charges a 5% selling fee on completed sales plus payment processing fees. Additional optional fees include Bump fees for increased visibility, shipping label costs, and cross-border fees for international transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reverb.com operates a dedicated online marketplace where individuals and retailers list and sell new, used, and vintage musical instruments and audio gear (guitars, pedals, amplifiers, synths, recording equipment, drums, DJ gear) to buyers globally. The platform provides listing tools, a pricing database (Reverb Price Guide), integrated payment processing, shipping label purchasing, and buyer/seller protection on completed sales.

Product overview

Reverb.com is a dedicated online marketplace for musical instruments and audio equipment, operating as a single unified e-commerce platform connecting buyers and sellers globally. The core Reverb Marketplace offers new, used, and vintage instruments across categories including electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, keyboards and synthesizers, effects and pedals, amplifiers, drums and percussion, pro audio, DJ gear, and band/orchestra instruments. Supporting the marketplace are complementary features: Reverb News provides editorial content; the Reverb Outlet offers certified pre-owned gear; Reverb Price Guide and Buying Guides assist purchasing decisions; Artist Shops enable celebrity sellers; Exclusives and Makers showcases boutique builders; and Reverb Gives channels a portion of sales to youth music education programs. Seller operations are supported through Seller Hub, Reverb Payments, Reverb Wallet, and Reverb Protection. A mobile app extends access to iOS and Android users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reverb Gives: A charitable program that provides youth music education programs around the world with instruments and gear they need to make music. Since 2018, Reverb Gives has helped over 200 youth music education programs in need.
• Reverb Outlet

Products and services

• Reverb Marketplace
• Reverb Outlet
• Reverb Price Guide
• Reverb Buying Guides
• Reverb Mobile App
• Reverb Seller Hub
• Reverb Payments
• Reverb Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• Reverb is the largest marketplace dedicated to music gear
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Regent SoundsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026Regent Sounds, the legendary guitar store on London's Denmark Street, partnered with Reverb for an exclusive five-week online auction of T-Bone Walker's 1949 Gibson ES-5N guitar starting February 23, 2026, with bids invited over £1,500,000. The auction coincided with Regent Sounds' expansion to four times its original footprint and the opening of their Vintage Lounge.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• eBay: eBay is now Reverb's parent company and the largest general-merchandise online marketplace. eBay hosts extensive music-gear listings across guitars, amps, and pro audio and is both a competitor for non-specialized gear and a strategic distribution channel for Reverb going forward.
• Etsy: Etsy is a two-sided marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique goods and was Reverb's parent from 2019–2025. Marketplace mechanics, fee structure, and seller/buyer dynamics are highly comparable, providing a useful business-model benchmark.

Direct peers

• Sweetwater: Sweetwater is the largest U.S. online retailer of new musical instruments and pro audio gear. While primarily a new-gear retailer (not a used marketplace), it competes for the same buyer audience and overlaps with Reverb's category breadth.
• Guitar Center: Guitar Center is the dominant U.S. brick-and-mortar music instrument retailer, offering new and used gear across guitars, drums, pro audio, and DJ equipment. It overlaps with Reverb's product categories and competes for both entry-level and professional buyers.
• Discogs: Discogs is the leading online marketplace for music collectors, focused on vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes. It is a direct two-sided marketplace comparable to Reverb's model, serving overlapping collector and enthusiast buyer personas.
• StockX: StockX is a two-sided marketplace for collectibles and sneakers that has expanded into electronics and trading cards. Its authentication-driven marketplace model and dynamic pricing data are conceptually similar to Reverb's Price Guide and protection program.
• Musician's Friend: Musician's Friend is a long-standing online music instrument retailer (owned by Guitar Center) selling new and used gear across guitars, drums, recording, and DJ equipment—directly overlapping Reverb's product categories and buyer personas.
• Sam Ash: Sam Ash is a U.S. music instrument retailer (currently restructuring/winding down) that historically competed in the same product categories as Reverb, including guitars, amps, and pro audio gear for both entry-level and professional musicians.

Regional players

• Thomann: Thomann is Europe's largest music instrument retailer, with extensive new and used inventory across all categories Reverb serves. It is a comparable vertical-focused music-gear retailer, though its primary market is Europe.

Others

• Shopify: Shopify powers direct-to-consumer storefronts used by many independent gear makers and boutique builders (Reverb's 'Exclusives and Makers' section features such sellers). It is the primary alternative channel for sellers considering building direct rather than using Reverb.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reverbdotcom
• Facebookfacebook.com/reverbmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reverbdotcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reverb.com