Yeah you'll get hit immediately with CL and FB scammers. They're easy to spot. Offering more than you asked, and an agent to pick them up. Sometimes want to buy as a gift for family member or friend. Anything really, other than can you tell me more about condition and details, etc.
I'll routinely offer a seller 20-50% more than their asking price on CL or FB. Doesn't always work as they must not believe I'm on the up and up.
Offered a CL seller $1500 on a 1940's Radio King cloud badge kit (2024) they had listed for only $1000. Told them it was too little....and I might pay closer to $2000 if the kit had no shell issues....and period Zildjian cymbals. They ended up selling it for $1200 but did use my $1500 offer as "leverage" to get the $1200. The kit was worth closer to $3000 after the buyer posted photos of it on FB.....it included a 40's WMP throne and a set of trans stamp cymbals (not described in the listing). It's not always a scam when you offer a seller "more." You have to do something to separate yourself from the pool of eager buyers looking to buy at a low asking price because the seller doesn't know the value of what they have.
I've bought a number of good kits and cymbals like this. I've had some sellers call me back 2-9 months later after they had time to assess their situation. One such seller was listing their 1967 child hood kit on CL in 2019 for $100. They got inundated with messages. I told them I'd pay $600 min. as there was a nice, virgin 18" bronze mist metallic, super classic bass drum in the group + acrolite + 2 Zildjian A's + 2 molested 1940's Radio King mounted toms. No one else offered much over the $100. It took 2 months for the call back....but I got the group of orphan drums.
Another time the orig owner of a '65 Gretsch RB WMP progressive jazz kit posted on FB for $600 got a zillion messages to buy it. I sent them my message stating "why are you selling a $2000 kit for $600?" They called me back after a month (2020) to ask me more questions on their kit. I could have have bought the kit for around $1600 but instead helped them get the best offer they could for it. Kit was near mint with a superb Supraphronic, some Zildjian 50's A's, and mint '65 Ludwig hardware. They ended up getting $1750 for it.....which was more than Maxwell's offered to buy it outright....and they didn't want to drag the kit to NY City either for consignment. Money wasn't the object....just getting a fair deal was. The seller was well off. I still kick myself for not buying it......but knew I would have problems playing it with the low rail position for the 12" tom.
And there are numerous professional dealers out there who have 3rd parties pick up and package kits for them....or have you bring it down to the
nearest shipper that they use (ie Kinko's for example) where they will pay you cash upon drop off. I've seen that done a number of times. It's not always a scam attempt.
I've had no issues selling drums, gear, and cymbals fairly quickly on Reverb. If your price is very fair and properly described, it will sell. No doubt full kits are a logistics problem. But single drums, snares, stands, and cymbals are pretty simple. And the Reverb shipping rates are still pretty reasonable imo if you ship through them. I didn't think their shipping rates were an issue before 2020, and certainly don't think that now. My asking prices on Reverb always allow me some room to accept lower offers. And I'm fine with rejecting offers that are below my bottom line. One think is for sure. The item will eventually sell for what it's worth....might take months or even 1-2 yrs. The only thing slowing down the process is usually an overly optimistic asking price.
