What happens to Reverb balance when the owner dies
Reverb.com LLC (Etsy, Inc.) has a formal process for transferring balance after an account holder dies
Reverb Support
Reverb Support (deceased-account handling; no dedicated estate phone line published)
Reverb does not publish a timeline for deceased-account or estate requests; these are handled individually by Reverb Support, which works with the requester to close the account and, in some cases, provide certain content. For ordinary seller payouts, payout approval can take up to two business days, repeat sellers are paid within about five business days of the carrier confirming an item is in transit, and it then takes 1 to 4 business days for the transfer to reach the bank. A Payout Balance held because no bank account is on file auto-transfers once a bank account is added. How long an estate request takes depends on Reverb Support's review.
Reverb publishes a dedicated deceased-account process. For an estate executor or next of kin, Reverb states it is "unable to offer access to a deceased user's account" but "can work with you to close the account and, in some cases, provide certain content from the account," and it asks for documentation "such as a death certificate" to confirm the requester is authorized to act on behalf of the deceased. Reverb does not publish a step-by-step procedure for paying out a deceased seller's balance, so the money asset is handled on a case-by-case review. The recoverable money is the seller's cash proceeds from Reverb Payments — a Payout Balance arises when there is no bank account on file at the time payment is sent, and Reverb states it "will automatically get transferred to your bank account once on file." That cash is money owed to the seller, so the estate may seek to recover it by contacting Reverb support with proof of death and authority. By contrast, a Reverb Wallet balance "must be spent on Reverb, and cannot be withdrawn to your bank account," and Reverb Credits, once held in an account, "can not be transferred to a different account" and cannot pay selling fees — so the Wallet balance and any Reverb Credits behave as non-transferable on-platform value rather than recoverable cash. The seller account itself is not described as transferable to an heir.
How to request a transfer
To request a transfer of Reverb balance after an account holder's death, follow these steps:
- •A certified copy of the death certificate
- •Documentation showing you are authorized to act for the estate (for example, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- •The deceased user's full name and the email address on the Reverb account
- •Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate (Reverb asks for documentation such as a death certificate)
- Documentation showing you are authorized to act for the estate (for example, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- The deceased user's full name and the email address on the Reverb account
- Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
Timeline
Reverb does not publish a timeline for deceased-account or estate requests; these are handled individually by Reverb Support, which works with the requester to close the account and, in some cases, provide certain content. For ordinary seller payouts, payout approval can take up to two business days, repeat sellers are paid within about five business days of the carrier confirming an item is in transit, and it then takes 1 to 4 business days for the transfer to reach the bank. A Payout Balance held because no bank account is on file auto-transfers once a bank account is added. How long an estate request takes depends on Reverb Support's review.
Frequently asked questions
Reverb publishes a deceased-account process. For an estate executor or next of kin, Reverb states it cannot grant access to a deceased user's account, but can work with you to close the account and, in some cases, provide certain content from it. You contact Reverb Support with the deceased user's full name and account email and provide documentation such as a death certificate to confirm you are authorized to act for the estate. Reverb does not publish a set procedure for paying out a deceased seller's balance, so the money side is handled on a case-by-case review.
The recoverable money is the seller's cash proceeds from Reverb Payments. A Payout Balance arises when there is no bank account on file at the time payment is sent, and Reverb states it auto-transfers to a bank account once one is added. Because that cash is money owed to the seller, the estate may seek to recover it by contacting Reverb Support with proof of death and proof of authority over the estate, and Reverb reviews the situation on a case-by-case basis. Funds already paid out went to the connected bank account on file, so trace that account separately.
These are not recoverable cash. Reverb states that Reverb Wallet earnings must be spent on Reverb and cannot be withdrawn to a bank account, and that once Reverb Credits are held in an account they cannot be transferred to a different account and cannot pay selling fees. Confirm with Reverb whether any such balance exists and how it can be used, rather than expecting it to be paid out as cash. The recoverable cash is the seller's Reverb Payments proceeds and any Payout Balance.
Reverb does not describe a way to transfer a seller account or grant a successor access. Its deceased-account process closes the account and, in some cases, provides certain content; it does not grant access to a deceased user's account. To recover cash the seller is owed, the estate works with Reverb Support rather than taking over the account.
Reverb asks for documentation confirming you are authorized to act on behalf of the deceased, such as a death certificate, along with the deceased user's full name and the email address on the account. Reverb does not publish a full required-document checklist for estate balance recovery, so estate matters of this kind also commonly involve documentation showing your authority over the estate (such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) and photo identification for the requester. Confirm the exact documents directly with Reverb Support.
Reverb does not publish a timeline for deceased-account requests, which are handled individually by Reverb Support. For ordinary seller payouts, payout approval can take up to two business days, repeat sellers are paid within about five business days of the carrier confirming an item is in transit, and it then takes 1 to 4 business days for the transfer to reach the bank. A Payout Balance held because no bank account is on file auto-transfers once a bank account is added.
The recipient can use transferred balance under the program's normal terms. Keeping the deceased account holder's account number and contact details on file simplifies this process for the executor or surviving family.
Sources
Data sourced from Reverb.com LLC (Etsy, Inc.) primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Reverb Support
Reverb Support (deceased-account handling; no dedicated estate phone line published)
Reverb does not publish a timeline for deceased-account or estate requests; these are handled individually by Reverb Support, which works with the requester to close the account and, in some cases, provide certain content. For ordinary seller payouts, payout approval can take up to two business days, repeat sellers are paid within about five business days of the carrier confirming an item is in transit, and it then takes 1 to 4 business days for the transfer to reach the bank. A Payout Balance held because no bank account is on file auto-transfers once a bank account is added. How long an estate request takes depends on Reverb Support's review.
