How to Sell Your Piano: A Guide
Selling your piano can be a difficult decision. It’s not something to take lightly, but it’s also not the end of the world. It’s simply another thing to check off your list before moving into a new home or downsizing to make way for other things that are more important to you right now. Additionally, it’s vital to know how to sell a piano before commencing on the journey. Did you know that women make up 49.5% of all pianists, while men make up 50.5%?
It’s never easy to say adieu to an old friend. However, having a plan and finding someone that fits what you need from an ideal buyer is essential if you want to ensure no one misses out on the opportunity. That’s why putting your piano up for sale can be challenging. You are reluctant to get rid of it, but you also want to find the right buyer.
Fortunately, there are also plenty of advantages to having a piano sale. With some elbow grease and helpful hints, the right price will help you reap the benefits. So, if you have an old piano needing a loving home, here’s everything you need to know about how to sell a piano so that it finds its new best friend instead of sitting in storage accumulating dust and waiting for someone else to take care of it.
Take Good Care of Your Piano
Your piano is like your child. It’s going to grow up and leave you someday. It’s not like your car or kitchen appliances, which you can continue using for as long as you want. You don’t have to abandon the piano industry; you must let it go so it can do what it wants.
That does not imply you must get rid of it immediately. — you can keep using it as long as you want. But eventually, it will have to leave home to travel to the next phase of its life. So, before you sell your piano, take care of it. If you’re selling it yourself, see if you can get a friend or relative to help you. If you’re selling it to a third party, clean it properly and replace worn-out or damaged parts. Finally, if you’re selling it in pieces, ensure each part is in good condition.
Do Extensive Research on Your Piano and its Market Value
Before you start looking for a buyer, you should do some research on what your piano is worth. While this information can change over time, you can get an idea of the trends with market reports, surveys, and articles. You can also use online research tools. For example, many websites track the market value of pianos. While their methods and usefulness vary, they are an excellent start to finding out what your piano is worth.
Additionally, you can look up the value of your specific piano with the help of a market report. After you enter the model number, type, and seller’s comments on your piano, the website will tell you its current value. You can also look up the market values of other musical instruments, like guitars and drums. Instead, this will estimate how much musical instruments are worth on the market.
The model number describes the style of instrument you have in your home. Therefore, the model number may help determine if the piano is a professional grade or a novice model. However, the model number may not give the exact details of the piano.
Moreover, the serial number gives the exact details, such as the year of manufacture of the piano. The year of manufacture has a surmountable effect on the selling price as the design of the pianos changes with changing times and technological advancements.
If you want to identify the serial number of your grand piano, you should check the cast iron plate. The numbers are small but large enough to be read by the human eye, while upright pianos have printed numbers underneath.
Understand Your Piano’s Technical Details
Pianos come with many technical details that can impact the sale price. Even if yours is in decent condition, it may have minor damage that could lower the cost. Understanding your piano’s technical details can also help you decide whether to sell or not sell. Is your piano tuned? How old is it? Is it a digital piano or a traditional upright? These details can all affect how much you can get for your piano.
Take Best Photos of Your Piano
Take the best photos possible of your piano. You don’t want potential buyers to see your piano in an image that’s slightly out of focus or one that’s blurry. Unfortunately, some potential buyers will drop off the search if they see subpar photos. You might seek the help of a buddy to snap the most incredible photographs of your piano. You can also hire a professional photography service for a reasonably priced photo shoot which is one of the great hints on how to sell a piano.
Price It at a Fair Market Value
Now that you know more about every detail of your piano, it’s time to consider the numbers. How much will you get for your piano? How much time do you have before the listing expires? You need to consider these numbers to ensure your sell-your-piano effort is worth it.
Remember that there’s more to making an offer than just the “buy now” price. You also need to include shipping, sales taxes, and any other fees you may incur. The best way to estimate your sell price is to see what similar pianos are selling for in your market. Instead, this can help you make a more accurate estimate of what your piano is worth and what you should charge for it.
In earlier days, almost every American home had a piano. Therefore, there are very many pianos that are in the American homes. Consequently, it would help if you decided on the fair market value(FMV), the price the buyer and seller agree on in private scenarios. Nevertheless, there should not be any pressure to sell the item in a short time.
To determine the FMV, you will need to use sources such as a Facebook marketplace or Craigslist, where you can also list the piano. These sites use experts to rate what monetary value your piano holds. Additionally, the primary individual, your tuner, holds a significant role in the change of hands of your piano as they can also give an approximate value. However, you will have to look for professional appraisers to get the exact price of your piano.
Pricing your item is an art and a science at the same time. It’s not like baking a cake where you add the ingredients and serve the customer. In a transaction, you should ensure that both the buyer and seller are satisfied with the service. Both of you have different attitudes and different wants and needs in this transaction. You must consider both things and make your price appropriate for the customer.
You have to know the market value of your item and set your price at that value. For example, if you know that a specific piano model is worth $3,000, you have to charge $3,000 for it. However, you should have some room for bargains since most customers may not know the emotional attachments you hold with the piano.
Understand Your Time’s Worth
If you’re selling your piano in pieces, you must consider how much it would cost to ship the samples. You can use this as a guideline for your price. For example, if the shipping fee is $100, you can charge $100 for each part.
If you’re selling your real piano, you also have to consider how much time it takes to check it. You can’t check certain things until the buyer is there to look at them. If the buyer is someone who wants to get the piano delivered and doesn’t care about the time or effort it took to make, then you can factor that into your price.
Location, Location, Location
How does location affect selling your piano? If there’s one thing to consider before moving forward with the sell-your-piano process is location. Where will you list your piano? Will it be convenient for the public, or will it be too far away from a buyer? It is one of the most crucial choices you will make.
When looking into potential markets and finding a place to list your piano, remember that location is just as fundamental as how much you ask for your instrument. If you choose the wrong area or a price that’s too high, you could undervalue your piano while also missing out on the opportunity to earn money.
You can do a few things to help find a good location. First, find an online piano community like Pianobar to ask for recommendations on where to list your piano. You can also try contacting other local piano owners to see if they know of a potential market for your piano.
Decide if You Want to Sell or Use a Service and Choose the Selling Platform
In 2021, Americans sold approximately 29,236 piano units. If you want to sell your piano, you must decide whether to do it yourself or use a service. Selling your piano yourself can be an exciting event. It’s like you’re a merchant, and you’re selling your products to the public. There’s something delightful about this; you can accomplish much with it.
But selling your piano can be a very challenging and time-consuming process. It also requires a lot of patience because you will have to wait for a buyer to come along and make an offer. As a result, the process can be very frustrating. In addition, if you decide to use a service, you must decide which service to choose. There are many piano-selling services, and picking the right one for you can be challenging.
Create an Online Listing if You’re Selling Online
To sell your piano online, you must create an online listing. You can do this on a website like eBay, Craigslist, or Gumtree. It’s the only way for a potential buyer to view your item.
Record Your Playing Skills and Have a Demonstration Disc Ready
If you use a service, you have to record a demo of your playing skills. You can do this on your computer or use a recorder like a phone or an iPod. The best thing about recording your playing skills is that you can play them back at any time. The worst thing about it is that if someone else wants to listen to them, you’ll have to share them.
If you keep your demo private, you can record yourself playing your favorite songs. You can also use a recording app on your phone. Documenting your playing skills is a good idea because it shows potential buyers what you can do with a piano. You can also use a demonstration disc if you sell your piano in pieces.
Finalizing the sell decision
A few signs can help you decide whether to sell your piano or not. If you’ve already given it to family members or haven’t used it in a few years, it may be appropriate to let it go. Other signs include:
- You’re ready to upgrade to a new piano.
- You’re ready to purchase a new piano.
- You’re ready to retire from playing the piano.
- You want to focus on other instruments.
- You want to simplify your life.
- You need a breather from playing the piano.
If you’ve reached any of these points in your life, it may be time to let your piano go.
Network to Sell Your Piano on a Smaller Scale
Many online networks specialize in the sale and trade of musical instruments. If you don’t want to deal with the hassles of finding a buyer and selling your piano on your own, collaborating with other musicians in your area can help you generate a smaller cash flow while also building a network of buyers.
A few online networks specifically for musicians to sell their instruments include Pianobar, Pianobuy, Pianodolly, and Crosspiano. Some of these networks charge a fee for members to list, but there are also free options. So selling your instrument on one of these networks can help you generate a certain amount of money for your piano.
Screen Potential Buyers
If you use a service, you have to screen potential buyers. A buyer who makes an unsolicited offer is often a junk seller. If you decide to sell your piano, you must be careful who you let in the door. Pre-screening potential buyers before allowing them to enter the building would be preferable. You can use a system like the one above to filter potential buyers.
Decide on the Best Way for The Piano to Reach its Buyer
If you are selling your piano yourself, you must decide how to deliver it to the buyer. You can use a service to provide your piano or deliver it yourself. Delivery can be very time consuming and challenging if you don’t have the right tools for the task. You can use a delivery service or a garage to store your item.
Cleaning your piano before you deliver it is essential to remove accumulated dirt or dust during storage. If you don’t clean it, the buyer will get a dirty piano when they receive it.
What is the Average Lifespan of the Piano?
Are you concerned that your piano may be too old? On average, a well-constructed piano can last 30 to 100 years. Many pianos built before World War II are still in excellent condition, while others are non-existent. It all comes down to many factors and the care the piano receives.
Extremely frequent use can wear down a piano much quicker, whereas regular maintenance can augment the piano’s lifespan. But, of course, you can also make your piano last longer by rebuilding it. In that case, you may pass the antique down many generations.
Do Pianos Have a Resale Value?
Like a car, some pianos will appreciate while others depreciate. However, you can reduce the rate of depreciation by doing regular service. Additionally, good maintenance ensures you keep your piano clean and under optimum use. Finally, you can improve the design of your piano to look more appealing with an antique form.
“Unlike people, pianos sing when you give them your every snarl.” When you’ve split yourself open, they know how to descend into the pit of your stomach and sync with your roars. Pianos do not run when they see you, guts flashing, brain pumping, heart subjected to a rhythm of “need need, need need, need need”. As a result, she plays.” – Francesca Lia
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