In many cases, neither a serious piano player nor his or her piano technician would agree. Often sellers who know little about pianos will claim that the piano is in excellent condition based simply on the fact that all the keys make a sound when played, and that the cabinet isn’t in rough shape. It takes an experienced piano technician to know with certainty that a piano is in good condition. Keep in mind that while a piano might sound and feel fine to you, it may have significant problems of which you are unaware.
Pianos with player-piano systems made before about 2000, as their player-piano technology is now obsolete. Exceptions include: a few top-notch performance-quality brands such as Bechstein, Blüthner, Mason & Hamlin, and Steinway & Sons pianos that have been completely rebuilt and occasional instruments that, due to low use and favorable environmental conditions, are still in exceptional condition. Most pianos, grand or vertical, over 60 years old. Vertical pianos over 40 years old of little-known brand. Pianos that do not sell well due to age (among other factors) include: Most pianos are made with a life expectancy of 40 to 60 years, and, contrary to popular belief, do not get better with age. On the other hand, some well-known piano brands from the past, such as Wurlitzer and Kimball, may be difficult to sell because their reputations are not particularly good.Īge/Condition: Many piano owners mistakenly believe that pianos made over 100 years ago are valued as “antiques.” They aren’t, with the occasional exceptions of instruments with unusually decorated cases in fine condition - and even these can have difficulty finding a home. Performance-quality, handmade brands - such as Bechstein, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Fazioli, Grotrian, Mason & Hamlin, and Schimmel - though without wide name recognition among the general public, have great reputations among those who know them, and so are also eminently saleable. The brands today that are most saleable are Baldwin, Kawai, Steinway & Sons, and Yamaha. If the piano looks worn, it’s less likely to sell.īrand: Well-known brands with good reputations will generally generate more interest and be valued more than brands that lack name and/or quality recognition. This is true of most vertical pianos with badly scarred or damaged cases, as well as older, off-brand pianos in plain cabinets. 
This means that, in a buyer’s market, many pianos that play well may nevertheless not be saleable at any price if they don’t look as good as they play. To determine if your piano is suitable for resale, there are three basic things to consider: appearance, brand, and age/condition.Īppearance: People who buy decent-quality pianos usually have well-decorated environments for them to go into. This expense alone can approach or exceed the budget of a shopper looking for a low-cost option, and means that instruments of lower quality, low brand-name recognition, and less-than-stellar reputation tend to attract little or no sales interest. Thus, even when the seller is willing to give away the piano, it still can cost a recipient $1,000–$2,000 to accept it. Almost all pianos over 10 years old will need this work to play well and sound good.
$200–$400 for necessary repairs, regulating the action, and voicing of a console or upright, and twice that for a decent-quality grand piano. For most pianos offered for sale, a pitch raise is necessary to compensate for years of tuning neglect. $200–$300 to pitch-raise and tune the piano. Costs can double for shipping over greater distances and/or to more challenging destinations, such as a building with many steps, or to an upper floor. $200–$500 to move an upright piano, or $300–$600 to move a grand, within a 25-mile radius and to a home with no more than three or four steps. Because people tend to sell when moving, time pressure is involved - as the moving date approaches, often the asking price must be cut drastically.įor buyers on a limited budget, the costs involved in moving a piano to its new location and getting it in good playing condition after the move are relatively high, leaving them with less to pay you for the piano itself. 
The Internet, especially websites such as Craigslist and eBay, makes it easier than ever for sellers to advertise at little or no cost.In many cases, these instruments were inherited from the boomers’ own parents and are now 50 or more years old.
Baby boomers, retiring and downsizing, are flooding the market with the pianos their kids took lessons on.Digital pianos have become so advanced in tone and touch, and so competitive in price, that for many on a limited budget, a new digital piano may be a better buy than a used acoustic.Globalization and the computerization of manufacturing have made inexpensive, new, high-quality consumer-grade pianos from China and Indonesia abundantly available, leaving lower-quality used instruments from previous eras with little value.
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