<p>I know nothing about pianos or how to go about sell one; hoping to find some help here.</p>
<p>My parents have a baby grand that was purchased 40 years ago, more for decoration that playability. I did take lessons as a kid, but it was obvious I had zero talent! At the time of purchase the piano was one of only a handful in the United States. We have had it looked at by a local piano company that happens to sell these new and used. While this piano new retails for $130K, it seems this shop sells them new for around $78. It was though they could get maybe $25K-$30K; they then take 30% for their commission!!</p>
<p>I know there are some piano forums I could post on, but I don’t know enough about the piano since I don’t speak piano Any suggestions on how to go about doing this would be appreciate it.</p>
<p>What the issue is, is that my parents really need the money; otherwise they would not sell the piano. That said, they are not willing to give the piano away, and netting $16K is a give away to me. We have been looking at their belongings to see what could be sold and make the most money. We were thinking before the piano people came out that maybe they could get $40-$50K which we now know isn’t the case.</p>
<p>Wow, 130k?? I have also been researching the current values of baby grands as we are looking to sell one, and I haven’t seen anything going for that much! Gold keys?? If you have an Ebay account, check the completed listings to get an idea of what similar models are actually selling for. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would call a local piano tuner and get him/her to tune and evaluate the piano. Anyone who sells on commission is going to want to sell the piano in a hurry, rather than go for the full price. Once you get the piano tuner’s opinion, ask him/her who they would call if they wanted to buy a piano. Or call the music teacher at the local college/high school/etc.</p>
<p>If there is a college near you that has music programs (and maybe a piano major) you might want to talkto them. Someone there might know what direction to point you to.</p>
<p>$130k? A Steinway D? A Fazioli concert grand? A Bosendorfer concert grand? Those are the only three pianos that I know of that retail for $130k, and the number of those in homes is tiny. </p>
<p>A baby grand? No way. (I know a bit about pianos: d. is a concert pianist, and has met a Fazioli once in her life.) But I’m all eyes.</p>
<p>It’s unusual that your parents purchased such an expensive piano as a decoration. Typically, the very elaborate pianos are concert grand, not baby grand. Can you tell us a little more about it? What is the maker?</p>
<p>Those numbers are quite something, I agree!</p>
<p>I am NOT a piano expert, but bought and sold a vintage (1906) Steinway O in the last several years. Bought it from a local person after having it evaluated by a local tuner/restorer. It had previously had some work done on it, needed more. I did some of the needed work (not all), enjoyed the piano for many years and then wanted to sell it, about 15 years later.</p>
<p>To sell it, I again called in a local technician to evaluate it and tune it. I posted it on eBay and craigslist with forthright information on what was needed to bring it into top condition. I had several interested parties/bids. The best offers were from out-of-area professionals in the restoration and resale business. I sold it to one of those via craigslist - he sent me cashier’s check for the value (for 5 figure $$ but nowhere near what you are talking about). When I had the funds and had verified that they were good funds, he sent the piano movers he dealt with (a national company specializing in piano moving) to my house to retrieve the piano.</p>
<p>Worked very well. If you open the sale up via eBay/craigslist… you obviously see what the value is beyond one buyer who happens to be local to you.</p>
<p>Your piano might go to an end user (I don’t know), so you could get “retail” for it. Or a restorer/reseller might be the best purchaser as it was for mine.</p>
<p>Pianos, if well cared for will last for years. Now well cared for will include periodic cleaning, tuning,felt/hammer replacements, key issues. And it honestly helps if the instrument is played regularly. </p>
<p>These are complex mechanisms, prone to wear, very susceptible to changes in humidity and temperature. Cosmetic issues will include wear, nicks, sunbleaching on the casework, missing or delaminated veneers. The most common issue will probably be with the soundboard, may well be split, or worse warped.</p>
<p>I’d go with an inspection from an independent tuner/restorer and use his appraisal, both for “as is” and what might be needed and at what cost to potentially increase sales price. This gives you at least one more set of “eyes”. </p>
<p>thump is on the mark. Most large music schools will have a staff tuner, or can suggest local independents who do this.</p>
<p>You might want to identify the maker, find the serial number(s), and do some research at sites like this [Piano</a> Information and Appraisals, Your Money’s Worth Piano Prices, Value - New and Used.](<a href=“http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/]Piano”>http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/) to see if both sets of numbers make sense. Unless you have a network of potential buyers, I’d sell it on commission if you can come to terms on what the shop is actually assessing the value at. You are paying for their skill, expertise and base of customers.</p>
<p>And remember, retail sales price will not equate to what a broker or restorer is willing to pay.</p>
<p>We purchased a 1926 Mason & Hamlin AA from a performing musician in San Diego. We hired the head of piano maintenance at the San Diego Symphony to inspect it for us and write a report. We purchased the piano, and with transportation, and the inspector’s fee, cost us slightly under $10k. A new AA would cost around $65-$70k tops. But an AA is larger than a baby grand. And the performer who got $9k was very happy to get that much. </p>
<p>(And 40 years ago - the 70s, was not a good time for pianos, and among the worst for Steinways, if that’s what it is.) Again, I don’t know what you have, but I’m betting that $16k is about right, or maybe more than you can expect.</p>
<p>The Piano World site has an excellent piano forum dedicated to discussions about various piano makers and models. Many knowledgeable posters, including retailers, participate. </p>
<p>You might want to search on the site to see if any info is available; if nothing comes up, you can register and ask for opinions.</p>
<p>The piano is a Bosendorfer and it might be the size up from the baby grand; remember I said I don’t speak piano! I have some of the paperwork on the piano, but not with me. I looked online months ago just trying to figure out what it was worth. At the time my parents purchased the piano, it was no what near the price they sell for now. Like I said, while it retails for $130K, no one sells or buys it for that price; it usually goes for somewhere around $79K.</p>
<p>I will check into one of the college music schools and see what kind of information we can get. The appraiser that came to look at the piano I believe worked for the retail store I called. This is a nationally know piano store with a long history, so I feel the appraisal was fair; that is not to say we wouldn’t get another one. My parents have the original sales receipt as well as the serial number which is how I was able to research a little.</p>
<p>While we could try to sell this online, craigslist or ebay, at 80 years old, I don’t want my parents having to deal with people coming into their home; you never know if you are getting serious buyers or someone coming to case the home. We are considering going this route, but not before I do tons of research on what kind of price we really should expect.</p>
<p>The piano company called me last Friday as he had a potential buyer in another country that has purchased pianos from them in the past. When my mother said she wanted to clear $30K, she was told the buyer would not pay that much; actually he will pay that, but again, the company gets 30%, so she might be able to net $20K. We are on hold at the moment waiting to see if the buying wants the piano bad enough or the company will take a smaller commission. Not holding my breathe for either of those to happen.</p>
<p>Bosendorfer is a rare and nice piano It was my son’s favorite from a young age when we killed time a piano shop between piano competition performances. The piano sales people told us that often the most expensive pianos (Bosendorfer, Steinway) are owned not owned by musicians due to the steep price. </p>
<p>Frankly I think you should consider giving the 30% commission to a store with access to high end buyers. This is a tough economy, and most families would hesitate to risk big bucks on a private sale.</p>
<p>Okay. You’ve got a Bosendorfer 185, a great piano, and still (just) considered a baby grand. New, you’ll see 'em in the $70-$90k range. In good condition, a 40-year-old one might bring $30k give or take $5k, I think, if really good rigged out condition.</p>
<p>The problem is that the market for Bosendorfer (especially small ones) in the U.S. is really, really, really, really small. As in miniscule. The reason for that is that at that price, most American buyers are going to be looking for Steinways (or Mason & Hamlins from an older period). It’s just 'cause they are names they know. Or a larger nice new piano with a less fancy name (like an Estonia). Bosendorfer concert grands are seen in concert halls (maybe 1 out of 10), some famous artists play them, and in the recital halls of some (few) colleges and universities. But not the little ones. A professional player on the way up knows s/he is going to be playing a Steinway in most concert venues, so will practice on a Steinway (the Bosies are probably better, but that doesn’t have anything to do with it.) An expensive piano purely for the home is going to be a Steinway, though a Bosie will have snob appeal (like a Bechstein). </p>
<p>It’s going to be a hard sell. People are going to want to play it before laying out the bucks, (and will be mulling that decision hard - what if THEY then want to sell it? Better off with the inferior Steinway or Mason & Hamlin). In other words, you won’t get what it’s worth without working really hard (and worth, really, is only what you can get for net.) You can go to the Piano Forums discussion lists and ask around. But I doubt you’re going to net more that $16-$18kk for it (if that). </p>
<p>And that’s sad, for what potentially is such a great piano. </p>
<p>Have an experienced tuner come in an have him appraise it and tell you what it needs.</p>
<p>Not a piano, but another expensive instrument: a friend tried to sell via eBay and Craigslist and got many fake responses from overseas (and here at home). If the buyer is more interested in the finances than in the particulars of the instrument, beware!</p>
<p>I would also suggest that the experienced tuner TUNE the piano. Anyone buying an expensive piano IS going to want to play it…and if it’s out of tune, it will be a no go, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I understand your concern about selling it out of their house. We found our current piano through an online forum and drove about three hours so S could play it. When you are spending five figures on an instrument you do not want to be rushed and we were in the house for a good long time. The piano we bought was less than ten years old and the seller was a professional who had all the maintenance receipts (probably kept for tax purposes) so we were mostly seeing how S liked the sound and touch. Had that not been the case I would probably have paid our technician to go down and look at it as well. </p>
<p>One thing came from our visiting the house instead of seeing the piano in a showroom. The owner had actually left the country and was storing the piano at her parents’ place. Chatting with the parents while S played we learned that the owner had decided to stay overseas and needed the cash. It was also very apparent that the parents were anxious to move the piano, which was taking up half their living room. We got a fabulous deal. (We used escrow.com to handle the transaction.)</p>
<p>As the piano store has a potential buyer, who by the way is in Japan, I feel a need to readdress the to sell or not. I guess our mistake last year was thinking the piano has more value that it really did; that was a disappointment. I also think my parents can not believe the commission on the sell; never imagined 30% before the appraiser arrived. </p>
<p>The piano is in good/great condition. It needs tuning for sure; I can’t even remember when it was last tuned, has to have been over 10 years! We were giving a price to have the piano looking like new, but I don’t have those figures with me. I believe my parents had to pay for the tuning and other work, but the piano company would come pick it up. My mother is not interested in the piano sitting in their showroom for who know how long. If it isn’t sold, she wants it in her living room.</p>
<p>The question becomes will the piano be worth more in a better market? If so, they may just hang onto it and find something else to sell to get the money they need. My mother has jewelry that she could absolutely sell, but like the piano, she hates to part with it.</p>
<p>If it’s not tuned, that means no one is playing it, and it’s just sitting around looking pretty. Perhaps the piano store could replace it with a lower quality piano that could fulfill that function?</p>
Any suggestions on how to go about doing this would be appreciate it.</p>
If you have an Ebay account, check the completed listings to get an idea of what similar models are actually selling for. Good luck!</p>