<p>I also had that thought. Piano stores will sometimes take in trades that they really cannot sell; they might be happy to unload one.</p>
<p>"The question becomes will the piano be worth more in a better market? "</p>
<p>very,very unlikely as new Bosendorfers ,as well as Steinways, M& H and other fine quality pianos are being produced each year. Those in the market for a Grand Piano will have lots of options…</p>
<p>We have two pianos. One from my childhood and one a gift from my fil who was in the music business. It is a concert grand Mason and Hamlin. Perfect sound. It is, however, like many inherited things: worth far more on paper then in reality. </p>
<p>Every year we receive notices from the local universities that they are selling THIS YEARS pianos at a discount. So, if we were to sell it any buyer would have lots of options.</p>
<p>We recently sold a rug, antique (100 years old) in excellent condition. Retail value? At the top of the market, $40,000. We didn’t get that, nor did we expect to get it. Yes, the commission is about 35%. The rug was too large (which is a good thing in rugs) for any room except the den. So…gone.</p>
<p>A good source for learning about buying and selling pianos is “The Piano Book,” by Larry Fine, although the most recent edition is a bit old now (2001, I think).</p>
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I’m a little confused about this. If it hasn’t been tuned in 10± years, how is its current condition known? You did say that the local retailer had “looked at it”, so maybe they evaluated it but did not tune it at the same time? And when you talk about good/great condition… are you talking about how the case looks or how the instrument itself is (sound board, hammers, felts, etc. etc. etc.)?</p>
<p>Remember that, when sold, you are responsible for taxes on the income.</p>
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<p>Pianos really need to be maintained constantly…and this includes tuning regularly. I would find out from a reputable tuner if this NOT having this piano tuned for ten years is going to present a problem with regard to tuning.</p>
<p>We were given a family piano that had been in use for years. Then it was placed in storage and was not tuned for five years…it NEVER held a tuning again…it wasn’t as impressive a piano as the OPs but it did not hold the tuning for more than a couple of days.</p>
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Only if you sell it for more than you paid for it.</p>
<p>And any profit would be a capital gain, which is taxed at a much lower rate.</p>
<p>^^What notrichenough said.</p>
<p>And it sounds like you’ll be selling it at a loss anyway.</p>
<p>Ok, now I am trying to figure out how to tell my Mom that she needs to get her piano tuned. We are hoping to inherit the piano for D someday, and I know she is not getting it tuned and hardly plays it. Such a a waste…</p>
<p>The piano store may be setting aside some of the commission to get the piano back in shape. A regular basic tuning costs around $100. But getting a long ignored piano back in shape may take a lot of work. Some shops also do “voicing”, more involved than a basic tuning.</p>
<p>I am not positive, but I believe my parents receive a separate price for tuning and getting it ready for the showroom floor. While it has not been tuned in a while, the appraiser said it was in very good shape and didn’t need much. If I am not mistaken, the appraiser was also a tuner.</p>