Are you looking to sell a piano? You may have noticed your piano collecting dust for the last few years and have decided it’s time to sell, but knowing where to start can be difficult. In this article, we will be explaining the key stages of preparing your piano for sale to ensure you get the best price for your instrument.
Piano Appraisal
Getting your piano appraised is the first step toward selling your piano. This is because it will help determine the current market value. Appraisals can be done by a professional piano technician or tuner in your local area. It is generally a service you will need to pay for but, it is well worth the money if you want to sell a piano.
Getting an appraisal is seen as the most accurate way to determine the value of your piano. When it comes to an appraisal, they will consider the brand, the age, the internal and external condition and the current state of the market. An appraisal ensures that you are getting the best price for your piano and helps you be realistic in pricing to improve your chances of a sale.
Determining Value
From here, you can start to determine the fair market value (FMV) of your instrument by taking not only the appraisal into account but other sources too. You should research online, taking note of what your exact piano is priced at on music shops and dealers’ websites. You should also explore classified ads such as Gumtree, specialist piano auctioneers and sites such as eBay. Your piano technician or tuner who appraised your piano may be able to provide an FMV, but the used piano market is subject to change and not all piano specialists keep up to date with these fluctuations.
Fix it up
Before selling, you may want to ensure your piano is in the best condition possible to be more appealing to prospective buyers. There are a few things that may help to increase the value of your instrument without breaking the bank, such as having it re-tuned. This is a simple but effective way of making your piano more desirable as any buyer will want to try it before they buy, and the right sound can make a sale.
You may also want to look into Piano Restoration, as this again could help improve the value and saleability of your instrument. In some cases, this may cost more than you’ll make back, but it is always worth speaking to a piano specialist to decide whether restoring your piano to its former glory will help increase its value.
Where to sell a piano?
Once you have figured out how much you can sell your piano in the current market, you will want to consider where you should sell it. This could be through a private buyer online or through an auction house, but often, these routes lead to wasted time, effort and frustration.
When dealing with a private buyer, there is no guarantee that you will be able to sell a piano. This is because they will want to purchase your piano upon seeing and playing it in person. You may have to go through many private buyers and a lot of haggling to finally part with your piano. This process can be effective if you find the right buyer for the right price the first time, but it can also turn into a much lengthier and more tiring process than you may have first imagined.
Similarly, taking your piano to the auction may seem appealing at first. With a great initial valuation, you may believe you will quickly and easily get the price you are looking for, but this isn’t always the case. Your piano is only ever worth what someone will pay for it, and through an auction house, you might find yourself sorely disappointed when you end up with less than you thought. You must take into consideration transport costs, VAT and any commissions charged for the sale of your piano.
Sell your piano to Markson Pianos!
If you are looking for a hassle-free way to sell a piano, why not consider selling to Markson Pianos? We regularly purchase pianos from customers who simply do not have the time to commit to selling a piano and want to ensure they get a fair price from a reputable company.
Our team can provide you with a better idea of whether we would be interested in purchasing your piano with the following information: the manufacturer, the case style, the case finish, the age and serial number, the current condition, and whether it is overstrung or straight strung, as we only purchase overstrung pianos. If you want more information on buying or selling your piano, why not check out our used piano guide here.
If you do want to sell a piano, our team of piano transporters can collect it from your property, free of charge. To find out more about selling your piano to us, feel free to visit our dedicated Buy My Piano page, where there are more details and a contact form. You can also email us with photos of your piano at buymypiano@marksonpianos.com.