A quality used piano can be an excellent choice for beginning your child’s piano lessons or for your personal enjoyment. A used piano tends to be more affordable than a new one and often offers superb value for your budget. Knowing exactly how or where to find an excellent used instrument, however, can be a challenge.
You may count yourself lucky to be offered a free piano as a gift or find one cheaply through a garage sale or classified ad, hoping it will be a good starter instrument. Although these scenarios may be ideal for your budget, they seldom lead you to a quality piano in good working condition.
This article will discuss people, places, and opportunities to help you find a quality used piano that suits your needs. Of course, we encourage you to thoroughly research all options before you begin shopping to ensure confidence in choosing the best financial value.
A first great option to begin your search for a used piano is to seek a local piano tuner or technician. These individuals are often available for a quick chat on the phone, an email, or a brief meeting. They can provide crucial information regarding what to look for in a used piano. More importantly, these piano experts spend many hours traveling to homes, churches, universities, and other locations to tune and repair pianos. They often know of pianos available for sale and their current condition and approximate value. Tuners and technicians can be vital liaisons between a potential buyer and seller looking for a piano. At least several of these experts in your area will have a website with contact information where you can begin your conversation with them.
Perhaps the ideal place to find a high-quality used piano is a piano service company in your area. In addition to tuning, these small businesses often specialize in refurbishing, restoring, and rebuilding pianos and usually offer them for sale in their own shop. These expert craftsmen take the time to make sure each instrument they sell is properly working, tuned, and refurbished to be ready for delivery and use. Many of these same shops will also restore and rebuild pianos if that is what you desire. Purchasing a piano through one of these small businesses provides significant assurance that you will not encounter necessary repairs once the piano is in your home.
At Hulme and Sweeney Piano Service, we can provide complete assistance in your search and purchase of a used piano. We will answer all your technical questions and invite you to our showroom of available used pianos. A visit to our store is a great place to find an excellent used piano in proper working condition that provides the most value for your budget.
If you are interested in browsing for used pianos in person, you can consider visiting a new piano dealer showroom. Many dealers will accept trade-in pianos from individuals upgrading to a new instrument. These trade-in pianos are often available for sale somewhere on the showroom floor. It is essential to ask questions about the condition and value of these pianos to learn if they have been refurbished, tuned, or have a maintenance history.
Remember, the goal of a piano dealership is to sell new pianos, not to refurbish and restore older pianos. Therefore, it is wise to have any piano you consider purchasing thoroughly checked by an independent technician. Sales associates may try to convince you that a new piano is a better deal than a used one, but that is not always the case. Getting a good used piano at a retail store is possible, but it will likely cost more than buying from a private seller or service shop.
If you consider yourself a bargain hunter who wants an extremely inexpensive piano, check the local consignment and resale stores. In some situations, people just need to unload a piano quickly, and donating it to a charity shop or resale store provides an easy solution for them. On rare occasions, you can find a decent piano that is just in need of basic repairs and tuning. Still, you will likely have to arrange for transportation and incur the costs of needed maintenance work. It is always best to have a piano thoroughly inspected by a trusted technician before making any decisions. In the end, most pianos at these stores are in very poor condition and will likely cost more money to restore than just purchasing from a reputable used piano shop.
With the help of the internet, piano shoppers have access to many choices of used instruments sold by private sellers rather than in local businesses. Even if you do not purchase a piano through a website marketplace, online browsing can still help provide general comparative information. Online marketplaces allow you to see pictures of models in different conditions for an array of prices. In some instances, comparison shopping online could lead you to a unique local piano shop or piano service business that could provide an excellent instrument.
Online shopping seems convenient, but any piano you are considering should be seen in person, inspected, and played before buying. Unfortunately, not every posted classified ad is legitimate, and buyers should use caution when a deal seems too good to be true.
Most people are familiar with popular online sites like eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, but there are also piano-specific sites that may offer better options. These include www.pianomart.com and www.pianobuyer.com, which offer pianos throughout the country. Most of these sites have search features that allow you to find pianos nearby. Remember, moving and maintenance costs associated with an online purchase will generally be up to the buyer. It is also essential to determine if a warranty is included with any piano you wish to buy online and to verify its playing condition.
Most of us visit with friends, family, and nearby acquaintances regularly, which leads to another option for finding a used piano. Talking to people within your circle remains an easy way to see if someone you know is trying to sell a piano they no longer use. Caution is still needed if anyone wants to gift you a free piano. As mentioned before, these instruments may often be in very poor condition and require numerous, costly repairs.
Other people to contact about a possible used piano may include piano faculty at a local university, Music Teacher Association members, or even a church that might be upgrading their pianos.
Private piano teachers in your area will sometimes have students graduate high school and move on, leaving their parents desiring to sell the piano. Another option is to visit estate sales where a family might be downsizing or relocating and cannot take a piano with them.
Finding a piano through any of these means could be a great deal, but we highly recommend contacting a skilled technician to evaluate the piano before purchasing.
Searching for a good used piano takes patience and perseverance as there are numerous places where they might be available. We recommend exploring several options presented in this article and stress the importance of a professional assessment before choosing an instrument.
One of the best options for purchasing a used piano is to check with a local piano service shop that refurbishes and restores pianos and offers them for sale. You will likely get a quality, working instrument approved by a skilled craftsman and accompanied by a warranty.
Whether you decide to purchase an instrument online, from a private seller, or consider accepting a gifted piano, feel free to contact Hulme and Sweeney Piano Service to help guide you through the process and answer your questions.
