Craigslist is a minefield.

When looking for a used piano, Craigslist is not a great option, unless you are a piano expert or you hire one when looking. There are so many pianos all over Craigslist and the private sellers posting their pianos almost always know little to nothing about the quality of their piano or what to price it. They aren’t intentionally trying to give you a bad deal…at least I hope not….but they are often not equipped with the right knowledge.

Issue 1: Price

When a private seller lists their piano, the prices tend to be off of the exterior of the piano with little regard to the inside. They are pricing their instrument on how pretty it is, how nice the finish is, etc. It’s nice to have a pretty piano, but that is not where the value of a piano lies. The value comes from the inside. Just the other day, I saw a listing for a lovely Yamaha console. I called to inquire and the piano has not been tuned in over 18 years! Eight-teen years!! Not only that, the fella selling it knew nothing about the piano, never played it, and he was charging $1500. Nope, nope, nope. That piano may not even BE serviceable at this point. A pretty exterior does not a musical instrument make.

Issue 2: Tuning

There is this strange idea that floats around Craigslist listings that a piano just “needs a tune-up” and all will be perfect. No worries that it hasn’t been opened up in 10 years. Just tune it once and it will sound and feel like a Steinway!! This is just not reality, folks. You get what you pay for. Even worse, an unsuspecting buyer may get LESS than they paid for when they think the piano is in great shape, but it turns out it’s a money pit. When hunting for a used piano and the listing says “just needs a tune-up”, please ask for more information.

Things to consider:

WHEN was it last tuned. If they don’t even know, run away. If they are certain it’s been a few years or so, it is probably fine. If they say 10 years or more, hire a tuner to come and inspect it before making a decision. If they say it’s never been tuned, run even faster! It’s not the piano for you or your kids.

Issue 3: Age

“This piano is an antique!” translates to, “It’s too old and worth nothing. Keep looking.”

“Check out this piano. It’s in mint condition!” translates to, “The outside is perfect, with no scratches, but we have no idea what’s going on inside.”

This sounds harsh, I know. However, far too often I go tune a piano for a new client and they’ve gotten a piano off Craigslist and it is past its playable life, but it’s pretty. I feel so terrible telling these folks that they paid too much, or that the piano isn’t even worth tuning.

A couple more thoughts…

I’m here to help families find a good used piano, but also to share the reality that there is no such thing as a free piano. I’m here to educate and help. Any quality used piano that is worth bringing into your home will not cost less than $1000. This is truly reality. If it’s less, there is a 99.99999999% chance that it’s in poor condition and will cost a lot of money to get into acceptable condition. Occasionally, someone gets lucky. Unfortunately, that instance is few and far between.

Price from a private seller does not necessarily equal quality. Have it inspected by a professional to make sure the price fits the quality of piano.

Pianos are very complex and complicated. They are expensive to manufacture. That equates to value and a price tag. There is simply no bargain bin way to purchase a nice piano that will last without investing. It’s worth it, I promise!

For more specifics on some things to look for when hunting for a used piano, check out my Buyer Guide that I did with Musicnotes.com.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you’ve gained some valuable knowledge about pianos that you find worthwhile.

Musically,

Marta

The Piano Gal