Discover efficient ways for piano removal in Pittsburgh, PA. Learn how to get rid of a piano hassle-free. Get expert tips and assistance today.
Buying a piano is one of the best long-term purchases you can make. Everyone who plays the piano needs to know how to get rid of their piano at some point. If you can get some money for your instrument, that’s always a good thing, whether you’re moving your home or looking to get a better one.
The Cold, Hard Truth
If someone has had a piano in their home for years and wants to get rid of it, they might think they can just sell it on their own. There are a lot of pianos in private homes that are almost 100 years old. Most of the time, grandparents or great-grandparents got them when the only way to have fun at home was to have a piano. Not even a TV or radio, computer, or anything else. Just music.
It’s possible for some people to get the wrong idea that the piano is valuable because it’s old. They are totally wrong.
That being said, I’m not saying that old pianos are useless. It’s likely worth a lot if you have a Steinway or Bechstein that is 100 years old and has been well taken care of. But it’s more possible that you have an old, out-of-tune piano from a generic brand. None of this piano is worth anything.
I’m sorry to burst your dream, but a piano is not useful as furniture. You can only get paid for something if you can play it. There are many problems with these old pianos that make them almost useless for a serious singer. They have been left alone for years and the keys are stuck or the soundboards are cracked.
Really old pianos, like ones that are 80 to 100 years old and haven’t been played in a while, are nearly impossible to sell. In fact, if you’re not lucky, you will have to PAY someone to take it away. That brings me to the point of this article: free ways to get rid of a piano.
It can be hard to get rid of an instrument like a piano because you want to get some of your money back at least. I’ll show you 9 easy ways to get rid of a piano in this story. I’m going to tell you what to look for in a buyer and what to do if you can’t find anyone to buy your piano.
1. List The Piano For Sale Online
Putting your piano up for sale online is the best way to get people to notice it. You can pick from many sites. People know that Craigslist and eBay work well, but Facebook Marketplace is a new service that is making a name for itself.
The Facebook market is great because buyers can see the sellers’ profiles and connect with them. It’s very simple to sell your things, set a price, add pictures, and write a clear description.
You can also describe your instrument by where it is, how good it is, and a lot more. Facebook is a social media site, so good photos or movies of your instrument will make your listings more likely to be shared.
Along with your marketplace post, you can also run paid Facebook ads to help it get more attention. When you post an ad online, keep in mind that most of the people who see it will be desperate to find a good deal on your piano.
When you put your piano on the market online, try to get the best shots you can. Most smartphones have great photos that can pick up on small details and even make up for bad lighting.
Also, be honest about how the instrument is doing. In the description, you should say something like “the fallboard has a big scratch on it.”
If someone wants to buy the piano, you don’t want them to find that it’s not what they thought it would be.
I think you should list your instrument for a few thousand dollars more than you want to get. This will help you set a good price for the instrument when you find someone who wants to buy it.
There are times when an online post can stay up for a while, especially if the instrument is pretty pricey. It might help to put it lower than other sellers in the same area so that it can get some attention.
Real people will start to seriously look at your offering in as little as three days, but it will take at least two to three weeks before it sells. It might be a good idea to ask people you know if they know anyone who wants to buy your piano quickly.
2. Ask Friends, Family, and Students
Someone in your family or group of friends who wants to buy a piano might be ready to take yours. The best thing about giving your piano to a friend or family member is that you know the piano will be in good hands.
You could even ask your friends if they’d be interested in buying your piano.
Since you don’t need to make a lot of money, you could at least give the piano away or greatly reduce its price.
If you have a piano school, you could even ask your students if they are interested in pianos. It’s a good deal since most kids only have digital piano keyboards.
Real students who want to learn would definitely be interested in buying your instrument if the price is right.
3. Offer To Pay For The Piano Movers And Tuning Fees
Most people don’t want to move and tune the piano, whether they’re selling it online or giving it to a friend. It will be more likely that you get rid of the piano if you add this as a reward.
A lot of piano movers charge $500 to move a piano across town. You can expect to pay at least $2,000 for long-distance moves. I think this should only be done for local moves.
You could even add the cost of moving into the price of the instrument, that way you wouldn’t lose any money.
You could be nice and tune the instrument as a greeting. The offer is nice because most piano tunings cost at least $150.
4. Trade Your Piano In For A New One
I don’t like selling a piano back to a music shop, but there are times when that’s the only choice. Like trading in a car, dealing in a piano can be worth some money.
Even though you probably won’t get close to what the piano is worth, piano shops will gladly take it off your hands.
There are some good things about giving your piano back to a music store. It’s nice that you can choose whether to get your money in cash or store credit. Another good thing is that most shops will pay to move your piano, which can save you at least $500.
No matter what type or make of piano you have or how good or bad it is, these stores will want it.
Check out the Bluebook of pianos here if you don’t know how much your piano is worth. If you want to make deals with music shops, this guide will really help you.
Make sure you only do this as a last choice. The instrument would be worth a lot more if you sold it yourself online or to someone in your neighborhood.
5. Call Your Local Piano Technician
Tuners know how to fix and tune instruments like pianos better than anyone else. You won’t believe it, but most people who tune pianos are also very good at playing.
You might want to let them know that you are selling your instrument to see how interested they are. Most of the time, a tuner will give you a fair price for the piano because they know how much it’s really worth.
The piano techs will also be able to check the instrument out carefully, which makes it easier to sell to them than to someone else. Techs are always thinking about how to fix things, even if your piano has a lot of problems.
6. Donate Your Piano To A Local Charity Or Church
You could always give your piano away if you don’t want to sell it. Many charities, churches, and schools in the area would be happy to take your instrument.
You’ll be helping a lot of people who really need it if you give the piano away. Most of the time, you can be sure that they’ll be careful with the instrument and play it well.
Giving away a piano is also a tax break, so this can help with that too.
You can donate your instrument locally, but there are also many national groups that will take it. You could work with area piano studios, hospitals, senior living facilities, or even colleges to see if you can meet a need.
7. List Your Piano At Pianoadoption or On Piano Forums
You could post about your piano for sale or free on a lot of different websites. PianoAdoption.com is the first choice. You can sell your piano on this website based on where it is.
Even though it’s not the busiest town, your ad will probably get seen, and you should be able to get rid of the instrument.
You might also want to check out the boards at Pianoworld and Pianostreet. These are huge music sites where people talk about everything related to the piano. You can choose from a number of talk boards, and it’s likely that a lot of people will be interested in your instrument.
The people who read these sites know a lot about the piano, so be honest about your instrument.
On the message boards, you can also find great tips on how to set the right price for your piano and even find people who are looking to buy one. There are a lot of chances to meet new people on these two sites in particular.
8. Use A Junk Removal Service For Piano Removal
If you can’t find anyone to give your piano to, you could always hire a service to take it away. These companies use vehicles that look like trash trucks to take your heavy equipment to junkyards and get rid of it for you.
Most services charge you a flat fee that doesn’t change based on how full your car is. This could mean that it costs $300 if the truck is half full and only $125 if it is only a quarter full.
However, if you’re only moving a piano, this will not cost you too much. Because you’re not trying to protect the instrument in any way, you don’t have to pay the usual $500 moving fee to properly wrap it, take the legs off, and do other steps.
Along with two other people, you will be able to get your instrument into the truck in any way possible.
Since you’re moving your piano because you need more space, it makes sense to use a junk removal service to get rid of other things you don’t need as well.
9. Dump It
For most people, this is probably the best choice. If nothing else works and no one wants your piano, this might be the only way to get rid of it. You should know that this will probably cost you some money. The trash may charge you to dump it, or you may be able to pay your local government to pick it up and get rid of it properly. You can also hire a private company to come get your piano.
I’m sorry to say that these old instruments are only valuable to me because I like them. If you’ve tried everything to get someone to take your piano and keep playing it, but they won’t, you shouldn’t feel bad about getting rid of it. It’s probably been around for a lot longer than its expected lifetime.
FAQ’s
How Much Does It Cost To Get Rid Of A Piano?
For the most part, getting rid of a piano is free. The buyer has to pay for the costs of moving the instrument. One cost you might have is getting a certified piano technician to check out the piano before you put it on the market. Repairs to the piano could also cost money, based on how much you want to get for it.
Can You Donate A Piano?
You can give away a piano. There are a number of places where you can donate pianos. Aside from that, you can give pianos to local music groups, churches, poor neighborhoods, and even a youth center.
How Do You Dispose Of A Broken Piano?
When a piano can’t be fixed, it’s time to get rid of it. You can get rid of the piano by hiring a service that takes away junk. Giving the piano to a group that wants to fix it is the other choice. The instrument could also be broken up into smaller pieces and thrown away.