• About Buyers
• List your piano for sale
• Include at least one photograph
• Write Detailed Comments in Your Listing
• Extras that Can Make a Difference  
• Shop for buyers
• Do you need to include an Inspection report?
• Are you asking a fair price?   
• Do you need to tune your piano?
• Does it matter what type of environment the piano is in when showing it?

About Buyers

You can usually find a buyer for your piano if you make it easy for the buyer.  It helps to know what is important to a buyer.

Why are buyers shopping the internet?

1. Buyers want to save time shopping.  They can get more information on the web about a piano before contacting a seller than they can in other situations.

2. Buyers want to find pianos they might not easily find otherwise.

3. Buyers want to buy at a fair price and save money if possible.

4. Buyers want more comprehensive information and education about the pianos available, so they aren’t buying in the dark.  Most buyers don't know a lot about pianos when they begin their search.  

Why do buyers shop at Piano Finders instead of at the other large auction houses, classified ad sections and listing services available?

1. Because Piano Finders specializes in pianos only and provides online tools that make it easier for the buyers to find what they are looking for.

2. Because they trust Piano Finders as a broker.  They know that Piano Finders has had over 21 years of experience in helping buyers and sellers.  They feel that they can get their questions answered and find the help they need in arranging the details of the transaction, once the piano is selected.

3. Because Piano Finders offers a system of comparison for buyers that allows them to make an educated choice about the piano they are buying.

4. Because they believe that Piano Finders sellers are going to treat them with respect, give them comprehensive, accurate and truthful information about their piano and ask a fair price.
   
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1. List your piano for sale on the Piano Finders website.    The quickest way to list is at:
   List Your Piano Here 
   
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2. Include photographs of your piano.   90% of the buyers who shop the internet want to see photographs of the piano before they decide to contact the seller.  Not including photographs narrows down the buyers who will consider contacting you, to 10% or less.   We can include up to  5 photos with your listing.  Buyers like to see all angles of the piano.  Ghere is no extra charge for listing  photos with your entry.  If you already have photos on the web somewhere, just enter their URLs (the web address where they are located-i.e. http://www.myweb/my pictures/piano1.jpg ) at the time of listing your piano for sale (in the “.jpg” format).  If you have already submitted your entry and want to add photos, send the URLs to us by email with identification as to who you are and which piano ID you want it attached to.  We will include them in your listing for free.
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3. Write Detailed Comments in Your Listing:  Include as many details about the piano as you can in the “comments” section of your listing.  For example, buyers like to know a piano’s history, where it was purchased, where it has lived, anything special about it.   You might mention why you are selling the piano.  Describe what you feel is positive about the piano and also include any defects it might have.   
   

4. Extras that Can Make a Difference.

   1. Do you have a matching bench?  If you do, be sure to mention it in your comments and include it in your photos.  If not, select a matching bench from our catalogue.  See How to Select a Bench.    Once you have selected the bench and know how much it will cost be sure to discount the price of your piano by the cost of the bench (if you will be letting the buyer purchase the bench themselves) or tell the buyer you will include the bench in the price of the piano. Most buyers expect the piano to come with a bench, and unless the piano is in great demand, it may be harder to sell if it has no bench.

   2. Have you mentioned extras you will include in the price of the piano? Mention these things in the comments section of your listing:   If you are selling a player piano, mention how many rolls/CD’s/Discs you are including with the piano.  If the piano has a cover or castor cups, lamps, music or any other items or accessories, describe them and mention that you are including them in the sale price of the piano.

5. Shop for buyers:  Piano Finders has a pianos wanted section.  Check this out on a regular basis and see if there are buyers looking for what you have.  Buyers registering their needs under "Pianos Wanted" expect you to contact them if you happen to have a piano they're looking for.
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6. Do you need to include an Inspection report?  30% of our buyers are only interested in buying a piano that they have seen themselves, to verify that it has the touch and tone they like.  The other 70% are willing to buy the piano sight unseen, if they can view a Piano Finders Inspection report on our website.   We recommend that if you can, you include a piano inspection report to your listing, if you are trying to sell a piano that will be worth more than $2,000, now or after repairs.   The report itself is valuable for your own information, but it is invaluable to a buyer who is shopping outside their geographical area.   They need information they can review themselves, discuss with us and/or talk to their technician about.  One of the reasons they are shopping the internet, is because they can find pianos that have already been inspected and review those reports online.

   1. If you already have a technician's report, you can enter the information into our database through the following form:  
      Tech Report.  Wait to fill out this report until after your piano has been added to the database and assigned an ID number.

   2. If you have not already had your piano inspected by a technician, then you can invest in one. (We have pre-selected technicians who are familiar with our Inspection Form.) See Comprehensive Appraisal Service and Hire a Technician to order the two parts of this service online.
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7. Are you asking a fair price?  If you want to sell your piano in 90-120 days, we recommend that you list the piano for no more than its current market value.  If you want to sell it in 30 days or less, then list it for it’s wholesale price.  If you don’t know what this is, order the
   Ballpark Pricing and Piano Information Service or the 
   Comprehensive Appraisal Service
   
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8. Do you need to tune your piano?  This depends upon the kind of condition that your piano is in. 

   1. If your piano is in basically great condition, then it might be important to tune the piano before buyers come to look at it.  Our rule of thumb it this, if the piano is an average upright, most buyers considering it will be local to your area, and tuning can be important.  If the piano is a high quality upright or a grand, then you will have a broader market. Many buyers will be outside the area and will be more interested in having an inspection report available to them, than in having it “in tune” today.   The piano has to be tuned again after it is moved, so tuning it now is only important if the buyer needs to hear the piano themselves before buying it.   For a buyer who trusts their own ear when buying, tuning is essential to present your piano well.  For a buyer who trusts a technician’s report on the condition and potential of a piano, tuning is not necessary.  We have pre-selected tuners you can hire online.  Click here to hire a tuner:  

   2. If you know your piano needs work, then it may not be wise to invest in a tuning right now.  Instead, invest in a Comprehensive Appraisal.  This will give you an idea of whether or not it might be wise to do work to your piano before selling it.  If you decide to sell the piano “as is”, then the Comprehensive Appraisal will be essential for the buyer.   Many buyers  will consider doing the work to the piano after they buy it, as long as they know what it will need.  They may need to consult us and/or their technician about the piano before buying and the comprehensive appraisal and inspection report gives the information they need.
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9. Does it matter what type of environment the piano is in when showing it?.  If you have not had a comprehensive appraisal on your piano, then the buyers considering your piano will most likely want to see it.  Here are some basic things they will need.

   1. The piano should be accessible to play and see.   A buyer should be able to sit at the piano and play it without any hassle.   There should be ample light in the room so they can read any music they brought and also so they can walk around the piano and inspect the cabinet for defects.  The buyer should not be crowded by boxes or other things when they are seated at the piano.

   2. The environment should be quiet.  A buyer will need to be able to hear the sound of the piano.   If there are children playing loudly in the room, a dog barking, construction going on, a noisy freeway or airport nearby, then they may not be able to hear the piano. 

   3. The buyer should have some privacy.  Many buyers are very shy when playing in front of other people.   Ask the buyer if they would like you to go out of the room while they are testing the piano.  Let them know how to reach you when they want to talk further.

   4. The environment should be comfortable.   It should not be too hot or cold in the room you are showing the piano.  What is usually comfortable for human beings is also good for pianos.   If you take a buyer outside or to a room or garage that is obviously too hot or cold, not only will the buyer be uncomfortable while they are there, but they may be concerned about how the piano has been treated.  Although a piano is not usually affected by extremes of temperature, it is affected by extremes of humidity or lack of it.  A piano exposed to excessive changes in humidity can have serious defects.  If you have not had a comprehensive appraisal on the piano to reveal those defects, and you are showing the buyer your piano in an environment that is obviously suspect, you may have little success selling.

   5. Sometimes the environment needs to be attractive.  If the piano is expensive and you are asking a high market value it pays to put it in a place that will show it off.   If the environment doesn’t match the beauty and quality of the piano being sold, then for some buyers this can be a real turn off.  If you are asking significantly below current market value for the piano, the discount in price can often compensate for the lack of a good showing environment.
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