Hiring Piano Movers or Junk Haulers
Contact piano movers to get it gone fast and disposed of responsibly. Piano movers have the equipment and training to move pianos quickly and safely, including partially dismantling them if needed. They also tend to be responsible with their disposal and will try to donate your piano or recycle its parts if possible. However, they are typically more expensive than a regular junk hauling service. Search for piano movers online or reach out to local showrooms and dealers. They often have preferred moving companies they work with and can give you their contact info. Depending on the size and weight of the piano and the difficulty of moving it, piano movers may charge $200–500 per piano.
Use a junk hauling company if it's totally beyond repair. If your piano is super old and in bad condition, it may be destined for the dump or a recycling plant. Contact local junk hauling services and ask if and how they handle pianos. Some may treat pianos like any other piece of old furniture while others are more careful and know how to properly disassemble or recycle it when possible. A junk hauling service is typically less expensive than a piano moving service.
Selling Your Piano
List your piano online or ask acquaintances if they’re interested in it. Post your piano for sale on social media or market sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist and specify that you’re interested in local sales only (it’s unlikely that you or a buyer will want to pay for and coordinate long-distance piano shipping). List an honest description of the condition and any unique features that make it stand out to attract buyers. Pianos may sell in any condition. You never know if someone will buy unplayable pianos for an art project, to make furniture, or to use as a prop. If you know someone who may have a need for a used piano, contact them directly. This may be a faster way to get the piano off your hands than dealing with strangers online. Entice potential buyers by offering to cover the cost of tuning and/or transporting the piano. You’ll still make a profit, and offering such a deal might help your piano sell faster. When it comes to valuing your piano, it’s best to ask a professional dealer or repair tech to look it over. That way, you won’t undervalue it and lose money or overvalue it and be stuck with it if no one will pay for it. A piano that’s less than 25 years old and is a reputable brand like Steinway or Kawai will catch the most attention from potential buyers.
Sell your piano to a piano dealer. Alternatively, contact a piano dealer or showroom and inquire about selling your piano to them. This is often faster than selling it yourself, but you may get less money for it. Tell the dealer that you’re considering selling it privately as well; they may be more likely to give you an honest deal if they think they may lose your business otherwise. When you work with a dealer, you typically don’t have to pay for tuning, maintenance, or moving costs. Selling to a dealer is often more profitable than selling at auction since there are no commission fees. Commission fees can be as much as 30–40% of the piano’s value. Do not work with a dealer who offers to sell on your behalf without giving you a guaranteed underwritten purchase price.
Donating Your Piano
Look for nonprofits or community organizations that could use your piano. If your piano can stay in tune and has a consistent, playable response from key to key, it’s probably good enough to donate (even if it’s old or shows signs of light damage). In addition to nonprofits that specialize in pianos or musical instruments, inquire at local schools, social groups or clubs, senior centers and nursing homes, churches, or rec centers. Anywhere that hosts formal or informal gatherings or provides music instruction or entertainment may have a use for it! Don’t wait until the last minute to donate your piano. Because nonprofits may be selective about when, where, and what kinds of donations they can receive, there’s no guarantee it’ll be off your hands quickly. Know that you may not be able to deduct the piano from your taxes if the organization you donate to is not tax-exempt. Some organizations, like the Sing for Hope Foundation, take piano donations to use for public art projects and other community events.
Trading Your Piano
Trade if you want to upgrade or downsize without losing quality. Contact the dealer or seller you purchased your piano from and see if they’re willing to accept a trade-in toward the price of a new piano. After the piano is assessed, its value will typically be subtracted from the new piano’s price. Some dealers or showrooms may set a minimum price for the new piano (for example, they may require that the price of the upgraded piano be twice that of the old piano). The dealer or seller will need the brand name, model, and serial number of the instrument and may send their own technician to value it.
Repurposing Your Piano
Covert your piano into furniture or art if it has high sentimental value. Pianos are made from a lot of different parts and materials that can be repurposed or upcycled. For example, the wood panels from the cabinet can be used to create bookshelves, desks, and trunks. Smaller parts, like the keys, hammers, strings, and other hardware, can be used to make sculptures, mosaics, and other creative works of art. Repurposing your piano is a great way to hold onto it for sentimental reasons, like if it’s been in your family for several generations and you can’t bear to part with it. Looking for artistic inspiration for piano art projects? Check out Piano As Art’s gallery page for ideas!
Recycling Your Piano
Contact local recycling centers to see if they handle or accept pianos. Pianos are made from wood, ivory, steel wires, cast iron frames, and screws—all of which can be recycled or reused. If your recycling center doesn’t take pianos, ask if they will take the disassembled parts. This makes the piano easier to transport to the center. Construction or demolition companies may have a use for the cast iron frame (the heaviest part of the piano), or they might refer you to other businesses that do. The wood panels and ivory keys can go to piano repair or construction shops. The steel wires, screws, and other metal hardware can typically be recycled or even reused in other projects. It’s not recommended to dismantle a piano yourself unless you have prior experience. They’re complex and the steel strings are under very high tension, which can be dangerous.
How to Value Your Piano
Work with a piano dealer for the most accurate valuation. Although you’ll have to pay for the session, an experienced piano technician, tuner, or dealer will give you an estimate of your piano’s value based on its condition and age, the brand and/or model, and the current market value of pianos similar to yours based on comparable sales. A professional tuning and appraising session typically costs around $175. However, being able to say that your piano has been professionally tuned and valued recently by a technician typically increases the piano’s worth by more than the cost of the appraisal, no matter where you eventually sell it.
Or, research the value based on age, condition, brand, and appearance. Pianos depreciate with age, so the newer the instrument, the more it will go for. To determine the age, find the serial number. This is typically printed on the frame or sometimes on the soundboard (if it’s a grand piano). The model number is typically located near the serial number and usually starts with a letter. Then, consider the condition of the interior of the piano. If it has been consistently maintained, stored in the proper temperature and humidity, lightly used, or has been rebuilt with genuine parts, it will be more valuable than one that’s been stored poorly, overplayed, and repaired with poor craftsmanship. Consider whether it’s a reputable, high-quality brand. Brands that sell well include Steinway & Sons, Kawai, Yamaha, Sauter, Bechstein, and Bösendorfer. Finally, judge the appearance. Normal wear and tear is expected, but severe scratches, marks, discoloration, or broken accessory pieces like the keyboard cover or music stand will lower the value (even if it plays beautifully). Once you’ve examined these aspects, compare your piano to what the same make and model in similar conditions is selling for in your area to get a rough value estimate.
Should you dismantle a piano yourself?
No—it can be dangerous and very time-consuming to take apart a piano. While it’s not impossible to disassemble a piano yourself, it’s usually not practical. The steel strings inside the piano are under very high tension, and if they snap or break while you’re tinkering with them, they could seriously injure you. Additionally, even if you are ensuring the parts are undamaged and taking them apart safely, it can take 10 hours or more to fully dismantle a piano. Unless you’ve got a lot of time on your hands and are confident you know how to do it safely, it’s usually better to hire a piano tech to do this work for you.
Is it wrong to dispose of an old piano?
No—disposal frees up the market and gives players quality instruments. It may feel wrong to recycle or trash an instrument as beloved and iconic as a piano, but keeping unplayable instruments in circulation does no one any favors. Students are more likely to quit their studies if their instrument sounds bad, whereas a piano that plays beautifully can inspire them for life. Keeping pianos past their prime also stunts the piano manufacturing industry, and people ending up pouring their money into maintenance, repairs, and moving fees instead of investing in newer, quality instruments.
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