Buy Piano Music at PianoatPepper.com

Shopping on the Internet
by Larry Fine

Recently, via e-mail, I helped a woman in China who was negotiating the purchase of a rebuilt piano over the internet from an American rebuilder. Not only was she buying the piano sight unseen from a stranger in a foreign land with whom she had never spoken, but she was buying it for a friend who was temporarily out of the country, not for herself. Think of all the trust issues involved in that transaction!

When buying a used piano, the issue of trust looms large, much larger than when buying a new one: Are there hidden defects in the piano? Is there a warranty, and if not, what do I do if there are problems? Is the rebuilder any good? Buying over the internet, at least at the time this is being written, also involves significant trust issues: Is this a scam? Will they actually deliver the goods? Will my credit card information be misused? So buying a used piano over the internet has two areas of concern working against it, not to mention the difficulties in examining the merchandise beforehand. In fact, my research suggests that, perhaps for these reasons, there is a lot more used-piano advertising than selling going on over the internet, and most of the buying and selling is between established companies and individuals, rather than between two individuals. For example, I recently answered a couple of dozen internet classifieds for used Steinway grands and found to my surprise that many of the advertisers had received fewer than three calls in a six-month period. The callers—and ultimate buyers—tended to be rebuilders looking for pianos to rebuild for resale. Naturally, they snatched up the lower-priced instruments. The higherpriced (usually rebuilt) pianos were usually being sold by rebuilders or by brokers for rebuilders.

Some of the major piano classified ad sites on the internet are www.pianomart.com, www.pianoworld.com, and www.pianobroker.com. Sellers advertise on these sites either for a flat monthly charge or for a three percent commission, depending on the site. Unfortunately, some of the listings on these sites are stale, as sellers frequently forget to inform the site host when their pianos have been sold or taken off the market. There are many other sites with piano ads, however. Usually the pianos on those sites are owned or being brokered by the site host, rather than just being listed. You can find a good listing of these and other sites where pianos may be for sale on The Piano Page (www.ptg.org), hosted by the Piano Technicians Guild. As usual with the internet, you will also find additional sites by following links or querying search engines, but the above references will get you started.

You will also find pianos listed on internet auction sites, especially eBay. Search on a variety of keywords (piano, pianos, Steinway [or other brand name], etc.), as each keyword will bring up a different group of pianos for sale. Many of the bids are frivolous (i.e., one hundred dollars for a Steinway grand) and do not result in a sale, so if you are a serious buyer with cash to spend, you have a decent chance of placing the winning bid. The bidding process generally provides a window of time during which you can contact the seller for more information, see the piano, and have it inspected before placing a bid. This is definitely not a good way to buy a piano unless you have the opportunity to try out the piano and have it inspected first. The best way to use the internet to shop for a used piano is to look for sellers within driving distance of your home. That way, you can more easily try out the piano, develop a face-to-face relationship with the seller, and get a better sense whether you want to do business with him or her. If you travel frequently, however, you should check out sellers in other cities, too. In the case of commercial sellers, before making a long trip, I suggest you contact technicians in the seller’s area to inquire about the seller’s reputation for quality and honesty. Be aware, however, that technicians have their biases and allegiances, so be sure to check with a number of technicians, not just one. In addition, as with any other used piano purchase, you should have the piano inspected by an independent piano technician. A list of Registered Piano Technicians by state and province can be found at www.ptg.org, or call the Piano Technicians Guild at 816-753-7747. Also check the Piano Book web site (www.pianobook.com), which from time to time may have resources to help piano buyers like yourself find dealers and technicians in their area. If you buy from a piano technician or rebuilder, it’s possible he or she will move the piano or be able to make arrangements for moving. Otherwise, see Chapter 6 for the names of some movers that specialize in long-distance piano moving. Be sure you have a firm understanding with a commercial seller of how warranty issues will be handled.