Would You Do It??

As a pianist, I would NOT do it sight unseen. It needs to be seen and at least played so that you know what you'd be getting but since you don't know pianos you would have to bring someone from a music store who knows how to play and tune pianos.

You also have to consider that anyone who moves it has to know what they're doing in order to cause the least-to-no damage. It WILL need to be tuned after you take ownership of it. It will need relatively frequent maintenance.

What it comes down is that you're not really getting a free piano. You're paying at least $600 to transport it AND you're going to have to pay for tune-ups and very likely some repair. You may need to get strings, pedals, pads, and other inner workings replaced. You could very well end up paying far, far more than $600 in order to get a working piano.

No way would I take a "free" piano and pay to have it shipped sight unseen. Do you really know these people? It is a lot of money to spend and if it is in really bad shape, there is nothing you can do. I would look into finding one closer to home that you could,see. Too risky IMO.

I am in the market for a baby grand piano and one piano salesman told me that anything on Craigslist has been seen by piano stores and deemed NOT refurnish-able. In other words, it won't hold a tune if you tried to get it tuned by a pro. Let's face it, if these folks could call a piano store and get someone to take it away for $50, wouldn't they.

Really, what's 75 miles. 2 hours max? I'd set an appt. with a tuner who can meet you there and take a look. Better to pay that then to get a worthless piano for $600 in moving fees.

Would you consider an upright? It would be cheaper.

I don't think you should buy it sight unseen. If they are giving it away for free, there is a decent chance something is wrong with it. I know 75 miles is far, but can you make it there this weekend?

No matter where you end up getting a piano from, you should definitely hire actual piano movers - not general movers - to do it. They have the right experience and the right equipment to do it properly and without damaging it.

How old is the piano and when was it last tuned? I'm not sure if this is true, but someone once told me that very old pianos with no tune-ups can get so bad that they can't be perfectly tuned anymore. Might want to poke around online and see if that is true.

No, I would not buy something like that sight unseen. You have no idea if something is wrong with it that you are not aware of. Plus, you need to make sure it fits in your house.

Wait this one out.

Sorry, but my red flag meter is going off!!! I would never buy anything without inspecting it in person, especially something this major! And I certainly wouldn't pay that much for movers without seeing it.

Them putting pressure on you because of putting in new flooring may, or may not, be a real reason, but if they've waited this long, they can wait a few more days.

If this were me, I would check to see if you have a local "Free Cycle" site and post your own request that you would love to have a piano for your son; may not get a baby grand but an upright would work just as well for lessons. You'd be surprised what people are wanting to get rid of if they know it's going to a good home.

Good luck!!

Absolutely not! If the piano has not been cared for over the years, without paying to get it rebuilt, you may never be able to get it in tune. We bought a new piano and we would have had to pay to get rid of our old, uncared for piano because it was worth nothing. Luckily though my aunt wanted it because it was a beautiful piece of furniture.
If the owners of the piano could sell it they probably would.😊

FYI...to maintain our piano we get it tuned every 6 months.

Anyhting that sounds too good to be true probably is.

I agree with Sheila S. below.. MEASURE............. I too bought a piano years ago and it didn't fit in my house........ :( I was young and dumb.. hahahah anyway, we had to move it to my MILs house where needless to say I didn't go and play it.. lesson learned.. Also, Pianos do come up for sale all the time.. In the meanwhile, although NOT the same.. there are the portable ones.. yes yes I know.. they can and NEVER will sound like a gorgeous REAL piano.. but for now, you could use one , your son could learn the keys and IF after 6 mos to a year he sticks with it, then look into getting a real one..
That is what we did with son who plays the Accordion... we had a rental for a year and then IF he stuck with it (which he did) we bought him his own..

No. It does not sound like a good value or a good bet. Wait - your piano is coming. Our local university holds a piano sale every year - we got a great bargain on a one year old yamaha upright that sat, babied, in a professor's office. You never know where the next good bargain will come from, but sight unseen, this isn't a good deal.

I am a piano player so probably i'd be intrigued, however I might warn you: some years back my family got a new piano and gave away our old one to some neighbors. Well, sad story, the piano didn't fit into their house! So measure. Plus You are going to have to see the piano in person and not just toss out six hundred bucks. There's a lot of pianos on earth and six hundred dollars isn't easy to come by I think. Are you really rich?

I'd skip it if you haven't seen it. You can get a used upright at a piano shop for about 600. Or look into an electronic piano. My husband bought me one for about $500. It is a full size keyboard. All 88 keys. Just be sure to purchase one with weighted keys.

No, I wouldn't do it.

I'd find a nice little spinet in the local area that I could go see for $200 before I'd spend $600 to move the baby grand.

How long have you been looking? Free pianos come up on Craigslist in our area all the time and I live in a fairly small town.

We got one a while back, great piano, excellent shape. It was just a few miles away so we just paid some guys to help move it. I think $100. I'd keep looking for one that's close to your home and does need any repair.

NO. I would take a piano tuner with me to see how much repairs cost.

I personally would drop everything and go see it ASAP. If you can't drop everything then ask for a couple more pics & take a look at the home in the pictures. If the home seem like it's in *good* condition, then just do it.

I would definitely ask for LOTS of pictures! Any way you can go see it the day before so you can cancel the piano movers if its not up to your expectations?
Otherwise, the price & maintenance cost ( which I'm sure you've had quoted) sounds like a good deal for a baby grand.

Why can't you drive over there and look at it? Just because they are in a hurry doesn't mean that you have to accommodate them without accommodating yourself. Just drive over there this weekend.

You might think that there are people waiting in line to get this piano, but I'm not so sure I buy it. They wouldn't be giving it away if it were worth money. I have a feeling that it's not in good condition.

By the way, sometimes tuning a piano doesn't fix it, according to how old it is and how bad it is...

i have found a few pianos within an hour and have the same quesrtion. can a piano be so out of tune thats its worthless?
I have no music knowledge but my 6 year old is taking piano lessons and needs a piano instead of a keyboard, she's outgrown the stinking keyboard in 3 months! what a waste!!

There are companies that rent pianos. There's one in my city that lets you rent at about $20/month for about 2 yrs, then you have the option to buy it. And the rental money goes towards the purchase price. And they move it for you.