Sell Your Piano

Sell Your Piano

Ford Piano has bought, rebuilt and resold pianos in the New York tri-state area since 1897. If you have a piano you no longer want, we are glad to look at it.

Two things worth saying up front, because they save everybody time.

We do not buy every piano. Whether we are interested depends on the make, the age, the condition, and what the market for that particular instrument looks like right now. Some pianos we want. Many we have to pass on.

When we do buy, we are buying to resell. That usually means our offer is lower than what you might get selling privately to another family. If we think you would do better on your own, we will say so and point you toward eBay, Craigslist or Piano Mart rather than waste your time.

How to have your piano looked at

The fastest route is to email photographs to john@fordpiano.com. Helpful details to include:

• The make, which is usually the name across the fallboard
• Whether it is an upright or a grand
• The serial number, if you can find it
• Roughly how old it is, and whether your family bought it new
• When it was last tuned, and how regularly it has been tuned
• Where the piano is located
• What you are hoping to get for it

John Ford reviews these himself and will get back to you. You can also call (914) 739-1224, or use the form at the bottom of this page.

If we are not the right buyer

You have options, and we would rather you hear them from us than give up on the piano. Selling or giving it away privately is often the best outcome. If you simply need the instrument gone and have no other route, we can arrange removal. That is typically in the range of $350 to $450, though it depends heavily on stairs and access, so we will need to ask a few questions before quoting.

Pianos we cannot take

We work with acoustic pianos only. Digital pianos and electronic keyboards, including instruments like the Yamaha Clavinova and the Kawai CA series, are outside what we buy and resell. Those sell well privately on eBay, Craigslist or Piano Mart.

If you need a valuation rather than an offer

Some people need a written figure for insurance, an estate, or a family division rather than a sale. We can send a technician to assess the piano and produce a typed valuation on our letterhead. Details are on our piano appraisals page, or call us and ask.

One honest caveat: we are not certified to produce IRS-qualified appraisals for a charitable donation deduction. If that is the paperwork you need, you want a certified appraiser, and the Piano Technicians Guild is a good place to find one near you.