Help wanted on how to get a steinway piano sold

[pat]

i'm helping my sister sell her piano, and we are finalizing negotiations
with a local
dealer to display and commission sale it.

he wants 20% which seems okay, any caveats or warnings?

i checked and his record is clean with the BBB, county consumer affairs
and
courts. 1complaint, 1 court case, in 20 years. not bad.

anything else people can suggest?

love

pat

PS iit's a 1973 Steinway L in excellent condition. $20K get's it.

[NSDuncan]

If you live in a fairly large metropolitan area advertise it in the classified
section of the major newspaper. I live in Los Angeles and sell most of the
Steinways and other pianos that I rebuild through classified advertising in the
Los Angeles Times. Sometimes it takes a while, but I sell my pianos.

In terms of consignments, 20% is a reasonable commission. I've seen dealers
ask a lot more than that. Be careful though that this dealer really can sell
it. Not every dealer gets the clientele that will pay $20K plus for a
Steinway. Since you say that $20K gets it does that mean that the dealer is
claiming that he can sell it for $20K plus his 20% commission? That's $25K,
which depending on where you are located may be a bit on the high side for that
piano. I've seen some dealers that promise the moon, sun, and stars about what
they can get you for your piano just to get it in their shop then the price
keeps dropping because no one will pay the tariff and you end up getting the
short end of the stick when it finally sells for much less than they originally
promised.

I'd try selling it yourself first before locking yourself into a consignment
deal with a dealer. Check the classified ads in the major newspapapers to see
what Steinway L's are going for in your area - maybe call some of the for sale
ads to see how what they have compares with yours, price it accordingly, and
advertise it. Good luck.

Niles Duncan