have you ever paid for advertising when selling an instrument?

Hi Luca, the best site for buying and selling musical instruments is http://www.mercatinomusicale.com/ and the listing is free.

Hi marcy, thanks for the answer. I know the site, as well as subito.it or kijiji,

Even though what I wanted to know is whether you think it's worth paying for showcase services or top-of-the-list placement?

And on facebook, I think there is something similar.

Because it ends up that everyone posts, but since there are so many people, they might not be seen.

It depends on what instrument you need to sell and, above all, at what price. I would undoubtedly try mercatinomusicale first because, if you know it, it is specific for the sale in question.

Try with the free listing first and see if you get any interested parties before paying to publish; it might be sufficient.

Obviously I am asking this question because I have had it for sale for more than a year on all existing classified sites :-D clearly I have already tried, I'm not a fool :-D

Fewer and fewer people are studying music seriously here, and consequently fewer and fewer people are interested in buying an acoustic piano unless it is a bargain or a major brand at a huge discount. People nowadays prefer to opt for digital pianos which cost less, using the usual phrase: "At least to get started". They don't understand that for someone who needs to study an instrument like the piano seriously, it is essential to have an acoustic one at home... Then, if necessary, it is possible to add a digital one as an evening complement.

Returning to the main topic, you could try to shell out €10 to post the ad in the showcase; it will certainly have more visibility, but if there is no demand, I'm afraid things won't change much.

TheSimon wrote:

Fewer and fewer people here are studying music seriously and, consequently, fewer and fewer people are interested in buying an acoustic piano unless it is a 'bargain' or a major brand at a massive discount. People nowadays prefer to opt for digital pianos which cost less, using the usual phrase: "At least to get started". They don't understand that for someone who needs to study an instrument like the piano seriously, having an acoustic at home is essential... Then, if necessary, it is possible to add a digital one as an evening complement.

Turning back to the main topic, you could try throwing 10€ at posting the ad in the showcase; it will certainly have more visibility, but if there is no demand, I'm afraid things won't change much.

The sad truth—and feel free to add that the economic climate isn't the best (though very often that is just an excuse, and money is then spent on decidedly more futile things)—is that the average budget for someone who truly wants to purchase a grand piano is currently around 5000-7000 euros (it has to be right).

I have tried with different approaches: by hiding the price, I am contacted by many dealers when the ad is at the top, and also by amateurs who are shocked when I tell them the price, even though it isn't actually much higher than what they want to spend.

Another little trick is that if I post it at the top on Friday evening (without a price), I get more contacts.

If instead I state the price explicitly, nobody contacts me except for Nigerian scammers regarding bank transfers from Ivory Coast.

All that's left for me to do is try lowering it a little to test the waters, but first I think that, as you suggested, I will put it in the showcase for a few months.

Hi Luca, I want to share my experience as a "buyer" with you, because people often forget that on the other side there is someone who has to spend between €3000 and €5000 (a price range to have some degree of certainty of not getting ripped off). For those accustomed to the world of pianos, these figures are not crazy, but unfortunately for those who do not belong to this category, they are significant amounts (with 5000 euros I could buy a decent used car, just as an example).

One of the problems for novices like myself, who want to approach the piano, is the enormity of information (sometimes conflicting) found on the web regarding brands, models, prices, etc., etc. Unfortunately, to this day, there is no website or entity that can "certify" the quality of a purchase (I am obviously talking about pianos being sold by private individuals); furthermore, while the piano is a fantastic instrument on one hand, on the other it presents a series of "uncertainties" when purchasing privately, which can only be resolved by someone with certain experience. I also find both the advertisements and the websites offering pianos to be poorly structured; for example, there are those who post blurry photos, those who only post photos of the cabinet when we know very well that the action, pedals, and soundboard are important, as is the serial number to properly understand its age, or a certificate verifying how many hands the piano has passed through; there are even those who put nothing at all and still expect to sell it, mah (the price must always be listed, anyway). Regarding websites, obviously, there is a lack of structure to support the seller; often sites only allow you to upload a few photos, and they are not structured with a good database so as to allow the entry of key data that can be searched for in a more precise and structured manner.

A thing I ask for more and more often is a video, preferably recent, where the seller shows me the piano in action; this is because often the person selling the piano is hundreds of kilometers away from the buyer, and that is no small matter—it's one thing to spend €10,000 and travel around Italy visiting shops, and quite another to spend €3,000 (in short, the game isn't worth the candle).

Another sore point is transport; there is never any clarity about that either (it's a shame that on €3000, spending €400/500 for transport is not insignificant), all of this only serves to complicate things.

I have only told you some of the aspects I have encountered, not even all of them; now you can understand why it is so difficult to sell and buy a piano. What surprises me is that despite frequenting many serious thematic forums like this one, in none of them have I ever found even a hint of an idea to overcome the problem; I abandoned this world for three years, and after three years, I see that nothing has changed.

I hope I have answered your doubts, even if only partially.

Ciao Massimo

ps obviously I would have ideas if anyone is interested...

pss for Simon, before spending 5000 on a piano and then discovering it's not worth it, it's better to spend 1000 and get a good digital one, where at least the damage is limited.

To waste time just to waste time, I advise you to state that you will decide the price after a trial, so that you can decide for yourself if the customer is able to appreciate the instrument; if I understood correctly, you are talking about a well-placed or at least well-maintained grand piano, right? Obviously, taking excellent photos or at least better ones than others could help, but surely for used pianos no one spends a lot of money; you have to be smart, and if the instrument is worth it, maybe lower the price, but let them try it!