Because they are quite cumbersome objects that take up a lot of space, you quite often come across pianos on online classified sites that are listed at a bargain price, or even just free (buyer collects!) simply because the owner just wants to get rid of them to make space. However, you do need to exercise a certain amount of caution with ‘giveaway pianos’, as they’ll often either be very old, or had a very hard life – or both! The older the piano, the more likely it’s going to be to need expensive maintenance that’ll put the overall cost on a par with buying a new one.
If you’re going down the second-hand route, try and aim for a piano that’s been well looked after and tuned regularly, play as many pianos as you can until you find one you like the sound of and take a technician with you if you can. Just like with cars, a well-maintained exterior can sometimes hide shoddy mechanicals, and with all those intricate internal components, there’s a lot to go wrong inside a piano.
Piano dealers often have a selection of used or refurbished pianos in the showroom that people have either part-exchanged for a newer model or simply sold back to the shop. These will obviously be available at a lower price than new, so check out your local dealers and music shops to see if you can spot a bargain. You may also be able to get a great deal buying at a specialist piano auction house.