grey market?

[Frank Cahill]

Jay Mercier wrote:
> 
> I don't completely understand the term "grey market pianos."  Is it
> referring to any piano sold from a wholesale warehouse?  I was recently
> asked to find a "decent piano" for an older lady who wanted to donate it to
> the local retirement home.  To make a long story short, I ended up with a
> 1990 Kawai CA-40 Grand, purchased through a local dealer who purchased it
> from a dealer in Chicago.  It was listed with hundreds of pianos out of the
> Chicago dealer, but shipped from California.  Took 3 weeks to ship to the
> local dealer  - they didn't touch it - and immediately delivered it to the
> retirement home.  I was a bit nervous but to my amazement this "A" listing
> of a piano impressed me.  Absolutely flawless for about $11,000.  It needed
> no regulation and I told the home that the tuning could wait for a month.
> The local dealer mentioned that he too was surprised on the condition and
> said it arrived in better shape than some of his new YC's and Webbers.  This
> piano had not one flaw that I could see ------- Now.......is this a grey
> market piano?
> 
> Jay Mercier
> Piano Technician
> Glenwood, MN
> 
> >
>

Jay, the pianos I'm talking about are pianos that were not meant to be
sent to this country (USA).  You can spot grey market grands because
they have only two pedals.  

Some may indeed be good bargains. It's just that the dealer in this
situation does little prep work and when I get to them, the pianos need
work...to much I think.

In the most recent case, the piano owner has owned the piano 1 yr and it
has a significant problem...little or no letoff. I may get by with just
a let-off problem or it may need a full regulation.  Regualtions are not
cheap. Oh yes, she paid $6,000.

I cannot recommend this dealer to anyone.  If he did a good job of
prepping, the pianos might be a good bargain...but that might kill his
profit. That's his problem, not mine.  I could not operate that way.






-- 

Frank Cahill
Associate Member, Piano Technicians Guild
Northern Va