[pianotech] Gems in the junkpile

[William Monroe]

Yes.  I have offered Purchase Consults since starting my business.  Every
time I talk with a client about upgrading or looking for a piano, I suggest
they do most of the legwork, looking through the ads, visiting pianos,
etc., and then when they think they have one, call me and I'll go and give
it a complete assessment.  Of course, I suggest they send me a link to the
piano ad if it's an online one and often we can tell right away if it's not
worth pursuing.

But yes, it's a valid service, much like taking a prospective used car
purchase to your mechanic.

William R. Monroe



On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 3:01 AM, <tnrwim at aol.com> wrote:

> I have put an ad on Craigs list once in a while in the musical instrument
> sales section, advertising "piano appraising". But then "they" said I
> couldn't do that. So now I run an ad for "used piano for sale", which says I
> do appraising, and that I will give them some free advice over the phone. I
> do get a few calls and I don't mind spending a few minutes with the people
> who call. As a result I've gotten some tuning and repair business out of
> it. But very few want to pay me to do an on sight appraisal for a fee.
>
> Wim
>
>   -----Original Message-----
> From: Euphonious Thumpe <lclgcnp at yahoo.com>
> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Sun, Nov 18, 2012 8:36 pm
> Subject: [pianotech] Gems in the junkpile
>
>  Once a piano-centric society, ours has become so piano-illiterate that,
> perusing Craigslist, one may find real junkers advertised for $$$$$$$, and
> the occasional gem for only $, or even for free. (Or, at least, free to a
> tax-deductible organization: such as a church, school, or retirement home.)
> So, I'm wondering how one might avail oneself of this situation to make a
> few $, while being of service to others by helping them avoid buying
> disasters. Perhaps one could advertise "Great pianos, cheap!", and then
> serve as a "scanner" and "consultant"? Then go along with the customer, for
> a fee, to examine the chosen prospect, make sure it has no serious
> problems, get the price down if warranted ( splitting the difference) and
> then help with the move, and other typical aspects of used piano
> acquisition, such as cleaning, regulation and tuning?
>
> Thumpe
>
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