<html> Thanks to all who have responded thus far.  Sometimes, less is less.  My original message was not as clear in its intent as it might have been, though the responses it generated were nevertheless interesting.  I was specifically inquiring about piano sales, not rebuilding situations, and mostly concerned with policies of established retail  venues, as opposed to an occasional  sale.  What's more, I was attempting to put into perspective one such policy that I have recently encountered, not elicit sanction for such conduct for myself.   Finally, Jon P.,  the word 'extract'  seemed the most suitable in attempting to describe my sense of the way this particular operation handles such transactions. David Skolnik </html>