Hi everyone!

We have been slowly making our way toward a piano purchase.

One of the piano stores in our area has been having a store closing sale for several months. It has prices deeply discounted on the ticket. But then the sales person will call "the store owner" and offer a further reduced, rock-bottom price on the piano.

(Even the rock bottom prices seem high, once we get home and check around here on the forum)

It's all a little "used car sales floor" for our taste, but would like to know if it is a "normal" way to sell pianos, or if it raises red flags for you all.

Thanks.

You can also research prices yourself and make a fair offer. Try to clue them in that you don't want each offer/counter-offer round to take 10 minutes while they go "ask around". This works even better if you are prepared to buy right then and there, and you let them know that.

No. At least not a reputable place.

If they have a piano you want, it might be worth playing the game. When they go to call the store owner about the price, get up and leave right away. Chances are they'll tackle you before you get out the door. I had a car salesman chasing me down at the lot driveway once.

It's a buyer's market, if they want to play that game, YOU have the upperhand. Remember that.

That's if they have a piano you really want, otherwise find a good dealer, they're out there.

I don't trust a piano store that is perpetually 'going out of business'. If their best offers are higher than what you think you should pay, make your best offer and tell them that's it. If it's a fair offer from you and they don't take it, well there are lots of other dealers out there. Not to mention many fine used pianos.

Dan

This is precisely the kind of store I would avoid. I find tactics like this offensive. Even if I thought that at the end of a long dance I could get this store to offer a "real" price, I wouldn't buy from them. I would never initiate the process. You spoke of red flags. To me, they're waving. On the other hand, if you love the game and sport of the bazaar, ......

Thanks for thoughts, everyone. We don't enjoy that kind of "game" and probably aren't very good at it either, which is probably the deciding factor if we would try and work with them.

Plowboy mentioned that it's a buyer's market. Are retail prices for new pianos lower than they were previously (not that we can afford new, but just a way of looking at it)? I am having a hard time getting a handle on how "soft" the market really is.

Price wise we are probably right on the line between a upright and an older (likely Japanese brand) grand. Space-wise too.

I really would appreciate any thoughts or data points you might have.

In many ststes there is a limit on the time a company is allowed to avertise a "going out of business" or "store closing" sale.

One of our major competitors recent found out that Maryland is one of those states!

In a free enterprise market, everything is normal. Everybody use different sales tactics. Keep in mind that these people have been long time in business, and everyday and night they are thinking of different ways to sell their product and profit. Don't expect them to give you the piano for free, especially if it's a Steinway

In today's market, you have many choices.
To make sure you find quality piano, it will be a good idea to hire professional rebuilder/technician to assess the quaility of the piano before you buy it. They will be able to provide you with advice on price, etc.

Steve Cohen is correct. Most jurisdictions have laws regulating the length of time a store can advertise that it is going out of business, or having a liquidation sale (not the same thing as going out of business), or having any sale, for that matter. These are consumer protection laws designed to prevent inappropriate sales techniques.

If the business is truly going out of business, and if you are tempted to buy a new piano, you need to make sure that the manufacturer will cover any warranty on the piano. I would not buy a used or rebuilt piano from a store that is going out of business, as any warranty they would provide would be worthless if the store is not there any more.

Georgia has statutes on the books, but consumers have to cry victim to stir any enforcement from the governor's office. It's different everywhere, so don't expect to have proactive consumer protections. You really have to protect yourself when you feel something is not on the up and up.

It depends on the local market, but overall it's pretty soft. Between digitals and people downsizing their houses, a dealer should be willing to cut a good deal.

I would find the piano you want, research it and go in with the price you want to pay. Make sure you get to the price via delivery, tunings, cover, polish, artist bench, lamp, etc. if they won't meet the amount you want to pay.

That might work if you and the dealer were only a couple of hundred dollars apart.

I agree. I wouldn't ask them to skip the multiple rounds of offer/counteroffer ... for two reasons:

1. Advantage goes to the party who has plenty of time. He who is rushed tends to do less well in a negotiation. It shouldn't matter than the salesman and sales manager go off in a "huddle" to cogitate their position. If that takes time, just let it.

2. There ought not be very many rounds of offer and counteroffer. In general, I would suggest making a very low offer. Then, allow the dealer to make one counteroffer. If it's just a bit higher than your initial offer, make the deal. If not, I would move on. I won't make a second offer.