Is the pricing on a new U3 under 10k w/tax is decent or there are more room to negotiate?
Was looking at the refurbished U3 but decided against it since most of them in my area about 35~40 yr already.

Thanks

Negotiating price is something that should be IMHO strictly between buyer and dealer.
From my experience sincere interest on your part will be answered by sincere dealer in kind.
If you're hooked on a particular brand you will need to pay whatever dealer is willing to sell.
It will be useless for someone here to say "price should be lower, because"...
Of course Mike Carr et al may find you same piano on Craigslist for only half....
Norbert

ZX,

Just in case the previous post made you feel you were violating a sacred retailer-customer bond, you're not. It's perfectly OK here to ask questions about price.

Assuming tax of around 8%, you're looking at a discount of around 25% from the SMP price of 12.2k. Yamaha has set the MSRP (suggested retail)at over 13k on a basic black U3, but MSRP prices don't mean much of anything in the piano industry. SMP is based on a standard percentage markup over wholesale for every piano on the market. It creates a more level playing field. These days virtually all SMP prices are discounted substantially.

Whether that 25% is as good as you can get depends on where you are. If you have one Yamaha dealer within a 100 mile radius of where you live, it may be the best you can do unless it was the initial quote. You can always do better than the initial quote. Dealers in outlying areas don't sell all that many pianos and try to make more on each unit they sell to keep the business going. It seems fair enough. If you're in my market in SoCal where several Yamaha and Kawai dealers are within an hour's drive, paying just under 10k with tax included would be high. Competition is pretty intense, so you can commit to a U3 without swearing an oath of fealty to one retailer.

That's a general picture. Beyond that there are a bunch of individual factors like the dealer's cash liquidity, his overhead,how long he's been sitting on that particular piano, his replacement cost, and how soon he figures he can sell it if you don't buy it. In competitive markets like mine, a dealer will go pretty low just to keep the sale away from a competitor.

Good idea on your part to stay away from the 35 and 40 yr. olds.

The best quote I've got is mid 8k. good luck!

I was told $15000 cdn. For the u1 I was told $9300. I didn't question the dealer but I have to hope there is much room to negotiate.

You can *ask* all you want but this doesn't mean you're getting any.

Of course there is no "sacred retailer-cutomer bond" but this doesn't address the reality of the situation here.

OP lives in Alberta, to get competive price quotes he can certainly call Edmonton,Vancouver and Winnipeg Yamaha dealers, all huge distances away.

Next someone in California can tell him "I paid only $ 8000" and someone in Hong Kong perhaps only $ 7,500

What counts is to get best price in Calgary - a tough, unbending market for Yamahas - my best advice is still to talk nicely to St. John's Music store manager.

Say Hi from Norbert to give you best break possible...

Norbert

Norbert,

Dont'be so jumpy.

I was providing a general picture for the OP, a new member making his first post whose address is not listed. The thrust of my post was that it depended on where he was. A new member is not going to understand your battlefield salvo at Mike Carr in your reply to his question. However, he might understand that inquiring about a price here is un-kosher if you tell him that price negotiation is strictly a private matter.

The poster you are responding to in Calgary did not appear until after I provided a general picture. If he had, I would have mentioned that Canada is a different ballgame and that Calgary adds significantly to inland freight charges.




I tried that in California. The floor manager made a call and I was immediately escroted out the door by house securiy, who were then joined by State troppers and a representative of Yelp.

Quoting as to keeping the sale away from a competitor is the most dangerous practice a dealer can apply. When doing frequently it is likely a dealer will not stay in business very long.

One always runs a business with the own strenghts and limitations in mind trying to make a deal that for both parties - seller & buyer - results in a win-win situtation and well knowing this will not be possible in all cases.
It takes more courage from a dealer to say once in while 'no go' and let the competitor have it.

Moreover if all a dealer has to offer is 'price' you better stay out of that place altogether.

schwammerl.

Not sure what you're trying to pull here, Norbert (who ever is?), but the implication seems to be that I'm quoting phony prices. In that same vein, if you'd care to respond to your web-testimonial posing as one of the bay area's most enthusiastic consumers:

" Heritage Pianos, LTD ‎ - Mar 9, 2011
This is Frisco's finest piano store by far. Mr. Kassman is a true gentleman and extremely knowledgeable. He let my wife and kids play any piano they wanted, in the end it was a toss between Estonia and Sauter. Well guess what: we ended up buying both! Thank you for a wonderful shopping experience - highly recommend this place!!"

And tell us if you were able to find a lower price on an Estonia 190 than the 28+K that I've reported in the past?

Mike

Hi not sure where the OP is from. It is me who lives in Calgary. (Canada)

I see no harm in sharing quotes for various pianos. I am trying to determine a budget I can live with and work towards but not knowing a real fair price when someone quotes one is driving me crazy. So is a u1 closer to $10k or $5k. So far all I really know is it's any price in between and It depends on your location. And how much the dealer is going to move from the MSRP depends on their situation or competition. In Calgary only 1 YAMAHA dealer. But there are also several other stores carrying other fine pianos so i hope that comes into play when i am ready to upgrade.

I should add I am not yet ready to buy so I haven't entered into serious negotiations with any Calgary dealer. So I don't feel like I am being mistreated or anything like that. I am though assuming there is room to negotiate from the prices I have been given so far. How much will remain to be seen I'm sure.

Ps I should add that hearing a u3 for under $10k does make me think even more of the price I've been quoted ($15). Maybe it just is what it is but deep down after all I've learned and read here on PW I feel there must be room for negotiation.

Also just for information I am female.

Zoe,

You are not the first Canadian member to be bewildered by the differences between Canadian Yamaha prices and Us Yamaha prices. I know your MSRP prices are set higher than ours by Yamaha Canada. Also Calgary is a tough haul by truck from any port of entry. On the other hand, our US dollar's battering against the Japanese yen mirrors that of the Canadian dollar. Maybe Yamaha's US distribution has decided to take its lumps in our market to keep unit volume from sliding. I really don't know.

The dealer who mistook you for the OP and challenged your price inquiry by writing: "You can *ask* all you want but this doesn't mean you're getting any" should probably apologize to you, but don't hold your breath. He doesn't represent or sell Yamaha pianos, so don't hold that comment against Yamaha.

It's a good idea to look at all those other brands you have in Calgary. Their price structure may be much more friendly, and you might find an equally good piano for considerably less or something that pleases you more for the same money.

Turandot, thanks for the info. It is this and other notes from where I can learn valuable information that will help me in the future. I'm not trying to harm other dealers by quoting prices I've been told. I asked a price and was given one. I wasn't told it was 'my special deal' nor that I should keep it secret. I find it informative and comforting to know what others are being told for the same piano. I know Calgary won't match the US pricing nor even Vancouver but I still find it helpful to know. Just being careful with a large purchase and finding out all the information I can get.

If Dealers don't listen to their customers it is they who lose in the long run. I certainly doubt that Yamaha or any other brand will have such a hold on me that I will pay whatever the dealer asks. I have been into almost all of the dealers here and some listen more than others. I have no doubt it is those that Are listening to my needs will get my business. If they are sincere from the get go I know where to go when I am ready to buy. Respect shouldn't just happen when the wallet starts to open. It happens well before that.

To the original poster I do hope you get the best price you can for a U3. I believe if the dealer does it they are able and not losing out. The price you were quoted is way better than I was told so to me it sounds amazing.