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Good Morning -

I found this forum via a web search and was hoping someone could help me with a piano I am interested in for my son who has been taking lessons for 6 months and now needs a piano of his own.

I found a Kawai UST 8 in a classified ad with walnut finish and a matching bench. The seller wanted close to $2000 and said he thought it was "about 8-10 years old".

I looked up the serial number and it turns out it was built in 1972. I hired a technician to go look at it and he came back with a very positive report, and said it was in very good condition and was a good piano for a beginner, but not nearly worth the price being asked. He said he is "not in the business of appraising pianos" but said he thought it should be priced "closer to $500" and encouraged me to ask around and find other sources for a fair price.

I have already offered the seller $400 for the piano via email, but have not received a response from him yet and I may never hear anything from him, given his asking price and his perceived value.

That said, can someone here give me a ballpark idea of what it may actually be worth?

Hello, and welcome to Piano World!

I owned a Kawai UST 7 (or 6?) along about that age and I thought it was a very nice studio upright piano. I kept it a while, cleaned it up good and did some cosmetic work on the finish and sold it for $850, and the buyer was thrilled.

I honestly, think $400 is a low-ball price for that piano and I think it would probably be worth double that or more.

Take a look at the Kawai UST models for sale on Craigslist and eBay and you will see what I'm talking about. Of course, if the seller accepts your offer of $400, that would be a steal in my view.

Of course, this is just my humble opinion from a piano dabbler/hobbyist.

Rick

Yes, he just turned down the $400.

I'd pay him more but he needs to give me a counteroffer first.

Again, this is just my opinion, but a piano dealer would likely ask between $2000 to $3000 for that piano.

I'm not saying they would get that for it, but they start high and work their way down, usually.

Good luck!

Rick

If the ask was $2,000 and your offer was $400 on a piano that passed a technician's inspection, you likely offended the buyer enough that you should not expect a counter-offer.

What all is available in your market for $1,000?