This is Robert Estrin at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store. The question I get all the time from people, and I thought I’d make a video for you about, is how much does it cost to move a piano?
Before I made this video I was curious about what information is on the internet about this. I was shocked to discover that there are really, really low prices listed concerning moving pianos, which may or may not be accurate. You may wonder how can this can be. Well, here is the long and short of it. Number one is,
Piano moves have different costs in different parts of the country.
Since piano moving is such a specialized skill, prices are all over the map. First things first, I would recommend if you ever have a piano to be moved:
Only use movers who specialize in moving nothing but pianos.
If you use a general purpose mover, they don’t know how to do the things that need to be done, particularly on grand pianos since the legs and the pedals need to be removed. They can definitely do damage if they are not skilled in moving pianos. What I’m referring to now is regarding only specialized piano movers.
We move pianos all over the country, so we have a handle on this whole subject. Some areas of the country that are isolated, might not have any piano movers to speak of and they may require extensive travel just to be able to accommodate a piano move. Of course, that’s going to cost you a lot if you’re in a remote area without any piano movers. But there are metropolitan areas that are incredibly expensive to move pianos sometime.
It seems that it’s almost like a consortium. I don’t know if there’s a mafia type of situation or what, but some areas are drastically more expensive than other areas. Reading on the internet, I read that moving uprights costs $100 to $200, and a grand, $150 to $300. This is a best case scenario in most circumstances. As they say, your mileage may vary!
Here in southern California, there indeed is a lot of competition and you can call a number of movers and potentially find a low price to move a piano. However, if you have a really nice piano, you might think twice about using some of the lower priced piano movers who may show up with just a pickup truck and strap your piano without even covering it! You might feel that it’s not a problem since it almost never rains here. But you might not like that whole idea. To have a covered truck with a lift gate, a company that’s insured for $1 million, if God forbid there’s a catastrophe, these can all be things of value regarding a piano move. So, there’s an incredibly wide range.
Another thing is, movers have to deal with unusual challenges like stairs or sharp right angle turns where pianos have to go up on end in a non-standard way. Even elevators can present challenges. Typically, pianos are moved on the long flat side facing down with the pedals and the legs removed. Sometimes a piano may have to go up on the keyboard end, which is not standard, and movers need extra people to accommodate that sort of move. Tight spaces, or sharp turns can also present additional challenges and costs.
There are a wide range of costs for piano moves.
If you realize the intensity of the work and the intelligence required for piano moves, you’ll have a deep respect for your piano movers! I hope this has been helpful for you. I gave you those minimum numbers. You’ll have to check in your local area. It’s not worth skimping if you have a nice piano. Make sure they’re insured and experienced. Check reviews online, and you should be in good shape.
Once again, Robert Estrin here at LivingPianos.com Your Online Piano Store. Thanks for joining me.