Second-hand music & instruments in Des Moines typically sells for $20 to $1,100. Brand and playing condition decide most of it, and an instrument that has been set up properly is worth more than one that has sat untouched. Cosmetic marks matter far less here than on almost anything else.
Buying music & instruments in Des Moines
Des Moines is the state capital and the insurance and financial centre of the region, with a gold-domed capitol above the city and a national reputation for its state fair. It sits in the middle of intensive farming country.
Instruments have to be played before they are bought, and that single fact makes the local market the only sensible one for anything beyond a cheap starter. Sellers expect you to want to play it, and a seller who does not is worth being careful about.
What to check in person
Ask what it has been stored in and where, because an unheated room does more harm over a winter than years of playing. On anything electric, work every switch and socket while it is plugged in, and listen for crackle as the controls turn.
Collecting it in Des Moines
It needs a car boot rather than a bag, so agree somewhere you can actually stop for a few minutes. That is easier away from the centre than in it.
The city is flat and easy to drive in, and the skywalk system connects much of downtown, which is genuinely useful in winter. Parking is straightforward.
Selling your music & instruments in Des Moines free
Insurance and financial employment moves households on relocation cycles, and the agricultural region around the city keeps equipment circulating. Winters are severe enough to give warm clothing a real season.
Fit a fresh set of strings or reeds before anybody comes to try it, since a tired set makes a good instrument sound dull. Have somewhere quiet to demonstrate it, and gather the case, stand, lead and any paperwork into one place beforehand. Lifts in September as lessons restart, and again after Christmas.
Peer-to-peer payment apps dominate private sales, and buyers will usually offer one before they offer cash. Sales tax does not apply to a private sale between individuals.
Music & Instruments worth listing in Des Moines
Elsewhere in United States
If nothing in Des Moines suits, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago each have their own music & instruments page, and a seller will often meet part of the way for something worth the trip.
More in Des Moines: everything second hand in Des Moines, or Music & Instruments across the United States.
Prices converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate; sellers set their own price.