Second-hand music & instruments in New York 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.
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Buying music & instruments in New York
New York apartments are small and most people do not own a car, and those two facts decide the whole second-hand market here.
Two examples of the same model rarely sound alike, because timber, age and how hard a thing has been used all leave their mark. Hearing it in a quiet room is the whole decision, and no recording made on a phone stands in for that.
What to check in person
Leave it tuned and come back to it twenty minutes later, since an instrument that will not hold pitch has a problem at the pegs or the bridge. Look inside the soundhole with a light for loose bracing, and check the neck joint where it meets the body.
Collecting it in New York
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.
Almost everything changes hands on the subway or on foot, so agree a station and a time rather than an address. For furniture, the question that decides the sale is which floor and whether there is an elevator — ask it before you agree a price, not when you arrive.
Selling your music & instruments in New York free
Leases turn over constantly and moving day here means whole apartments emptied at once. The supply of used furniture is effectively continuous rather than seasonal, which is why prices stay reasonable even for good pieces.
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 New York
Same region (New York)
If nothing in New York suits, Buffalo, Rochester and Yonkers each have their own music & instruments page, and a seller will often meet part of the way for something worth the trip.
More in New York: everything second hand in New York, or Music & Instruments across the United States.
Prices converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate; sellers set their own price.