How much is a used Yamaha piano? Australian prices
What a pre-loved Yamaha upright actually sells for in Australia, with every figure dated and linked to its source. Price bands by model, the new-piano comparison, and what tuning and moving add.
In September 2026, a pre-loved Yamaha upright, or a used Yamaha piano as most people search it, sells for about $4,000 to $12,000 through Australian dealers, with most 1970s and 1980s U1 and U3 models landing between $4,000 and $7,000 (Australian Music World). Price tracks model tier and cabinet height more than age.
I choose our pianos in Japan, photograph them there before they are shipped, and check them in the Melbourne workshop before they reach the floor. That is the part of the figure nobody puts on a price list, and it is the reason two pianos of the same model and year can be a thousand dollars apart. What follows are the numbers other Australian sellers published in September 2026, so you can see where any piano you are looking at sits.
None of the sellers quoted here state whether their figures include GST, so confirm that before you compare one against another.
What do pre-loved Yamaha uprights sell for?
Three things set the band: the model tier, the cabinet height and the condition the piano left its workshop in. Yamaha's numbering is the quickest guide. A U1 stands 121cm and a U3 stands 131cm, and the taller back means longer strings and a larger soundboard, which is most of why the U3 costs more. The difference between a U1 and a U3 is worth reading before you judge a price.
Australian Music World publishes model, year and price together, which makes it the clearest window on the market. In September 2026 its list ran from a 1981 U1H at $3,995 and a 1985 U1A at $4,795, through a 1979 U3H at $4,495, a 1983 U3M at $4,995 and a 1986 U3A at $5,495, up to a 1992 UX50A at $11,999 (Australian Music World).
Later pianos sit higher. In September 2026 Lyra Pianos in Melbourne listed a late 1980s U30BL at $7,900 and a 2020 YUS3 at $13,900 (Lyra Pianos).
Pianos Victoria puts its Japanese upright range at $1,500 to $10,000 and listed a U1 at $4,500 in September 2026 (Pianos Victoria). The low end of a range like that is usually a smaller or older cabinet rather than a U1 or U3.
How does that compare with a new Yamaha?
This is the comparison most buyers are actually making, so here it is side by side.
| Piano | Price | Source, checked September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-loved Yamaha U3H, 1979, 131cm | $4,495 | Australian Music World, September 2026 |
| Pre-loved Yamaha U3A, 1986, 131cm | $5,495 | Australian Music World, September 2026 |
| Pre-loved Yamaha U30BL, late 1980s, 131cm | $7,900 | Lyra Pianos, September 2026 |
| New Yamaha U1JPE, 121cm, polished ebony | $7,299 | DW Music, September 2026 |
| New Yamaha U3PEQ, 131cm, polished ebony | $16,499 | Piano City, September 2026 |
Read the first and fourth rows together. For roughly what a new 121cm U1JPE costs, the pre-loved market offers a 131cm U3 with a decade or more of settling behind it. That is the trade most people are weighing: a taller instrument with history against a shorter one with none. If a new U3 is what you want, we have written separately about what a brand-new U3 costs in Australia.
What about grand pianos?
Grands are harder to price from a screen, because most sellers ask you to enquire rather than publish a figure. Lyra Pianos listed seven pre-loved Yamaha grands in September 2026, from a 2000 C3L to a 2019 S6X, with no price shown against any of them (Lyra Pianos).
Where figures are published they give you a floor. In September 2026 House of Pianos in Melbourne listed a Yamaha C3 at $17,495, reduced from $21,995, and a Yamaha C5 at $34,995 (House of Pianos). Treat a published grand price as a starting point for the conversation rather than a market rate.
What does the piano cost after you buy it?
Tuning is the recurring cost. A Melbourne technician's survey updated in May 2026 put a standard tuning at $200 to $250 at the lower end and $280 to $350 for an experienced technician, and noted that a piano left a long time between services needs a pitch raise, which adds $50 to $100 (Flow Piano). Budget for two tunings a year while a piano settles into a new room. Our own tuning and servicing page explains what a service covers.
Moving is the one-off. In September 2026 Harry the Piano Mover listed $260 to move an upright within the inner suburbs and the CBD, $340 to the outer suburbs and $420 to outer Melbourne, with grands at $460, $570 and $650 for the same three zones, and noted that access beyond a few entry steps adds to the figure (Harry the Piano Mover).
So ask what a seller's number includes. Delivery, a stool, the first tuning and the length and backing of the warranty can be worth several hundred dollars against the sticker. What comes with ours is set out on our delivery and warranty page.
Can you negotiate?
Ask what the figure includes before you ask for money off. Delivery, a stool and the first tuning are easier for a seller to agree to than a round number, and they are worth more to you in the first year than a small discount. A private sale on a classifieds site generally has more movement in it than a dealer's floor price, because a dealer's figure already carries the workshop hours spent on the instrument.
Why are two pianos of the same model priced differently?
Because the serial number tells you when a piano was built and nothing else. It does not tell you which market it was sold into, how it was played, or whether it sat in a hall or a lounge room. You can date any Yamaha or Kawai with our serial number lookup, then ask the seller everything the number cannot answer. A container can carry a mixed lot, so ask what is known about the individual piano rather than the shipment it arrived in.
That is the whole reason we buy the way we do. Each piano is chosen in Japan rather than bought in bulk at auction, photographed before it is imported, and gone over in the Melbourne workshop. Every instrument is listed on its own with its model and year on our instruments page. Before you commit to any piano, at any price, run through our checklist for buying a pre-loved piano in Melbourne.
A price only means something next to the piano it belongs to. The most useful hour you can spend is playing a U1 and a U3 back to back and hearing what the extra 10cm of cabinet actually does. You are welcome to book a viewing at the Mount Waverley showroom and take your time over it.
Questions people ask
What is a used Yamaha U3 worth?
In September 2026 Australian dealers listed 1979 to 1986 U3H, U3M and U3A models between $4,495 and $5,495, with a later U30BL at $7,900 and a 2020 YUS3 at $13,900. Condition and how recently the piano was serviced move that figure more than the year does.
Is a pre-loved Japanese U3 better value than a new U1J?
For roughly the $7,299 a new 121cm U1JPE cost in September 2026, the pre-loved market offered a 131cm U3, which has longer strings and a larger soundboard. The pre-loved piano gives you more instrument, the new one gives you a known history, so play both before you decide.
Can you negotiate on a piano?
Ask what the price includes before you ask for money off, because delivery, a stool and the first tuning are easier for a seller to agree to than a discount. Private sales usually have more movement in them than a dealer's floor price.
What does delivery add to the price?
In September 2026 one Melbourne mover listed $260 to move an upright within the inner suburbs and the CBD, $340 to the outer suburbs and $420 to outer Melbourne, with grands at $460 to $650. Stairs and tight access add to that, so ask whether the seller's figure already covers delivery.
What is my old piano worth?
It depends almost entirely on the maker, the model and whether it can be brought back into tune and hold there. A technician's assessment in your own home is the only reliable answer, and it is worth getting before you assume a figure either way.
