Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum OT (maybe): Tips (money) for Piano Movers?

Hi. This may be slightly OT but what would be an average tip for the piano movers? Assuming everything goes well and it is a first floor delivery? (There are a few steps up from the driveway.)

The piano is coming today and if the movers are decent, i would like to tip them. But the delivery is free (for me) so I don't even have a clue what it costs, if the movers are just "workers" or are also owners of the moving company, etc. If it helps in determining "average tip", I am in New Jersey.

Thanks.

I usually tip $20.00 per guy, especially if the piano is larger and it's a tough move for them. I also guage it by how much care they do/don't take with the instrument. I live in New York, so I'm pretty sure our tipping habits/expectations may be quite different than other parts of the country.

I'm also curious to see what suggestions are. If it's a smallish upright (not one of those 1910 babes) and first-floor delivery, I'd think $10 each would suffice. More if they have to assemble a grand, or spend time "helping" your wife decide just which wall to place it against.

Thanks for the suggestions. I should have mentioned that it is a small grand (5'8"). I was thinking between $15 and $20 per mover. SO far, that seems to be the right number.

There's really no average. Give what you can and remember that the movers generally work hard and are at the bottom of the profit food chain. Their work, if done right, can also make a big difference in your day. I generally overtip. The last piano I had delivered, the piano dealer himself showed up wearing sunglasses and dressed in his gardening clothes trying to blend in with the movers, as if I wouldn't notice.

Mike

I didn't have a basis for tipping, it took 30min (single story home, up 3 stairs) for an upright/bench assembly. 3 guys, I gave $20 but to the 'main' guy as tip for ALL since he was coordinating the move (and the other 2 went back to the truck while the main guy and I handled paper work). I realize I probably tipped to low from this thread, but I didn't know.

I tipped $20 per mover for a small grand that wasn't a particularly difficult move. Compared to the cost of the piano, it seemed like a small amount to thank people for a somewhat laborious job.

Thanks, everyone. Piano has been delivered. They were quick and efficient. There were three guys and I ended up giving them $20 each. Not cheap but as noted above, a tiny fraction of the cost of the piano. This same crew moved several 9' Concert Grand Steinways earlier today. (They didn't make a mistake and bring one to my house but the truth is, I am very happy with the smaller Yamaha C2 I did get.)

So, now, I guess, if anyone asks, $20 per mover seems to be the going rate.

When I tip anyone, whether it be a waitress or a massage therapist, I usually just figure a flat 20% tip.

Hmmm...No way I'd tip $10,000, even on a $50,000 piano!

OK, OK...my husband says you must have meant 20% of the moving charge, not 20% of the piano cost. I was, of course, thinking the dealership was giving you free delivery.

So, maybe I should reconsider the 20%???

Ohhh come on.. Why not? Next time the tuner comes, tip them 20 % of the cost of the piano! I like that idea!!

Sounds about right to me. On my recent move of my grand, up the stairs, I tipped the four guys 20% of the cost of the move ($100 total for 4 guys). I seriously doubt that they get tipped for moving concert grands from commercial venues, so it's funny if they expect tips for moving much smaller pianos for private owners. But, I've always tipped the group of guys about 20% of the quoted move price. It's backbreaking work, and I've always used the most highly recommended movers, and they've always come through like a charm.

Well I've only been fortunate to have a grand delivered once to my house and I managed to tip each of the three guys $20.
I was lucky I was able to even afford that at the time because I had put myself into the biggest debt I had ever been in simply to buy the piano.
However I had actually made sure that I could scrape the money together beforehand so that I could tip them.
(Thankfully I got out of debt within six months, which made me wish I bought a bigger piano actually).

You guys have so much money to throw around! I only gave them $20 for all 3 guys.

What percentage of your clients (customers? patients?) tips?

I just had a new piano delivered Saturday and tipped the movers $20 each.

I am not trying to establish a baseline or anything, just providing another data point. People should feel free to tip or not, as much as they desire.

These movers did an outstanding job, and the piano was moved and set up quickly, properly, and without any damage. They tweaked the position several times on my request and made sure I was happy before they left.