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Yamaha Baby Grand GB1K

Seems pretty low; used Yamaha uprights seem to go for $4500-$5000.
Craigslist, it's in San Diego County. Scam?

Worth checking into. If you can see it and play it. Pay for it as the movers are taking it to the truck.

It’s not free nor does it have an odd, death in the family sob story to go with it. So... it MIGHT be ok... maybe... You could contact the seller for details. Scammers don’t respond in a normal seller/buyer conversation. I’d have it checked out by a piano tech to make sure the inside is ok. I’ve been coming across too many pianos with rodents recently😳 Also if you are really concerned, bring someone to accompany you. If it’s a go, you should take the photo of the serial number on the plate and match it up on the pick up day.

Probable scam. Use a “burner” email account and see?

Not sure if it’s a scam so use caution. Go see it and try it and photograph the serial number. If you like it and can get a tech inspection on it, the piano could be nice. If you do want to buy it, accompany the movers and be sure to photograph the piano both before and after it’s in your home. Best Wishes!

A GB1K is a rather small grand and personally I don’t like the fact the tail of the piano is by a window and a large plant, but who knows?

Great minds... I noticed that too. I was also curious about why there are what appears to be two small refrigerators near the piano, making me wonder what kind of room it's in.

So, back to more serious issues, what kind of piano-related scams happen on CL these days?

It looks like there is some kind of tag hanging off the stick, as if it were in a showroom or something.

oooh! Good catch!

Or an estate sale. Notice in the second pic the magazine rack full of sheet music on the floor.

Yeah, gotta wonder about that tag.

At least one of the plants is artificial, if not both.

pretty good detective work people. I was going to call today, but went to get the phone number and the listing has been deleted by the author.
So either it was real and sold, or he's heading out of town with someone's money.

There’s a real sweet Storey and Clark (made by Yamaha) up in Orange County for $895. It’s the same size as the GB1. You might look for it.

It may not have been a scam. A year ago, I bought a Kawai GM-10 -- a direct competitor of the Yamaha GB1K -- in immaculate condition for $2,000. I contacted the owners 40 minutes after the ad appeared on Craigslist and we closed the deal at their asking price as soon as I test played it.

They had just sold their house for a million dollars and needed the piano gone before closing. A piano dealer offered them $1,000 over the phone, so they doubled that for their Craigslist ad. And of course got a lot of calls at that price, but I was first and they liked the way I played their barely-touched piano.

For a genuine scam, see this thread, which should be moved from the Piano Tuners-Technicians sub-forum to this sub-forum:
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthre...ist-too-good-to-be-true.html#Post2845477

Post was deleted. Maybe a scam

The fact that the Craigslist "for sale" ad was removed so quickly leads me to believe it was not a scam. Scammers keep their posts up, wanting to suck as many people in as possible. See the thread to which I linked above.

At that asking price for a Yamaha GB1K, someone probably showed up "cash in hand" ready to buy it.

I will add some detail on my Kawai GM-10 purchase, not to brag -- I was just lucky -- but to show what it might take to get a good piano at a great price:

1. The sellers wanted the piano gone before their house sold for a million dollars, and didn't bother to negotiate when I immediately agreed to their asking price. Understandably, they were feeling good considering the profit on their house sale, and the piano price was so little in comparison.

2. The piano appeared in great shape, despite not having been tuned in years. It was not near a fireplace, did not get hit by direct sun from windows, and was still under Kawai's factory warranty. It had all Kawai's original documentation, most still in sealed packaging.

3. I paid them cash that same day, several days before the piano was moved to my house. I was reluctant to do that, but knew there were others in line to buy the piano, possibly offering more than the low asking price. I had to take the calculated risk of not asking to have the piano inspected, for the same reason.

4. I got comfortable with them by checking ownership of their house, having them sign a witnessed two-page legal agreement, and making a copy of the wife's driver's license. The husband was a lawyer, gave me his business card, and understood my need for formal documentation.

5. I test played the piano for an hour with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin pieces from memory and they loved that. The wife said that their little-used piano "deserved to go where it would be played like that", and they came over to my house to see where it would be placed.

So, folks, there are a lot of Craigslist scams out there, but not every post is a scam. I saw my fair share of badly maintained pianos, unrealistic asking prices, and scams. But there are good pianos, some in houses where children have lost interest, some due to moves, some estate sales.

So remain patient and be prepared to jump on a good deal when it shows up. Good luck!