FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Using PianoHub is free of charge.

We want it to be as easy as possible to benefit from the platform. Without unnecessary barriers. That’s why creating a user account is not required to use PianoHub, and it won’t be in the future. In order to offer the core functionality of the platform without requiring registration or exposing your personal data, we run our own server infrastructure. This gives us full control and allows us to continuously adapt PianoHub to your needs. By the way, to offer convenience features such as saving listings to a watchlist (accessible across multiple devices), we do see optional user accounts as useful. At the moment, creating an account is not yet possible.

No, PianoHub is not a sales platform. Our goal is to make it easy for buyers to find the perfect piano or grand piano. Sellers benefit from fast listing creation and high visibility. However, actual sales should only take place after an in-person viewing and trial session, and in line with the expectations of both parties. PianoHub acts as an intermediary between sellers and potential buyers, but is not involved in the final transaction.

We do everything we can to prevent that by not collecting any sensitive data that could be misused. Just like you, scammers could contact other users anonymously through PianoHub (see privacy questions) and attempt to obtain personal data or money. That’s why we recommend carefully reviewing listings and avoiding contact if anything seems suspicious. If you want to report a suspicious listing, feel free to reach out to our support team. Never share personal data via message that you wouldn’t also share through other messaging services or over the phone. And never send money to a seller without first inspecting the piano and being confident the offer is legitimate. If you're not buying from a professional dealer, we recommend paying on-site upon pickup or delivery (depending on who handles transport).

We protect your personal data by collecting almost none of it. As a private individual, your email address is the only information we require when you either create a listing to sell a piano or contact a seller. We only store your email address as long as necessary for communication. All messages are anonymized and sent via our PianoHub Messenger – and that works without registration. Details below.

We only store your email address for as long as it’s absolutely necessary for your chosen use. If you create a listing to sell a piano without a user account, we store your email with the listing until it is deleted or expires. This allows our messaging service (PianoHub Messenger) to forward messages from interested buyers. If you’re an interested buyer contacting a seller, we store your email only while the listing is online, so replies can be forwarded. In both cases, your address is stored only in our secure infrastructure and never shared with other users. Note: If you contact us via the contact form, your email is stored so we can respond. This type of platform communication is not anonymized.

You don’t need an account to create a listing or send a message – just your email address. Our messaging service, PianoHub Messenger, runs on the PianoHub sonversation a unique anonymous forwarding address. This address acts as the sender and forwards the message to the recipient’s inbox. Replies are also routed through this system. That means you can communicate using your usual email client: no login, no registration, no extra tools. Anonymization is handled fully by the system. If you choose, for scheduling or finalizing a sale, you can share personal contact info (e.g., your phone number) through this secure chanerver and assigns each channel.

No, PianoHub Messenger does not store the content of messages sent to other users on our server. They are only temporarily cached for delivery and then immediately deleted. We have no access to the contents of your messages and cannot restore them. However, the contents will remain available in your own email inbox, as handled by your provider. One last note: If you send a message to us via the contact form, we store the message content along with your email in order to respond and offer proper support.

On PianoHub, the images uploaded by an instrument’s seller are compressed. This is necessary to reduce operating costs and to keep the platform free of charge. Compressing images lowers both storage and data transfer costs. Use landscape-format photos instead of portrait whenever possible to keep your images looking as sharp as possible in the listing preview.

Published listings remain active for 90 days. This gives you and potential buyers plenty of time to complete the sale of your instrument. 7 days before the automatic expiration, you'll receive an email warning with the option to renew your listing. Once the 90 days have expired, your listing will be automatically deleted. If you've already sold your instrument or no longer want the listing to be online, you can delete it at any time manually.