Should You Tip Piano Movers? And If Yes, How Much? (Solved!)

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Without the right knowledge, attempting to move a piano yourself can be quite irresponsible and dangerous. That is why piano movers are available to make life a little easier when there is the need to move or relocate your piano. 

Usually, piano movers are paid upfront for their service. But after they come and move your piano, should you tip them?

You are not expected or required to tip piano movers who move your piano around or help you relocate it. However, it’s good practice to tip them, especially when they spend extra time, effort, and energy in moving your piano safely.

There are many things to consider before you decide to tip piano movers. Some movers actually deserve a tip, and some don’t. If you’re interested in learning all the different things to consider and some tips on how much to tip your piano movers, then let’s dive right into it.

Are You Required to Tip Piano Movers?

The act of tipping people who provide you with service has been around for decades. However, you are not required to tip piano movers who help you move or relocate your piano. 

This is because a tip is an extra amount of money given to people who provide you with a service as a form of thank you. This extra money is given in addition to the basic cost of the service.

The giving of tips is simply a social custom and is not mandatory. It is only supposed to be given to show appreciation to the person(s) providing you with the service. This means you can decide to tip piano workers if you are satisfied with the quality of work they have done (or not) 

Therefore, you are not required to tip piano movers. However, in the same limelight, piano movers should not expect, hint at or demand to be tipped.

How Much Should I Tip Piano Movers?

Engaging the services of piano movers does not happen regularly. Most people have not done so before. Due to this, there is little experiential information to serve as guidelines to follow. 

When it comes to tipping home movers, the general rule is to give a tip of about 5 to 10% of the total cost of moving. This tip is to be divided evenly among the team doing the moving. 

I believe this is no different when it comes to tipping piano movers. Thus, this general rule can be applied to piano movers as well.

However, this rule is not cast in stone. That’s because how much you may decide to tip someone who provides them with a service solely depends on your financial situation. 

People with more residual income or extra cash can afford to tip more than people on a budget. So how much you have to spare will ultimately affect how much piano movers may receive as tips.

That notwithstanding, the tipping of piano movers is also affected by their quality of work and the customer experience. It will also depend on the circumstances surrounding the moving process and the number of persons involved.  

Due to these factors, the amount of money piano movers can receive as tips is not fixed. Thus, if you intend to tip piano movers, all you need to do is decide on an amount and divide it among the moving team.

But as a general rule, you should tip piano movers about 5 to 10% of the total cost of the piano moving service. And this should be shared among the total number of piano movers.

Reasons Why Piano Movers May Get Tipped

Tip Piano Movers with Good Etiquette

Good work etiquette is one of the reasons why piano movers may get tipped. Piano movers with good work etiquette take pride in the work they do and are careful not to damage the instrument and properties. 

They follow directions well and are very careful not to leave a bad impression. Therefore, they leave customers with a good experience.

Apart from what I have talked about, some piano movers can be quite friendly and may go out of their way to do any extra things to ensure that moving the piano is done successfully. 

One of these extra things includes having the patience to explore a number of positioning options with the contractors before finally settling on the best placement for the piano. Piano movers who exhibit any or all of these traits are more likely to get tipped.

In summary, if the moving service offered by the piano movers is exemplary, most people are likely to tip the movers. This exemplary service includes situations where they transport and deliver a piano safely without damaging anything in the process.

When Piano Movers Spend a Lot of Time on the Moving Your Piano

If you have watched experienced piano movers at work a couple of times, you would be amazed at how quickly they are able to move and transport pianos around within a short timeframe. 

However, in some rare cases, the piano that needs to be transported may pose a great challenge to them due to its weight and size. This may cause the movers to spend too much time moving the piano.

At other times, factors such as narrow doors and hallways might make it difficult for the movers to carry out their work on time. 

Furthermore, sharp turns, bumpy and irregular walkways, and steps in the work environment can also affect how quickly the movement can be carried out. Scenarios like this require a lot of improvising and adjustment on the part of the movers. 

All these unforeseen challenges may cause delays to the moving process, thereby increasing the duration within which the work is carried out.

In such situations, the timelines governing the work will be exceeded. As a result, piano movers are more likely to get tipped when the move takes longer than expected, despite how hard they may be working. In fact, the moving team would really appreciate a tip in such circumstances.

Tip Piano Movers in Unfavorable Weather Conditions

It can be quite challenging to move a piano in the winter or on rainy days due to how slippery the ground may be. In such conditions, piano movers need to be extra careful. 

They might have to work at a relatively slower pace than usual as well. Thus, whenever piano movers perform a great job under such unfavorable or challenging conditions, you should definitely consider tipping them.

When Not to Tip Piano Movers

As I already mentioned, it’s good practice to tip movers, in general, not only piano movers. Rewarding good behavior is always a good thing, especially when the piano movers go above and beyond to get the job done.

However, in some instances, I would advise you not to tip them. What are some of those instances?

Firstly, when the piano movers show up late to the scheduled time, I would advise you don’t tip them. Another reason not to tip them is when they break your piano or cause any form of damage to it. 

Some piano movers may also work deliberately slow when moving your piano. Some do this intentionally to make you think they are having difficulty moving the piano so that you tip them after they’re done. 

When you see any sign of the piano movers not working efficiently in moving your piano, I’d advise you don’t tip them.

At the end of the day, you don’t want to reward bad behavior.

How Much Does It Cost to Move a Piano?

Just as how much piano movers can be tipped is not fixed, the actual cost of moving a piano is also not fixed. The truth is, it can be quite expensive to move a piano, and this cost varies from one piano moving company to the other.

On average, moving a piano locally within a 30-mile radius can cost about 150 to 350 dollars. On the other hand, you can expect to pay any amount from 350 dollars and upwards for moving pianos over longer distances.

However, no matter the distance your piano needs to be moving through, you may pay extra for obstacles like staircases and tight spaces that pose further challenges to the movers. 

In addition to this, the cost of moving a piano is also affected by the size and weight of the piano being moved. Grand pianos that are heavy cost relatively more when moving them than an upright piano.

Therefore, when preparing a budget for moving your piano, you should factor in the distance it is being moved through, its size, weight, and any potential challenges like a long flight of staircases that might make the moving process challenging for the piano movers.

Final Words

As long as you can afford it, it does not hurt to be nice or show appreciation to piano movers, especially when they do a great job despite the complications that may have been involved with the job.

Due to the workload involved in moving pianos, tipping of piano movers is very common. However, it is not mandatory to do so. It is only appropriate to tip piano movers who do a great job in moving your piano around.

As a show of appreciation for the work carried out by movers, most people tip them with cash.

However, that is not the only way of showing appreciation to movers for the work they do for you. If you do not have extra cash on hand to give out, you can offer the movers something to drink. This could be water, soda, or any beverage.