musical instruments · Ontario

Where to sell musical instruments in Toronto

4 businesses in and around Toronto that buy used musical instruments from the public — what each takes, and whether you are offered a purchase, a consignment or a loan.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • Electric and acoustic guitars from the known makersFind the serial number — on the headstock, on the neck plate, or on a label inside the soundhole — and identify the exact model and year before you let anyone make you an offer. Then look at completed sold prices, not asking prices.
  • Tube amplifiersLook through the grille or the back panel for a row of glass tubes. Fender, Marshall, Vox, Traynor and Garnet are names worth stopping for.
  • Effects pedals and analog synthesizersDo not bundle the pedals in with the gig bag as accessories. Price them separately, one at a time.
  • Professional microphones and recording gearShure SM57 and SM58, and anything stamped Neumann, AKG or Sennheiser, are worth identifying rather than boxing up as cables and bits.
  • Step-up and professional band instrumentsA Selmer Paris stamp on a saxophone, or a professional-model designation on a Yamaha or Bach trumpet, changes the answer entirely. Read the engraving near the valves or on the bell before you treat the thing as scrap.
  • Good grand pianos, and only good onesLook for Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai, Bösendorfer or Mason & Hamlin on the fallboard. If the name means nothing to a piano dealer on the phone, it is a disposal job.
  • Orchestral strings above student gradeTake it to a violin shop or luthier for an opinion before a pawnbroker or a general antiques dealer sees it. Keep the bow and the case with it, and do not have it cleaned, repaired or re-varnished first.

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • Upright pianos, player pianos and reed organs
  • Any piano that has not been tuned in decades
  • Student band instruments from the rental era
  • Digital pianos, home keyboards and electronic organs more than about a decade old
  • Record players and hi-fi separates that come out of the house with the instruments
A CITES permit can be required before you ship an instrument out of Canada, and permits are never issued retroactively Canada — applies to export and import across the border, not to a sale within Canada

Environment and Climate Change Canada administers CITES in Canada. Its permits page states that you must have the necessary CITES permits before you import or export items, that the permits must be validated by a border services officer at the place of exit and the place of entry, and that "Permits will not be issued retroactively" — if you do not have the proper permit, border officers can hold and seize the item and you will not be able to get a permit afterward to release it. The page notes that CITES parts and derivatives turn up in items including musical instruments. The materials that matter here are elephant ivory, common in pre-1970s piano key tops, and tortoiseshell. We have deliberately removed the rosewood warning that appeared in an earlier version of this page: CITES changed how it treats rosewood in finished instruments, and we could not retrieve the current annotation text from CITES, whose site refuses automated retrieval, so this page makes no claim about rosewood in either direction — ask CITES Canada before you ship a rosewood instrument abroad. If you sell to a buyer outside Canada and ship the instrument, you are the exporter. Selling the same instrument to someone in Canada does not engage any of this.

Read the rule →
Worked elephant ivory needs a permit for every import and export, personal items included, since 8 January 2024 Canada — border movements only

Environment and Climate Change Canada states that "Permits are required for the import and export of all items of worked elephant tusk (ivory)" and that "The requirements will be in force on January 8, 2024." Raw ivory is prohibited for import and export without a permit outside narrow museum, zoo, scientific research and law-enforcement purposes. Worked ivory held as a personal effect or household item is no longer automatically exempt. This bites on pianos in particular, because ivory key tops were ordinary before the 1970s, and on older bows, woodwind rings and inlays. Confirm with CITES Canada what documentation your specific instrument needs before you list it internationally.

Read the rule →

4 places in Toronto that take musical instruments

Canada Iron & Metal

Paid by weight Not stated — ask
BuysSteel and cast iron, Stainless steel, Copper, brass and aluminum, Lead, nickel and tungsten carbide, Cable, Appliances, stoves and microwaves, Cars, Transformers, Batteries, Catalytic converters and rotors, Computers, televisions, keyboards and circuit boards
The dealA working scrap yard that states "We buy metal from the general public" and has an "OPEN TO THE PUBLIC" section. You bring material in, it is weighed and graded, and you are paid against the day's market for that grade. Appliances, copper, brass, aluminum and end-of-life electronics from a house clearance are all on their accepted list. They also run bins for demolition and industry; residential pickup is not advertised. No prices, no payment method and no ID requirement are published on their site.
Where3534 Dundas St W, York, ON M6S 2S1
Scrap has no fixed price and this yard publishes none — the figure depends on weight, grade and how well the material is separated, so the only real quote is the one at the scale. Separating copper from steel before you go changes the number. Their site says nothing about identification or payment method, so call ahead if either matters to you, and bring photo ID in case.
Visit their site →416-762-7351

Dundas West Pawnbrokers / The Pawnshop (Toronto Pawn)

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
BuysGold jewellery, precious gems and gold coins, Luxury watches, Electronics, Tools, Musical instruments, Generators and other large items, Bicycles and motorcycles
The dealThe clearest published pawn terms found in Toronto. PAWN LOAN: the site states "Interest is 2% per month simple interest"; the loan "is redeemed by payment of principle, plus interest & applicable service charges on or before the one year anniversary date", and "may be renewed by payment of interest & applicable service charges" by the same date. It states "We do not have a maximum cash limit for loans". ID rule is explicit: "Government ID required, other than Health Card". OUTRIGHT PURCHASE: the same page states they "purchase and make collateral loans on" gold jewellery, precious gems, luxury watches and gold coins — both transactions on the same goods.
WhereTwo shops: Dundas West Pawnbrokers, 2951 Dundas Street West, Toronto ON M6P 1Z2 (416-767-5833); and The Pawnshop, 1814 Danforth Avenue, Toronto ON M4C 1H8 (416-465-1968). Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, closed Sundays and holidays.
2% per month is a monthly rate, not an annual one — carried simple over the full twelve-month term that is 24% of the principal in interest, before any service charges on a renewal. If the ticket is not redeemed by the anniversary date the item is forfeited. A health card will be turned away at the counter; bring a driver's licence or passport.
Visit their site →416-767-5833

McTamney's

Buys or lends Bring it to them
BuysGold, silver and diamond jewellery, Rings, chains and watches, Smartphones, Guitars, Cameras, Speakers, turntables and headphones
The dealTwo different transactions, and the site treats them separately. PAWN LOAN: a collateral loan on contracts "that are good for up to 1 year", with "No duration minimums, no early payment penalties." The site publishes its cost of borrowing — "48% APR on all loan principals below $999" and "35% APR on all loan principals above $1000" — and gives worked examples of $20 interest per month on a $500 loan and $0.95 interest per day on a $1,000 loan. On default the site states "the item(s) will be put out for sale". To redeem you bring your ticket and a copy of your government-issued ID. OUTRIGHT SALE: there is a separate Sell page and the site states "we take gold, jewellery, guitars, cameras, cellphones and more", but publishes no purchase terms. Ask for the purchase price and the loan offer as two separate numbers.
Where837 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4J 1L2
Pawning is borrowing, not selling: if the contract defaults the item is put out for sale and you do not get it back. Use the shop's own published example to see the cost — they state $20 interest per month on a $500 loan. Government-issued ID is needed and the site states health cards are not accepted.
Visit their site →416-366-9646

Queenglad Pawnbrokers

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
BuysJewellery, Computers and electronics, Power tools, Musical instruments, Video games, Home audio
The dealBuys, sells, trades and lends. PAWN LOAN: the ticket is "valid for one year", during which you may return to repay the loan plus any fees, or renew. The site states plainly what happens otherwise: "If you're unable to repay the loan or don't return within the year, the item will become the legal property of Queenglad Pawnbrokers and be sold at a reasonable rate." It advertises "zero lending limits on instant cash loans" and claims "some of the lowest interest rates in the GTA" but publishes NO rate — none is stated here because none is published. OUTRIGHT SALE is offered on the same categories. No ID requirement is stated on their site.
Where1200 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1J6
"Some of the lowest interest rates in the GTA" is a marketing claim with no number published behind it. Get the rate, the fees and the total cost to redeem written on the ticket before handing anything over. Forfeiture of an unredeemed item after one year is stated on their own site.
Visit their site →416-536-2020
We could not verify this city’s municipal rules for second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers from an official source, so we state none. Check with the City or the province before relying on anything you read about them elsewhere.

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

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