How Much Will I Make At My Estate Sale?

“Okay,” you’re saying to yourself, “I think I’m ready to have an estate sale. But first...how much do I stand to make?”

Depends—how much stuff you got?

Of course you’re concerned about profit. A lifetime was spent amassing these things. There might have been a time they felt invaluable—maybe they still do. Maybe you paid a considerable amount of money for something and you wonder how much it will make on the resale market. And holding an estate sale can be hard work for everyone involved, if not physically, then emotionally. It would be nice to know what you will ultimately get out of it besides a professionally emptied home. Is it worth it?

Unfortunately, we can’t tell you how much you’ll make at your estate sale. We don’t know what you’re selling. Or your location. Or the average turnout for the company you will ultimately hire. Or the weather.

There are a lot of variables in play.

But one of an estate sale company’s main goals is to make as much money as possible—for their clients, and for themselves. It’s a commission-based field, so the majority of the money estate sale companies make comes from the sale of the items. Different companies have different pricing structures, but in a recent survey, we found the average commission rate, nationwide, is 35%.

In addition to commission, companies also often charge fees for other services, like advertising, trash hauling, clean up, credit card fees, among others. Around 80% of estate sale companies have additional fees of some sort, so don’t be surprised or shocked when you come across them—it’s standard.

Keep in mind that what you bought an item for is not what it will sell for. And while there are some things that appreciate in value over time, there are more that don’t. Choose a company that you trust to price things fairly. You want to make money, of course, but you also want to sell your items. If they’re priced too high, they won’t sell, and then you are in your original conundrum all over again. It’s a delicate balance and a good estate sale company knows how to walk that line.

So, how much will you make? We can’t say. But find an estate sale company you trust will keep your best interests in mind. If you talk with with them about what your goals are, and listen to what they have to say, you should enter the process with reasonable expectations.

When you’re ready to start the process, visit our Hire a Company page, or give us a call at (855) 956-1651, and we will help you get connected to estate sale companies in your area.

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