Minimums and setup fees
Many companies charge a minimum fee — often $1,000–$3,000 — or a setup charge before the sale even opens, regardless of what the home earns.
Estate sale costs, explained
How much does an estate sale cost?
The honest answer: a traditional estate sale company typically keeps 25–45% of everything the sale earns — before fees. Here's what that adds up to at every estate size, and the flat-cost alternative that keeps the money with the family.
Start free — 10 appraised listings every month, no card required.
The real cost
What the commission takes, by estate size.
Estate sale companies charge a percentage of gross sales — commonly 25% on the low end and up to 45% on larger or higher-value estates. Here's what leaves the family's hands:
Sale total
At 25%
At 45%
$5,000
$1,250
$2,250
$10,000
$2,500
$4,500
$20,000
$5,000
$9,000
$50,000
$12,500
$22,500
Commission figures reflect the commonly quoted range for full-service estate sale companies and vary by company, region, and estate size.
The flat alternative
Skira Pro: the same work, one flat price.
What you're paying a company for is labor and knowledge — pricing, listing, reaching buyers. Skira does that work from photos, and charges the same whether the estate earns $5,000 or $50,000.
Photograph the home, room by room
Skira's bulk photo sweep turns each room into priced, organized inventory — hundreds of items appraised in a single pass, on your schedule.
AI prices and describes every item
Each piece gets a story-style listing, an estimated resale value, and a route to the right buyer: eBay for shippables, local pickup for furniture, donation for the rest.
One flat price, whatever the estate earns
Skira Pro is a flat subscription. Whether the sale brings in $5,000 or $50,000, the cost is the same — and the proceeds stay with the family.
Traditional company
Skira Pro
Cost on a $20,000 estate
$5,000–$9,000 in commission
A flat Pro subscription
Minimum or setup fees
Common — often $1,000+
None
Cleanout of leftovers
Often billed separately
Donation & haul-away triage built in
Cost if the estate earns more
The fee grows with the sale
The price stays flat
When you pay
After weeks of scheduling
Start free — upgrade only if you need Pro
Estate sale cost questions, answered.
- How much does an estate sale company charge?
- The common range is 25–45% of gross sales, with the higher end on larger or higher-value estates. On a $20,000 sale, that's $5,000–$9,000. Many companies also charge minimums, setup fees, or separate cleanout charges on top of the commission.
- Are there hidden fees in an estate sale?
- Often, yes. Beyond the headline commission, families can see minimum fees (commonly $1,000–$3,000), setup charges, extra staffing for the sale weekend, advertising add-ons, and post-sale cleanout or haul-away billing. Always ask for the full fee schedule in writing before signing.
- Is it cheaper to run an estate sale yourself?
- Dramatically — if you can replace what the company actually does: pricing hundreds of items, writing listings, and reaching buyers. Skira automates exactly that from photos. The free version covers smaller clear-outs, and Skira Pro adds whole-home scale (bulk sweeps, lot numbering, marketplace feeds) for a flat subscription instead of a percentage.
- What does Skira cost compared to a commission?
- Skira starts free — 10 appraised listings every month, no card required. Skira Pro is a flat subscription, so on a $20,000 estate the family keeps the $5,000–$9,000 a traditional company would have taken. The more the home is worth, the larger the savings.
- When does hiring an estate sale company still make sense?
- If the family can't be on-site at all, or the estate involves specialized collections (fine art, rare antiques) that need credentialed appraisers, a full-service company can be worth its fee. For most homes, the work is pricing, listing, and logistics — and that's what Skira was built to replace.
Keep the commission in the family.
Photograph the first room today — free — and see what Skira would price it at before you spend a dollar on anything.