How Much Do Estate Sale Companies Charge? A State-by-State Breakdown

Published October 1, 2026 · The Estate Sale Guide editorial team

No government agency, trade association, or research firm publishes commission data for estate sale companies by state. What exists instead is a patchwork: national ranges from industry surveys, a handful of metro-level figures published by operators, and two variables that genuinely differ across state lines — sales tax treatment and the cost of licensing or bonding. This breakdown reports what is actually documented, state by state, and is explicit about where the record runs out.

What you'll learn

• Why no reliable state-level commission dataset exists, and what gets published instead
• The national commission range and the survey figures behind it
• Metro and regional figures that operators have published, from Atlanta to Southern California
• The two costs that truly vary by state: sales tax treatment and licensing or bonding overhead
• A ten-state comparison table covering commission, sales tax, and regulatory cost
• How to read a local quote against the national picture

The honest starting point

The most-cited national band is 30% to 50% of gross sales, with 35% to 40% typical for a household of average value (LegalClarity). Survey data pushes the midpoint higher: Gavelist cites a 2023 EstateSales.net industry survey and an EstateSales.org poll that both place the national average near 40% to 45% (Gavelist), while a 2024 EstateSales.net survey put the average at about 40% (Tax Shark). One aggregator reports that EstateSales.org data shows a commonly reported rate of 45% (Leave the Key), and one operator states the range as 35% to 60% (Brown Button Estate Sales). A directory that aggregates provider pricing publishes a full spread of 25% to 60% plus setup fees (AtticScout).

Notice that none of those sources breaks its figure out by state. That is not an oversight in the reporting; the data does not exist publicly.

Where per-state pages do appear, they tend to publish the same number everywhere. HomeLight's state and metro guides quote a range of 35% to 50% identically for Texas (HomeLight), Georgia (HomeLight), Atlanta (HomeLight), Chicago (HomeLight), Philadelphia (HomeLight), Greenville, South Carolina (HomeLight), Virginia Beach (HomeLight), and Los Angeles (HomeLight). The uniformity is itself the finding: at the state level, commission rates are not meaningfully different.

[CHART: state-by-state commission ranges]

What genuinely drives the rate — and it isn't geography

Three variables explain nearly all the spread, and only the third has anything to do with location.

Inventory value. Large estates with quality furniture, art, or collectibles can negotiate toward 25% to 30% (Gavelist); another operator puts high-value estates at 30% to 35%, typical households at 35% to 45%, and small or cleanout-heavy jobs at 45% to 50% or more (Jamil Brothers).

Labor intensity. Smaller, cluttered estates with low-value goods command 45% to 50% because the labor-to-revenue ratio is punishing (Gavelist).

Market density. This is where geography enters. In a smaller town, or for a simple sale, a reputable company may charge closer to 25% to 30% (Tax Shark); rural markets and thin buyer pools push the other way, with small or rural sales running 45% to 50% (Modern Aging Directory). The pattern is metro-versus-rural, not Texas-versus-Ohio.

Regional and metro figures that are actually published

A handful of operators and consumer groups publish local numbers. These are the closest thing to state-level data in the record.

Two observations. Atlanta's 25% to 35% is the lowest published metro range in the record, and Southern California's 35% to 50% among the highest — consistent with market density and cost of labor rather than any state policy. And the payment-timing spread, from three business days in Virginia Beach to two to four weeks nationally (LegalClarity), varies more by company than by state.

The first real state variable: sales tax

Whether sales tax applies to an estate sale, and who is responsible for it, genuinely differs by state — and it changes the estate's take-home even when the commission does not.

All figures from a fifty-state review of estate sale sales tax treatment (EstateSales.org). County surtaxes stack on top of the state rate — Florida's 6% state tax is joined by county surtaxes in most counties (Lion and Unicorn).

The "depends" entries reflect occasional-sale or isolated-sale exemptions, which in some states hinge on whether the liquidator discloses the property owner's name (EstateSales.org). Because the rule is fact-specific, EstateSales.NET's practical advice is to determine your state's requirement first and then ask each company whether it charges sales tax (EstateSales.NET).

The second real state variable: licensing and bonding overhead

The other genuine geographic difference is regulatory cost, which operators build into their pricing.

Only two states impose requirements aimed at estate sales as such. Minnesota requires estate sale conductors to file a corporate surety bond of at least $20,000 with the county treasurer before entering an agreement (Minn. Stat. § 325E.70); the requirement took effect January 1, 2014, and counties charge nothing to accept the filing (Scott County). Illinois, as of January 1, 2026, requires a licensed auctioneer for estate sales that meet a four-part test (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation).

Everywhere else, the relevant costs are auction licensing, bonding, and business registration:

• North Carolina caps auctioneer fees at $125 for application, $75 for examination, and $250 for issuance or renewal, with the same schedule for auction firms and a reinstatement fee of $75 (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 85B-6), plus up to $50 a year for the Auctioneer Recovery Fund (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 85B-4.1). Local governments may not add their own auctioneer fees (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 85B-6).
• Georgia charges auctioneers and auction companies each $200 to apply, $150 for the Recovery Fund, and $150 for biennial renewal, with a $250 penalty for unlicensed practice (Georgia Secretary of State fee schedule).
• Pennsylvania charges $200 initially and $475 for biennial renewal, rising to $500 for the March 2027–February 2029 biennium (Pennsylvania Department of State).
• Texas charges $100 for an auctioneer application, comprising a $50 license fee and a $50 Recovery Fund fee (TDLR).
• California requires no auctioneer license but mandates a $20,000 bond for every auctioneer and auction company (Cal. Civ. Code § 1812.600).
• Virginia requires a surety bond of at least $10,000 to obtain or renew a license (18VAC25-21-30).
• South Carolina requires a license to sell goods at auction (S.C. Code § 40-6-250) and a firm license for business entities other than sole proprietorships (SC LLR).
• New York has no state auctioneer license, and New York City stopped requiring one as of June 15, 2022 (NYC311).

Many states have no auctioneer licensing board at all, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota (where bonds are county-issued), New Jersey, New York, and Oregon (NALLOA). Our companion guide, Estate Sale Company Licensing, covers the statutes in detail.

Ten-state comparison

A note on gaps: no verified state-level commission figure was found for North Carolina or New York, so the national range stands in. The commission ranges above are what companies and consumer groups publish, not audited averages.

What to do with a local quote

Since state averages are not available, benchmark against three things instead. First, the national band — 30% to 50%, most often 35% to 40% (LegalClarity). Second, the estate's own profile, since a high-value estate should be quoted nearer 30% to 35% and a small cluttered one nearer 45% to 50% (Jamil Brothers). Third, all-in cost, including fees, because a 35% quote with $1,500 in extras is worse than a 40% quote with none (LegalClarity).

Then interview more than two companies (EstateSales.NET) and let the local market tell you what local pricing is. Three quotes on your own house are better data than any national average.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official state-by-state commission dataset? No. Commission figures come from industry surveys and individual operators, not from a public dataset. The national average from a 2024 EstateSales.net survey was roughly 40% (Tax Shark), and per-state pages typically republish the same 35% to 50% range everywhere (HomeLight).

Are commissions really higher in expensive metros? Not in the published record. Southern California operators publish 35% to 50% (SoCal Home Clearouts), while an Atlanta company publishes 25% to 35% (Lott's Treasures) — but gross sale totals differ more than rates do, with SoCal sales grossing $8,000 to $35,000 (SoCal Home Clearouts).

Which states cost estates the most in tax? Texas and Illinois carry the highest state rates among the ten reviewed at 6.25%, followed by Florida, South Carolina, California, and Pennsylvania at 6% (EstateSales.org) — though Pennsylvania and Georgia do not apply tax to estate sales at all, and Florida adds county surtaxes (Lion and Unicorn).

Does a state's bonding requirement raise what I pay? Indirectly. A $20,000 bond in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 325E.70) or California (Cal. Civ. Code § 1812.600) is an operating cost that companies price in, but no source quantifies its effect on commission. The offsetting benefit is real: a bond gives you recourse that unbonded states do not.

What does an average sale gross? Roughly $18,000 to $20,000, netting a seller about $10,800 to $13,000 (HomeLight); one operator puts the national average at $19,584 (SoCal Home Clearouts). A more useful distribution is $3,000 to $8,000 for a modest household and $20,000 to $50,000 or more for one with real antiques (Modern Aging Directory).

Do rural estates pay more? Generally yes. Small and rural sales are quoted at 45% to 50% (Modern Aging Directory), though a simple sale in a smaller town can also come in at 25% to 30% (Tax Shark). Labor and buyer density matter more than the state line.

How many companies operate in my state? It varies widely. One directory lists 3,316 companies across all fifty states, including 92 in North Carolina and 108 in Georgia (AtticScout); the largest listing platform claims more than 15,000 companies (EstateSales.NET).

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