Estate Sale Services Invoicing and Commission App (2026)
An estate sale operator gets paid on commission from the sale proceeds, then bills separately for setup, staffing, and the cleanout afterward. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) produces a clean settlement statement — gross sales, your commission, itemized expenses, net to the estate — and invoices the cleanout as its own job, so the executor sees exactly where every dollar went.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo operator's money workflow — commission settlement statements, expense pass-through, and separate cleanout invoicing to an executor — not on online auction platforms, bidder management, or item cataloging.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo operators: settlement statements, expense itemization, separate cleanout invoicing, tax-ready books |
| Square | Free + 2.6% + 10¢ | Taking card payments at the sale itself |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| EstateSales.NET | Listing fees vary | Advertising a sale to local buyers |
Two payments, two documents
An estate sale operator is paid twice and they’re nothing alike:
- Commission — a percentage of gross sales, settled from proceeds
- Cleanout and services — invoiced directly to the estate afterward
Blurring them together is a fast way to lose an executor’s trust, because they can no longer see what they actually paid for.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Settlement statements showing gross, commission, itemized expenses, and net to the estate — plus a separate invoice for the cleanout job.
2. Square — free + processing
The right tool at the sale table; not a settlement or invoicing system.
3. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic invoicing with no settlement structure.
4. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoices plus light bookkeeping.
5. EstateSales.NET — listing fees
Advertising reach for the sale itself, not a business system.
What belongs on a settlement statement
- Gross sales — by day, if the sale ran multiple days
- Commission — at the contracted rate
- Advertising and listing fees — at cost
- Staffing — hours and rate
- Supplies — tables, tags, tissue, signage
- Credit card processing — at cost
- Net remitted to the estate
The executor has a duty to account
They’ll get asked by beneficiaries, and sometimes by a probate court, exactly where the money went. A settlement statement that answers those questions before anyone has to ask is probably the single strongest referral generator in this business.
Set a minimum on small estates
Staging, pricing, advertising, and three days of staffing barely change with the value of what’s in the house. Set a minimum commission or a flat setup fee — it’s what keeps a modest estate from turning into three days of unpaid work.
Frequently asked questions
What commission do estate sale operators charge?
Commonly 30–50% of gross sales, higher on small estates where the fixed work of staging and staffing doesn't shrink. The percentage should be set against the estate's expected value, not applied uniformly — a $4,000 sale and a $60,000 sale are close to the same amount of setup.
What should a settlement statement include?
Gross sales, your commission at the agreed rate, every expense itemized with receipts, and the net figure being remitted to the estate. Executors have a fiduciary duty to account for this — a clear statement isn't just courtesy, it's what they legally need.
Should the cleanout be part of the commission?
No. Clearing what didn't sell is a separate job with a truck, disposal fees, and hours attached. Bundling it into commission means a sale that goes well subsidizes a cleanout that goes badly, and the executor can't see either cost.
How do I handle a minimum on a small estate?
State a minimum commission or a flat setup fee in the contract. A three-day sale requires the same staging, pricing, advertising, and staffing whether it grosses $5,000 or $40,000 — and the small ones are where operators lose money.