What aircraft brokers charge
Sell-side commission is not complicated, but it is rarely explained before you are being asked to sign something. Here is how each structure works, what to check in the agreement, and the cases where a broker genuinely adds nothing you could not do yourself.
Five ways sell-side fees are structured
Percentage commission
A share of the final sale price, paid by the seller on completion. The most common sell-side arrangement.
- Typically
- Commonly quoted in the low-to-mid single digits of sale price, usually on a sliding scale — the percentage falls as the aircraft's value rises, because the work does not scale with the price.
- Suits
- Most straightforward sales where the aircraft has a clear market value.
- Watch for
- Whether the percentage is on the gross price or net of costs, and whether it applies to a buyer you introduced yourself.
Minimum fee
A floor beneath the percentage, so the broker is not working a full transaction for a nominal fee.
- Typically
- Applied mainly on lower-value aircraft, where the percentage alone would not cover the work involved.
- Suits
- Pistons and light aircraft, where a percentage of the sale price is small in absolute terms.
- Watch for
- On a low-value aircraft the minimum fee can be a large share of the proceeds. Do the division before you sign.
Consignment / net price
You agree a net figure you will receive; the dealer sells at whatever they can achieve and keeps the difference.
- Typically
- The spread is not disclosed to you, and can be materially wider than a percentage commission would have been.
- Suits
- Sellers who want speed and certainty of outcome over maximising the price.
- Watch for
- You never learn what the aircraft actually sold for. That is the trade you are making — make it knowingly.
Retainer plus success fee
A fee up front for the work of preparing and marketing the aircraft, plus a reduced percentage on completion.
- Typically
- Used on complex, high-value or hard-to-place aircraft where the preparation work is substantial and speculative.
- Suits
- Unusual types, incomplete records, distressed or estate sales that need real work before marketing.
- Watch for
- What the retainer buys, and whether it is credited against the success fee or is additional to it.
Buy-side representation
The buyer's broker is paid by the buyer — but on some deals the seller's fee is split to cover them.
- Typically
- Where a co-broke applies, it usually comes out of the sell-side fee rather than being added on top.
- Suits
- Any transaction where the buyer arrives represented, which above light turbines is most of them.
- Watch for
- Confirm in writing whether a co-broke is paid from your existing fee or increases it.
On the figures above: these describe how fees are commonly structured across the industry, drawn from publicly discussed practice. They are not HangarMart's rates and they are not a quote. Real terms vary with the aircraft, its value, its condition and how much of the process the broker runs — which is exactly why a firm percentage offered before anyone has seen your records is worth very little. Model the commission against your other costs — it is rarely the largest deduction.
When a broker earns the fee — and when they don't
Selling privately is a real option, and anyone in this business who tells you otherwise is selling you something. Here is where each side of that line sits.
| Your situation | Broker worth it | Viable alone |
|---|---|---|
| Simple, well-documented piston aircraft | Depends | |
| Light turboprop, complete records, domestic buyer | Depends | Depends |
| Turbine aircraft on an engine programme | ||
| Buyer arrives with their own broker and inspector | ||
| Cross-border sale, export certificate, registry change | ||
| Records gaps or undocumented damage history | ||
| Estate, bank or liquidation disposal | ||
| You already have a named, funded buyer | Depends |
Five terms that matter more than the percentage
Sellers negotiate the headline rate and accept everything else as boilerplate. The money is usually in everything else.
Exclusivity
Whether you can sell to a buyer you found yourself without owing a fee, and whether the broker is owed anything if you do. An open listing costs you less commitment; an exclusive usually buys more effort. Neither is wrong — knowing which you signed is what matters.
Term length
How many months the agreement runs, and what happens at the end. Long exclusives on an inflated valuation are the most common expensive mistake in aircraft sales: the opinion of value costs the person giving it nothing, and it ties up your asset regardless.
Tail provision
Whether a fee is owed if a buyer the broker introduced comes back and buys after the agreement ends. A tail is reasonable; an indefinite or very long one is not. Ask for a defined list of introduced parties.
What the fee covers
Marketing, photography, positioning flights, demo flight costs, inspection facility coordination, escrow and title fees, delivery. Any of these can sit inside or outside the fee. The gap between what you assumed and what was written is where sellers get surprised.
Termination
How you get out if it is not working, on what notice, and what you owe on exit. If the answer is 'you can't', that is a term, not an oversight.
The most expensive mistake: signing a long exclusive with whoever gave the most flattering opinion of value. An inflated valuation costs the person offering it nothing, wins them the mandate, and ties up your aircraft for months at a price that was never going to transact — after which you reduce it, and buyers have already watched it sit.
Aircraft broker fees: FAQs
How much do aircraft brokers charge?
Sell-side commission is most often a percentage of the final sale price on a sliding scale — the percentage decreases as the aircraft's value increases, because the work does not scale proportionally with the price. Published ranges sit in the low-to-mid single digits, frequently with a minimum fee on lower-value aircraft. Consignment and net-price arrangements work differently: you agree the figure you receive and the dealer keeps whatever spread they achieve, which is not disclosed to you. Always confirm the structure, the base it is calculated on, and what is included, in writing.
Can I sell my aircraft without a broker?
Yes, and for simple, well-documented piston and light aircraft it is genuinely common. It gets hard as complexity rises. Turbine aircraft involve engine programme status, extensive records, buyers who arrive represented by professionals, international registries and export certificates. The honest test is not whether you can find a buyer — it is whether you can hold a pre-purchase inspection negotiation on your own aircraft, under pressure, without conceding items you should not.
What is an exclusive listing agreement?
An agreement that makes one broker the only party who may market and sell the aircraft for a defined period, usually with a fee owed even if you find the buyer yourself. In exchange you generally get more committed effort, since the broker's investment in marketing is protected. The risk is the combination that catches sellers out: a long exclusive signed on the back of an unrealistically high opinion of value, which locks up the asset for months at a price that was never going to transact.
Who pays the buyer's broker?
Conventionally the buyer's representative is paid by the buyer, but on many deals a co-broke is agreed and paid out of the sell-side fee rather than added to it. This matters to your net proceeds, so get it stated explicitly: is a co-broke paid from the fee you have already agreed, or does it increase your total cost?
Is a consignment deal better than paying commission?
It is a different trade rather than a better one. Consignment gives you speed and a known net figure; you give up knowing what the aircraft actually sold for, and the dealer's spread can be wider than a commission would have been. If certainty and time matter more than maximising price — an estate sale, a fleet exit with a deadline — it can be the right choice. If you are optimising for the number, it usually is not.
What does HangarMart charge to sell an aircraft?
We work on a success-fee basis — we are paid when your aircraft sells, not for taking it on — and we agree the structure in writing before anything begins. The figure depends on the aircraft's value and how much of the process you want us to run. We deliberately do not quote a rate on a public page that we would have to revise once we know what we are selling, and you should treat any firm number quoted before anyone has seen your records with some caution.
Get a valuation before you get a proposal
The best defence against an inflated pitch is your own defensible number. Tell us the model, year and hours — no agreement, no tail number, no obligation.