Gemsmakers · Antique Dealer Tools
Antique Estate Buyout Offer and Profit Calculator
Buying an entire estate can tie up capital in a mixture of high-value, slow-moving, and difficult-to-sell objects. This calculator totals expected resale values item by item, discounts those estimates for uncertainty, subtracts selling and handling costs, and calculates an offer ceiling based on both a profit target and a minimum ROI.
Calculator
Enter your figures below. Results update from the assumptions you supply; check your agreement, fee schedule, and local requirements before making a decision.
How to use this tool
- List each item with its expected resale price, selling-fee percentage, restoration estimate, and transport allocation.
- Enter a broad liquidation-risk discount to reduce estimated resale values across the estate. Add shared labour, cleaning, storage, and other expenses.
- Set a target profit and minimum ROI on capital committed. The calculator takes the lower offer ceiling required to satisfy both constraints.
- Review the item-level proceeds and estate totals before making or negotiating a buyout offer.
Calculation method
Adjusted resale = expected resale × (1 − liquidation discount). Net resale after selling fees = adjusted resale × (1 − selling fee rate). Let N be net resale after fees, C be item and shared costs excluding purchase offer, P be target profit, and r be minimum ROI. Profit limit = N − C − P. ROI limit = N ÷ (1 + r) − C. Maximum offer = max(0, min(profit limit, ROI limit)).
Worked example
If discounted net resale after selling fees is 10,000 and non-purchase costs are 2,000, a 2,000 target profit allows at most a 6,000 offer. A 30% minimum ROI may lower that ceiling further because the offer and costs tie up capital.
Important assumptions and limitations
- Resale figures should reflect realistic sold prices and time to sell, not only optimistic asking prices.
- The liquidation discount is a blanket risk adjustment; rare, fragile, repaired, or restricted items may need individual estimates.
- This tool is a planning calculation, not a formal appraisal, authenticity opinion, or guarantee of resale.
Frequently asked questions
What is liquidation discount?
It is a percentage reduction applied to expected resale values to allow for urgency, condition uncertainty, price negotiation, or slower demand.
What costs count toward ROI?
This model treats item restoration and transport plus shared labour, cleaning, storage, and other costs as capital costs in addition to the purchase offer.
Why does the calculator use the lower offer limit?
The offer must satisfy both the target-profit condition and the minimum-ROI condition; the more restrictive condition sets the ceiling.
Does this cover disposal costs for unsold items?
Only if you include them in other costs or the liquidation discount. Add a specific allowance when disposal or storage risk is material.
Can I use this for a mixed estate?
Yes, but detailed item-level estimates generally produce a more useful result than a single estimate for the whole contents.
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