Gemsmakers · Antique Dealer Tools

Antique Estate Sale Staffing and Labor Cost Calculator

Estimate event staffing costs, break-even revenue, and expected profit before an antique estate sale.

Planning calculator · User-entered estimates · Results are not an appraisal or professional advice.

Calculator

Enter the details you know. Optional advanced fields are kept separate so the main calculation stays easy to use.

Number of paid team members on the standard shift.
Average wage per employee before employer payroll costs.
Paid event hours per employee per day.
Number of public sale days.
Total expected customer purchases before deductions.
Advanced options and comparisons
Combined setup and cleanup hours per employee across the event.
Total overtime hours per employee for the event.
For example 1.5 means time-and-a-half.
Enter total event security or contractor charges.
Acquisition cost allocated to items expected to be sold.
Advertising, permits, supplies, processing fees, and similar costs.
Team size in the alternative staffing plan.
Average hourly wage for the alternative plan.
Paid event hours per employee per day.
Number of public event days for the alternative plan.
Total paid setup and cleanup hours per employee.
Overtime hours per employee.
For example 1.5 means time-and-a-half.
Alternative plan security/contractor cost.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter team size, average hourly wage, event length, and expected revenue.
  2. Open Advanced settings to include setup/cleanup, overtime, security, and compare an alternative team plan.
  3. Compare the projected profit with the break-even sales target before confirming staffing.

How the estimate works

Labor cost depends on the full event schedule, including setup, price tagging, cleanup, overtime, and security. Leaving setup hours out can make a plan look artificially profitable.

This calculator uses the wage inputs only. Employer payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, minimum-shift rules, breaks, and overtime obligations vary by location and should be added where applicable.

Frequently asked questions

Does the estimate include employer payroll taxes?
Not automatically. Add an estimate to Other event costs or increase the wage input to reflect a fully loaded labor rate.
Should setup and cleanup time be paid?
Include the actual paid hours. Employment requirements vary, so follow applicable local rules.
What does break-even revenue represent?
It is the revenue required to cover the modeled labor, inventory, security, and other entered costs.
Can I compare staffing plans?
Yes. Open Advanced settings and edit the alternative plan fields. The comparison keeps expected sales and non-labor costs the same so you can see the labor-related difference.
Does the calculator model different hourly rates within one team?
It uses one average rate per plan. For a mixed team, calculate a weighted average or run separate scenarios.
Why can sales be high while profit is low?
Inventory cost, staffing hours, security, event overhead, and selling fees can consume much of gross revenue.

Related Antique Tools

Use related calculators to check the costs or decisions that connect to this estimate.