An average commission is a misleading statistic in this market, because the published rates cover firms doing very different jobs and because a minimum fee, not a rate, decides what most small sellers actually pay. What can be said honestly is what firms publish and where the range sits.
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Typical brokerage fees: what is actually published
Of the US firms read at their own pages for the record on this site, three print a seller commission and five do not. The published figures run from 5% to 15% of the sale price, and the high end belongs to platforms that run the whole sale of an online business. That is a range across different services, not a market average.
Why the minimum matters more
A firm quoting 10% with a minimum of twenty five thousand dollars charges 10% only above two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Below that the minimum governs, and on a small sale it can be a quarter of the price. Ask for the minimum in writing at the first meeting; it is the number that decides your effective rate.
What else is in the total
Any retainer or marketing charge, whether the fee is calculated on the price or on total consideration including debt assumed, whether deferred amounts are fee bearing when received or at closing, and the tail. Two firms with the same headline rate can produce materially different bills once those are settled.
Other questions people ask
So what should I expect to pay?
Ask three firms in writing and compare. The published range on this site is 5% to 15%, and where your business is small the minimum fee is likely to govern instead.
Do brokers charge upfront?
Main street brokers usually do not, beyond marketing charges. Advisers running a process usually do, through a retainer.
Is the rate negotiable?
Sometimes. The minimum and the tail are more often negotiable than the headline rate, and they matter more.