There is no single answer to what business brokers charge, and the variation is not random. Four things move it, they move it in understandable directions, and knowing which one is driving your quote tells you whether it is negotiable and where. Size dominates, and it dominates in a way owners of smaller businesses often find counterintuitive: the smaller the sale, the higher the effective cost tends to be as a share of the price, for structural reasons rather than opportunistic ones.
Size, and why small sales cost proportionally more
The work of selling a business does not shrink in proportion to its price. Preparing material, finding buyers, screening them and running a process take broadly similar effort whether the price is modest or large. That is why minimum fees exist and why they bite hardest at the small end, and it is an economic fact about the work rather than a negotiating position.
Sector, and what the engagement includes
Some sectors have deeper buyer pools and more comparable transactions, which makes the work more predictable. And engagements differ in scope: preparing the financial material, handling diligence coordination and managing several bidders are separate amounts of work that may be inside or outside the fee. Two quotes covering different scopes are not comparable at any rate.
Whether the minimum is doing the work
For a great many small business sales the minimum fee, not the percentage, determines the cost. If that is your situation, negotiating the rate is close to pointless and negotiating the minimum is the entire conversation. Working out which of the two binds at your expected price is a single division and it changes what you should be arguing about.
Questions people ask about how much do business brokers charge
Do brokers charge more for a difficult business?
Usually through scope and minimums rather than through a higher headline rate. A business that is harder to sell attracts a longer engagement and more preparation, and both show up somewhere in the terms.
Is it cheaper to sell without a broker?
In fees, yes. Whether it is cheaper overall depends on whether you can reach the buyers yourself and what price competition produces, which is not a fee question at all.
Where should I push?
Wherever the money actually is for your size. On a smaller sale that is the minimum and the retainer treatment; on a larger one it is the rate and the base it applies to.