Data broker fees: compare proposals and net proceeds
Use a two-proposal fee calculator, a no-sale scenario, and a contract checklist to compare data broker commissions, retainers, and preparation costs.
A quoted percentage does not describe the whole arrangement. Compare what the intermediary will do, the events that create a fee, and the costs your business must still cover.
Record the fee basis
Ask whether the quoted fee applies to invoiced revenue or money actually collected. Clarify treatment of refunds, installment payments, renewals, expansion, taxes, and delivery charges. These are questions for the proposal; this guide does not supply a standard commission rate.
Separate costs by stage
List discovery work, sample preparation, rights review, labeling, conversion, and secure delivery as separate rows. Assign each an owner and an estimated internal effort. Keep fixed retainers separate from success fees so a no-sale scenario remains visible.
Compare equal scenarios
For each proposal, calculate the same hypothetical transaction using the stated fee basis. Label the transaction amount as an assumption. Net proceeds before other costs equal collected revenue minus the applicable intermediary fee; then subtract the preparation costs your business would bear.
Check what happens after the first introduction
Ask about later transactions with introduced parties, the end of the mandate, and disputes over attribution. Have the proposed terms reviewed before committing. An attractive initial percentage can be difficult to compare when future payment obligations remain undefined.
A published marketplace example, not a broker benchmark
Datarade’s provider page lists a commission-only plan at $0 per year plus 30% commission, Bronze at $6,000 per year plus 20%, and Silver at $12,000 per year plus 15% (checked October 19, 2026). These are marketplace plan prices with different features, not an industry-standard broker rate or an offer from this site. Confirm current terms and the commission basis directly before comparing.
Compare a no-sale year as well as a sale
Illustrative assumptions: Proposal A charges 20% and no fixed fee; Proposal B charges 10% plus a $3,000 nonrefundable retainer. With $20,000 collected and $1,000 preparation cost, the simplified net is $15,000 for A and $14,000 for B. With no sale, the same preparation expense gives losses of $1,000 and $4,000. These invented proposals demonstrate arithmetic, not available offers or likely revenue.
Know what this calculator leaves out
The tool assumes the success fee applies to cash collected in one comparison period, the retainer is additional and nonrefundable, and all preparation costs are paid in that period. It excludes tax, financing, refunds, tiered commissions, minimum fees and retainer credits. If the proposal uses invoiced revenue or another basis, model that separately. A lower modeled cost is not evidence of better service.
| Term | Write down |
|---|---|
| Fee trigger | Signature, invoice, collection, introduction, or another event? |
| Commission basis | Gross or net receipts; treatment of refunds, tax and delivery costs |
| Retainer | Refundable? Credited against commission? Charged again on renewal? |
| Exclusivity | Named prospects, dataset scope, duration and excluded relationships |
| After termination | Which introduced parties or later transactions create a fee, and for how long? |
| Costs | Who pays for review, extraction, labeling, delivery and ongoing support? |
Compare two fee proposals
Enter your own assumptions in one currency and for one period. These are arithmetic scenarios, not prices, forecasts, or offers. The example defaults below are invented.
Net = collected revenue − (collected revenue × commission ÷ 100) − fixed fee − preparation cost. Fixed fees are additional and nonrefundable; no retainer credit is modeled. Tax and other exclusions are described above.
Example defaults: Proposal A leaves 15,000; Proposal B leaves 14,000, in your chosen currency. With no sale, the same costs leave −1,000 and −4,000 respectively.
Figures stay in this page. No saving or submission. Round your final figures to match the actual agreement.
Sources & verification
Published plan example checked October 19, 2026. Calculator scenarios are original illustrations. Fees, eligibility, and features can change.
Datarade — official provider plans and pricing