Don’t Fear Copart and IAAI Auctions – Control Them!
Last edit: November 10 2025 • 3068 view
Hey guys! Every day we get tons of questions from our customers, and I’m really glad you’re asking them. Our goal is to give you clear information and help you buy a good car. I know it can feel scary to get started, so today I picked the 10 most common questions of the week and want to share them with you – hope this helps. Let’s get started!
1. Is this a public auction? Do I need a dealer license to place a bid?
Yes, we’re open to the public. No, you don’t need a dealer license. We’re an auction broker and give you access to buy any vehicle from Copart and IAAI through our website without a dealer license. Just pick a car and place your bid.
Try it – if you don’t win, you lose nothing.
2. Will I be able to bid live?
Yes, you can bid in live auctions, in preliminary bidding, or use buy now requests. If you want to buy a car, we give you every option to do that through our service – clean title, salvage title, daily drivers, project cars, cars for flipping – choose anything you like.
3. Did I win my bid? I was the highest bidder – what do I do next?
Pay attention to the sale status. If the status is pure sale, you won the vehicle – congrats! If the status is on minimum bid / on approval, it means the seller has a reserve price.
You won the auction, but we need to wait for the seller’s update – he may accept your bid, reject it, or make a counteroffer. As soon as we get an update, we’ll let you know right away and we’ll negotiate with the seller to try to get a better price.
4. How long do they have to respond?
The seller has until the end of the next business day after the auction to respond. You just need to wait for the update – we’ll send you an email and a text message with the seller’s decision (won or declined) or with a counteroffer. Yes, sometimes it takes longer, but the moment we receive their response, we’ll let you know immediately.
5. Does this lot have a reserve price?
If we have information about the reserve price, we show it on the lot page in the pricing analysis section.
A reserve price doesn’t always mean you can’t buy the car below that number. It happens a lot – the seller sets a high reserve, but ends up accepting a lower offer. My advice: use the reserve price as a reference and place real bids. There’s always a chance to win.
6. Do I have to pay anything if I don’t win a vehicle? Can I request a refund of my deposit?
If you don’t win, you don’t pay anything and you don’t lose anything. You can pick another car and bid again, or request a refund of your deposit. But here’s a tip – don’t rush to refund your deposit or give up after the first auction. Usually after 5-6 bids you already understand how everything works and you find a great deal.
And If it feels like you ‘missed the perfect car’, trust me – a better one will show up soon, often for an even lower price. That’s just how auctions work – it’s all about experience.
7. For example, I placed a $4,500 max bid – do I have to pay $4,500 + fees?
If you place a max bid during preliminary bidding, the final bid can be lower than your max. We place bids on your behalf by one increment only when needed to keep you on top. This means you might win the car for less. Personally, I prefer preliminary bidding – you don’t waste time in the live auction, don’t stress, and avoid mistakes. Cold logic is the best strategy at auctions, lol.
8. Once I win, how do I complete my payment? What forms of payment do you accept for the vehicle and shipping?
After you win the auction, you’ll receive an invoice with bank wire instructions. The invoice must be paid in full within 2 business days via bank wire. Please pay as soon as possible – if the payment is not received in time, the auction will start charging late fees and storage fees.
Bank cards cannot be used to pay for the vehicle – these are payment security rules from the auction. Once we receive your payment for the vehicle and for shipping, we will deliver the car to the address you provided. Shipping is billed separately, and you can pay for shipping by card or bank wire.
9. Can I use my deposit to partially pay the invoice?
If your deposit was made by card, it cannot be used to pay the vehicle invoice. You need to pay the invoice in full via bank wire, and then you can refund your deposit back to your card.
But if you want to use your deposit toward the invoice, just add your deposit via bank wire from the beginning – then we can apply it to the invoice. We offer this option, and we’ll send you a deposit invoice on request.
10. Can I pick up the truck myself? Can I just go there and drive it out? How fast can I pick it up from the yard?
Of course, you can pick up the vehicle yourself. But we recommend using our shipping – it’s much easier. We’ll get you the best price, cover possible storage fees, and handle everything for a smooth delivery.
But if you want to pick up the vehicle yourself, keep in mind: you cannot drive the vehicle without registration and license plates – you should use towing. You will have 2 to 3 days to pick up the vehicle from the yard (depending on the location). After that, the auction will start charging storage fees.
This option works well for experienced buyers, but if you’re new to auctions, we still recommend using our shipping service.
Hope this was helpful and showed how simple the process is, so you can bid with more confidence. If you have any questions, just reply to this email and we’ll answer every one.
Happy bidding!
