I Won The Auction With a $625 Bid, But the Seller’s Reserve is $48,000 – Will I Get The Vehicle?
Last edit: June 16 2025 • 3233 view
One of our customers recently had a surprising win on Copart. He placed a bid of just $625 on a boat – and he won the auction! But then he saw the seller’s reserve price: $48,000. So… what happens now?
Let’s explain how Copart reserve prices work and what you can do when you win an auction on approval.
What Does “On Approval” or “Minimum Bid” Mean?
When the sale status is marked as “on approval” or “on minimum bid”, it means the seller has a reserve price – a minimum amount they’re hoping to get. This is different from a pure sale listing, where no reserve is set and the highest bid wins no matter what.
You can still win the auction with the highest bid, but the seller can:
- Accept your bid
- Send you a counter offer
- Or reject the sale
This is common at Copart and IAAI auctions, and it helps sellers protect the value of their vehicles.
Real Example From Our Customer
Our customer Craig placed his bid on a boat during a live auction. His final offer? Just $625. The seller had a shocking $48,000 reserve, and they sent a counter offer. But Craig didn’t negotiate – he keep his $625 bid. We expected the seller to say no. But then – surprise! The seller accepted the offer.
Why? Because that kind of boat is hard to sell, and the seller wanted to move on. Craig got an amazing deal.
What Should You Do?
Don’t worry too much about high reserve prices. Even if the seller’s reserve seems far from your bid, you still have options:
- Wait and see – some sellers lower their reserve
- Send a counter offer
- Or keep with your bid and hope they accept like in Craig’s case
To avoid this completely, just use our “pure sale” filter on CARS4.BID. That way, you only see vehicles with no reserve, where the highest bid always wins.
CARS4.BID Makes It Easy
- Bid on Copart without a dealer license
- Register for free
- Use filters like pure sale or clean title only
- Bid live on Copart and IAAI auctions
Start bidding today at CARS4.BID – and maybe you’ll be the next Craig, scoring a $48,000 boat for just $625!
