Online Car Auctions — who can bid, and what each one charges.
"Online car auction" covers three different markets. Salvage auctions like Copart and IAA sell insurance write-offs, repos and impounds. Enthusiast auctions like Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids sell cars submitted by their owners to anyone with a card on file. Government sites like GovDeals sell retired agency vehicles. They charge differently and commit you differently. We computed what each one adds to the same winning bid, from its own fee page.
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Quick Answer
- Which online car auctions are open to the public?
- Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids and GovDeals take bids from the public. Copart lets anyone register as a Member, but without a license you can only buy lots marked "No License Required", or bid through a broker. IAA publishes a separate fee schedule for non-licensed buyers.
- What are Bring a Trailer's and Cars & Bids' buyer fees?
- Both charge 5% of the winning bid, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum. Bring a Trailer charges 10% (up to $4,000) on motorcycles, parts and a few other categories.
- Which car auction site has the lowest fees?
- It depends on the price. On a $10,000 car, Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids add $500, IAA $1,285 and Copart $1,093 for a clean title. Copart and IAA sell salvage and repo stock, though, while the enthusiast sites sell cars listed by their sellers, so the cars are not comparable.
Five steps before your first online bid
The fee is the part you can calculate. The car's history is the part you have to look up.
- 1Pick the right marketSalvage, enthusiast or government: each sells a different kind of car.
- 2Check you can bidLicensing limits salvage lots; card holds and deposits apply everywhere.
- 3Copy the VINFrom the listing photos or description, before you fall for the car.
- 4Check the historyTitle brands, total losses, odometer readings and earlier auctions.
- 5Price the whole dealBid plus buyer fee, shipping, tax and registration.
Three Kinds of Online Car Auction
Salvage and insurance auctions sell in volume. Copart and IAA sell cars insurers have written off, plus repossessions, off-lease and impound vehicles. Listings carry photos, and Copart adds condition reports with exterior, interior and mechanical assessments. Their fees climb with the price through published tables.
Enthusiast auctions are curated. Bring a Trailer picks the cars it lists, auctions typically run for 7 days, and at the end the site puts the winner and the seller in touch. Cars & Bids works the same way. Both charge a flat percentage with a minimum and a cap.
Government sales are the third kind. GovDeals lists retired vehicles and equipment for public agencies, and the sale is between you and the agency. Dealer-only auctions are a fourth market, but the public cannot bid there at all.
Buyer Fees on the Same Car, Site by Site
What each site adds to three winning bids, computed from its own published fee page, read on 16 October 2026. Copart and IAA rows assume a live online bid; Copart's assume secured funds.
| Site | $3,000 bid | $10,000 bid | $30,000 bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copart, clean title | $793 | $1,093 | $2,418 |
| Copart, salvage or other non-clean title | $875 | $1,270 | $2,520 |
| IAA, non-licensed buyer | $890 | $1,285 | $2,535 |
| Bring a Trailer (cars) | $250 | $500 | $1,500 |
| Cars & Bids | $250 | $500 | $1,500 |
| GovDeals | Set by each seller | Set by each seller | Set by each seller |
Copart: buyer, virtual bid, gate and environmental fees. IAA: buyer, live online, service and title-handling fees. Enthusiast-site fees stop rising at $7,500, which they reach on a $150,000 bid. Shipping, storage, tax and registration are extra everywhere.
Who Can Bid Where
Registration is free or cheap at most sites. What changes is what you can buy and how they hold you to it.
Copart
Register as a Member: Basic is $99 a year, Premier $249 plus a $400 deposit. Without a license, only "No License Required" lots, or use a broker.
IAA
Publishes a buyer fee schedule for non-licensed buyers, with a flat service fee and title-handling fee on every purchase.
Copart brokers
AutoBidMaster, for one, bids on Copart lots for people without a dealer license. Membership runs from $0 to $349 a year, with a deposit of at least $600.
Bring a Trailer
Bid with a card on file. BaT places a hold for the buyer's fee and converts it to a charge if you win.
Cars & Bids
A hold of 5% of your bid ($250 to $7,500). Bidders outside the U.S. and Canada can bid but must pay promptly.
GovDeals
Most items are in general auctions open to the public; a few are restricted. The selling agency sets the payment terms.
The Fee Comparison at a Glance
The table above, drawn for one $10,000 car. At every price we computed, the enthusiast sites charge less: on a $3,000 car their $250 minimum applies, against $793 at Copart. Above $15,000, Copart's and IAA's buyer fees become a percentage of the price too.
The car itself is not the same across the sites, which is why the fee is only half the comparison.
A Bid Is a Promise to Buy
None of these sites lets you walk away from a winning bid. Bring a Trailer says a bid is a commitment to purchase and it does not cancel bids. Cars & Bids says bids are binding and its buyer's fee is not refunded after you win.
Missing the payment costs money too. Copart charges $50 if a car is not paid within 3 business days, and after 8 calendar days relists it and bills 10% of the price, at least $600. On GovDeals, a buyer who fails to pay can be charged the greater of 10% of the price or $50, and the account can stay locked until that is paid.
Costs beyond the buyer fee
- Shipping: Bring a Trailer says it is the buyer's responsibility to arrange and pay for.
- Storage: AutoBidMaster passes on up to $30 a day once 3 free days run out.
- Sales tax: BaT's checkout collects it even on private sales in AZ, IL and NV.
- Title and registration: your DMV's fees, plus any inspection your state requires.
Enthusiast Auctions: You Pay the Seller
On Bring a Trailer, the auction fee goes to BaT but the car money goes to the seller. Without Verified Checkout, BaT suggests the seller send a photo of the title and a signed bill of sale before you pay, by wire, within 3 business days. Verified Checkout runs through Caramel, a licensed dealer, which holds the funds in escrow and requires a wire from $40,000.
Cars & Bids offers its own SafePay service or a manual transaction, and recommends a wire, a cashier's check or USDC if you pay directly. It also warns that some states take several weeks to reissue a title once the seller's loan is paid off.
Found One You Like? Run the VIN
Enter the VIN from the listing for a free preview of its title brands, odometer readings and earlier auctions.
What the Listing Shows, and What It Doesn't
A good listing shows the car today. A report shows where it has been.
Online auction listing
- Photos, often a video or walkaround
- A condition report or the seller's description
- The VIN, on most listings
- Questions in the comments (enthusiast sites)
Our full report
- Title brands and NMVTIS junk and salvage records
- Insurance total-loss records and odometer readings
- Auction records with the recorded damage and photos, where the car was auctioned
- $14.99 after a free preview, or $9.00 each in a 10-pack
Our report does not include police or repair-shop accident entries.
Related Checks and Guides
Fee calculators, broker reviews and other ways to buy at auction.
Where These Facts Come From
Fees and rules come from each site's own pages, read on 16 October 2026. Sites change their fees; check before you bid.
CarCheckerVIN is not affiliated with Copart, IAA, Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids, GovDeals or AutoBidMaster. Fees are reproduced from their public pages for comparison only.
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المعاينة المجانية تُظهر علامات سند الملكية وحالة السرقة والاستدعاءات المفتوحة خلال ثوانٍ، وتُشير إلى وجود سجلات حوادث أو عدّاد من عدمه. التقرير الكامل بـ 14.99 دولاراً — دفعة واحدة، بلا اشتراك.
Online Car Auctions — Frequently Asked Questions
What first-time online bidders ask most.
Can anyone bid at an online car auction?+
At Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids and GovDeals, yes, once registered. Copart Members without a license can only buy "No License Required" lots, or bid through a broker such as AutoBidMaster.
How much is the Bring a Trailer buyer's fee?+
5% of the winning bid, at least $250 and at most $7,500 for cars. Motorcycles, parts, wheels, ATVs and a few other categories pay 10%, up to $4,000.
How much is the Cars & Bids buyer's fee?+
5% of the final price, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum. It is not refunded after you win.
What does Copart charge on a $10,000 car?+
$1,093 on a clean title and $1,270 on a non-clean title, paying with secured funds and bidding live, before title mailing, storage and transport.
Can I cancel a winning bid?+
No. Bring a Trailer does not cancel bids and Cars & Bids treats them as binding. At Copart, not paying leads to a $50 late fee and then a relist fee of at least $600.
How do I check an online auction car?+
Run the VIN from the listing before you bid. Our report lists title brands, NMVTIS junk and salvage records, insurance total-loss records, odometer readings, and auction records with the damage the auction recorded and its photos.
Check Any Auction Car by VIN
Enter any 17-character VIN for a free preview. The full report lists title brands, NMVTIS junk and salvage records, insurance total-loss records, odometer readings, and auction records with the damage the auction recorded and its photos.
CarCheckerVIN is an independent vehicle-history service and is not affiliated with any auction site named on this page. Fees and rules are summarized from their public pages for reference. Records in our reports reflect what was reported to our data providers. Our reports do not include police or repair-shop accident entries.
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