When bidding on a car at Copart or IAAI, keep in mind that the auction price is only part of the final cost. Additional fees include auction fees (Buyer Fee — depending on the car's value and title), Virtual/Internet Bid Fee (for online participation), Gate/Service Fee (for vehicle preparation), Environmental Fee (mainly for damaged vehicles), Title Handling Fee (for document preparation), and possible local fees (e.g., state tax). After winning the auction, there is a short payment deadline — 3 business days (Copart) or 3–5 days (IAAI) — exceeding it results in a $50 penalty or even 2% of the car's value. Non-payment leads to the loss of the deposit and additional relisting fees (Copart: $600 or 10%, IAAI: $1000 or 15%). Once paid, the car must be picked up within 2–5 business days, otherwise, daily storage fees apply (Copart: $5–$30, IAAI: $50). In total, the final cost of purchasing a car from the USA can be significantly higher than the price shown at auction — consider this before you click "Bid.”
When bidding on a car at Copart and IAAI auctions, participants need to account for several types of costs in addition to the final winning bid. Here’s a detailed breakdown of these fees:
This is the amount you bid during the auction and the system accepted as the highest offer. This is now the official purchase price of your car. It is the basic component of the final amount to be paid — other costs are calculated based on this amount. At this point, the car is assigned to you and awaits payment.
Auction houses add several additional fees to the winning amount, which contribute to the final price. Their amount and structure depend on various factors — vehicle value, type of auction (online or through a broker), vehicle location, and the specific auction house’s policies (Copart or IAAI). Some fees are fixed, while others are percentage-based or depend on local regulations.
Buyer Fee (Сopart / IAAI) – the basic auction house commission, which increases with the vehicle's value. The more expensive the vehicle, the higher the fee.
Buyer Fee amount
Prices are in USD
| Lot price | Buyer fee: Copart | Buyer fee: IAAI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean title | Non-clean title | ||
| 0 - 99 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 100 - 199 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 200 - 299 | 50 | 60 | 60 |
| 300 - 349 | 75 | 85 | 85 |
| 350 - 399 | 75 | 100 | 100 |
| 400 - 449 | 110 | 125 | 125 |
| 450 - 499 | 110 | 135 | 135 |
| 500 - 549 | 125 | 145 | 145 |
| 550 - 599 | 130 | 155 | 155 |
| 600 - 699 | 140 | 170 | 170 |
| 700 - 799 | 155 | 195 | 195 |
| 800 - 899 | 170 | 215 | 215 |
| 900 - 999 | 185 | 230 | 230 |
| 1,000 - 1,199 | 200 | 250 | 250 |
| 1,200 - 1,299 | 225 | 270 | 270 |
| 1,300 - 1,399 | 240 | 285 | 285 |
| 1,400 - 1,499 | 250 | 300 | 300 |
| 1,500 - 1,599 | 260 | 315 | 315 |
| 1,600 - 1,699 | 275 | 330 | 330 |
| 1,700 - 1,799 | 285 | 350 | 350 |
| 1,800 - 1,999 | 300 | 370 | 370 |
| 2,000 - 2,399 | 325 | 390 | 390 |
| 2,400 - 2,499 | 335 | 425 | 425 |
| 2,500 - 2,999 | 350 | 460 | 460 |
| 3,000 - 3,499 | 400 | 505 | 505 |
| 3,500 - 3,999 | 455 | 555 | 555 |
| 4,000 - 4,499 | 600 | 600 | 600 |
| 4,500 - 4,999 | 625 | 625 | 625 |
| 5,000 - 5,499 | 625 | 650 | 650 |
| 5,500 - 5,999 | 625 | 675 | 675 |
| 6,000 - 6,499 | 675 | 700 | 700 |
| 6,500 - 6,999 | 675 | 720 | 720 |
| 7,000 - 7,499 | 675 | 755 | 755 |
| 7,500 - 7,999 | 690 | 775 | 775 |
| 8,000 - 8,499 | 715 | 800 | 800 |
| 8,500 - 9,999 | 715 | 820 | 820 |
| 10,000 - 11,499 | 720 | 850 | 850 |
| 11,500 - 11,999 | 720 | 860 | 860 |
| 12,000 - 12,499 | 720 | 875 | 875 |
| 12,500 - 14,999 | 720 | 890 | 890 |
| 15,000+ | 5.75% | 6% | 6% |
Virtual Bid Fee (Copart) or Internet Bid Fee (IAAI) — added when you participate in an online auction. This applies to both Pre-Bid and live auctions. The fee depends on the vehicle price.
Virtual / Internet Bid Fee amount
Prices are in USD
Copart
| Pre-bid | Live auction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot price | Clean title | Non-clean title | Clean title | Non-clean title |
| 0 - 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 - 499 | 39 | 40 | 49 | 50 |
| 500 - 999 | 49 | 55 | 59 | 65 |
| 1,000 - 1,499 | 69 | 75 | 79 | 85 |
| 1,500 - 1,999 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 95 |
| 2,000 - 3,999 | 89 | 100 | 99 | 110 |
| 4,000 - 5,999 | 99 | 110 | 109 | 125 |
| 6,000 - 7,999 | 119 | 125 | 139 | 145 |
| 8,000+ | 129 | 140 | 149 | 160 |
IAAI
| Lot price | Pre-bid | Live auction |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 99 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 - 499 | 40 | 50 |
| 500 - 999 | 55 | 65 |
| 1,000 - 1,499 | 75 | 85 |
| 1,500 - 1,999 | 85 | 95 |
| 2,000 - 3,999 | 100 | 110 |
| 4,000 - 5,999 | 110 | 125 |
| 6,000 - 7,999 | 125 | 145 |
| 8,000+ | 140 | 160 |
Gate Fee (Copart) or Service Fee (IAAI) — a standard service fee charged for preparing the vehicle for pickup (e.g., moving the car to the lot, forklift loading). Amount: $95 or $79 for Clean Title cars at Copart.
Environmental Fee (Copart / IAAI) — a small environmental fee for vehicles that are not roadworthy. This covers the recycling of fluids, for example. Amount: $15 or $0 for Clean Title cars at Copart.
Title-Handling Fee (Copart / IAAI) — a fee for preparing and sending the ownership document (Title). Amount: $20. For auctions offering vehicles with problematic titles (e.g., salvage title), the costs may be higher as additional procedures are required to verify the documents.
Additionally, depending on the vehicle’s location, there may be local fees, such as:
All these costs should be considered before bidding to realistically assess the total cost of purchasing a car.
Winning an auction is just the beginning of the purchasing process. Afterward, strict payment and pickup deadlines apply. Both Copart and IAAI have clearly defined rules — not following them results in additional fees, and in extreme cases, even losing the car and the deposit. Below are the most common penalties that may be imposed on buyers:
Late Payment Fee
After winning the vehicle, you have a certain number of business days to pay for it. If you do not make the payment on time, a late fee will be imposed. The fee is fixed or calculated per day of delay, and failure to settle it may result in further penalties, such as transaction cancellation.
IAAI. Each individual auction site can set its own rules, but they usually include:
Copart. The rules are the same for all locations:
Relisting Fee (Copart) / Renege Fee (IAAI)
If you do not pay for the vehicle within the required time, the auction house may relist it for sale (called relisting). Before that happens, you are given several hours to settle the payment — after this period, the transaction is automatically canceled. In such cases, you lose your deposit and an additional relisting fee is charged, which must be settled before participating in future auctions.
IAAI has a much stricter approach towards clients who do not pay on time. If you fail to pay for a car twice, your account may be blocked or suspended, preventing further bidding. In practice, this means that brokers buying cars on behalf of clients need to ensure their clients make thoughtful decisions. Often, they introduce additional rules or deposits to avoid irresponsible purchases.
Copart is more flexible. Even if you fail to pay for the car multiple times, your account typically remains active. Although you lose the deposit and pay a relisting fee, the auction house does not automatically block your account. This allows brokers more flexibility and reduces the pressure to monitor clients as strictly — though, of course, any non-payment results in extra costs and risk.
Storage Fee
Once the vehicle is paid for, you have a limited number of free days during which the car can remain at the auction lot. After this period, the auction house charges a daily storage fee.
IAAI. Each individual auction site has the right to set its own rules, but they usually include:
Copart. Each individual auction site can set its own rules, but they usually include:
It’s best to pick up the car as soon as possible, as any further delays could result in several hundred dollars of additional costs.