Payments and Penalties on Copart and IAAI Auctions

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.”

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What Does the Final Payment Amount for a Winning Bid Consist Of?

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:

1. Winning Car Price

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.

2. Auction Fees

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:

• State tax or national tax (for vehicles purchased in Canada)
• Additional administrative costs related to processing the vehicle.

All these costs should be considered before bidding to realistically assess the total cost of purchasing a car.

3. Payment and Pickup Deadlines, Possible Penalties for Violating Vehicle Purchase Rules

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:

• Payment Deadline: 3-5 business days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Late Payment Fee: $50 or 2% of the purchase price (whichever is higher)

Copart. The rules are the same for all locations:

• Payment Deadline: 3 business days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Late Payment Fee: $50 one-time fee

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.

• Payment Deadline before Relisting: 7 calendar days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Relisting Fee Amount: $1000 or 15% of the vehicle’s value (whichever is higher)

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.

• Payment Deadline before Relisting: 8 calendar days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Relisting Fee Amount: $600 or 10% of the vehicle’s value (whichever is higher)

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:

• Free Vehicle Storage Period: 3-5 business days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Fee After Expiration: $50 one-time fee (or $50 per day at some rare sites)

Copart. Each individual auction site can set its own rules, but they usually include:

• Free Vehicle Storage Period: 2-3 business days from the day of purchase, including the auction day
• Fee After Expiration: $5–$30 per day — generally, the shorter the delay, the lower the daily fee

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.