How salvage auction bidding actually works

A salvage auction sale has three acts — the pre-bid window, the live lane, and what happens after the hammer — and buyers who only understand the middle one routinely lose cars they should have won and win cars they should have lost.

Pre-bids set the floor

Both Copart and IAA accept maximum bids before the sale. The system bids for you in increments up to your ceiling, and the highest pre-bid becomes the opening position when the lot hits the lane. A strong pre-bid discourages casual bidders; it also shows your hand. Most experienced buyers pre-bid their real number on lots they cannot attend live, and bid live on lots where reading the room matters.

The live lane moves fast

A lot typically sells in 30–60 seconds. Increments step with the price, and there is no pausing to think — decide your maximum before the lot comes up, not during. Every lot page in our archive shows what comparable cars actually hammered for, which is the number your maximum should come from.

"On approval" — the hammer is not the sale

Many lots carry a seller reserve. If the high bid lands below it, the sale goes on approval: the seller has a few business days to accept, counter, or reject. A counter is negotiable — you can accept it, hold at your bid, or walk. This is also where relists come from: a rejected or failed on-approval sale sends the same lot back through the lane under the same number with a new date. Our lot pages show that full sale history, and a lot on its second or third run tells you exactly where the seller's reserve really is.

After you win

Payment is due in full within two to three business days, storage starts after a short free window, and a relist fee lands on buyers who do not pay. Line up money and transport before you bid, and run your number through the fee calculator so the invoice is never a surprise.