Copart
Copart runs online auctions for salvage, insurance and clean-title vehicles from its own yards across the U.S., at copart.com. This page covers what it sells, who can buy without a dealer license, and the full 2026 U.S. buyer fee table with deposits, deadlines and storage.
- Founded
- 1982
- Based in
- Dallas, Texas
- Buyer's fee
- $25 up to 7.5%
- Deposit
- 10% of bid, min $400
Go to Copart →How buying worksFees
About Copart
Copart was started in 1982 by founder Willis Johnson with a single salvage yard in Vallejo, California. It is now a public company with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. It runs more than 200 yards in the U.S. and operates in about a dozen countries. Insurance companies supply most of its vehicles, along with rental fleets, banks, dealers and charities.
All sales run online through Copart's VB3 live bidding platform, with pre-bids accepted before each sale. Each lot sits at a physical yard, where buyers can preview it before the sale. Some lots carry a Buy It Now price. Buyers collect the vehicle at the yard or send a transporter.
What Copart sells
How buying works at Copart
- Make an accountRegister online with a government ID. Copart offers a Basic and a Premier membership with yearly fees.
- Check the license ruleEach lot shows who can bid. Lots marked as needing no license are open to the public. Others need a business license in the buyer's state or a registered broker.
- Add a depositBidding power is set by the deposit, which must be 10% of the planned bid, with a $400 minimum. The deposit is refundable.
- BidPlace a pre-bid before the sale or bid live online. A virtual bid fee applies to any online win.
- Add the costsAdd the buyer fee for the price band, the virtual bid fee, the gate fee and the environmental fee. Title mailing is extra.
- Pay and collectPay within the deadline, then book a pickup at the yard or send a carrier with the gate pass.
What it costs
Copart's U.S. buyer fee for public (non-licensed) buyers paying with secured funds depends on the sale price and the title type, as read in October 2026.
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Buyer fee, $0 to $49.99 | $25 clean title, $25 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $50 to $99.99 | $45 clean, $45 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $100 to $199.99 | $80 clean, $80 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $200 to $299.99 | $120 clean, $130 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $300 to $399.99 | $120 clean, $137.50 to $145 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $400 to $499.99 | $160 clean, $175 to $185 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $500 to $599.99 | $185 clean, $205 to $210 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $600 to $699.99 | $210 clean, $240 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $700 to $799.99 | $230 clean, $270 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $800 to $899.99 | $250 clean, $295 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $900 to $999.99 | $275 clean, $320 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $1,000 to $1,199.99 | $325 clean, $375 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $1,200 to $1,499.99 | $350 to $380 clean, $395 to $430 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $1,500 to $1,999.99 | $390 to $440 clean, $445 to $510 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $2,000 to $2,499.99 | $470 to $480 clean, $535 to $570 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $2,500 to $2,999.99 | $500 clean, $610 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $3,000 to $3,499.99 | $600 clean, $655 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $3,500 to $3,999.99 | $675 clean, $705 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $4,000 to $4,999.99 | $710 to $750 clean, $725 to $750 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $5,000 to $5,999.99 | $750 clean, $775 to $800 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $6,000 to $7,499.99 | $800 clean, $825 to $880 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $7,500 to $9,999.99 | $815 to $840 clean, $900 to $945 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $10,000 to $14,999.99 | $850 clean, $1,000 non-clean |
| Buyer fee, $15,000 and up | 7.25% of the bid clean, 7.5% non-clean |
| Unsecured payment | A higher fee table applies if any part is paid by card or PayPal, for example $385 instead of $325 at $1,000 and 12.25% instead of 7.25% at $15,000 and up (clean title, 2024 table) |
| Virtual bid fee, under $100 | Free |
| Virtual bid fee, $100 to $499.99 | Clean $39 pre-bid or $49 live. Non-clean $40 or $50 |
| Virtual bid fee, $500 to $999.99 | Clean $49 or $59. Non-clean $55 or $65 |
| Virtual bid fee, $1,000 to $1,499.99 | Clean $69 or $79. Non-clean $75 or $85 |
| Virtual bid fee, $1,500 to $1,999.99 | Clean $79 or $89. Non-clean $85 or $95 |
| Virtual bid fee, $2,000 to $3,999.99 | Clean $89 or $99. Non-clean $100 or $110 |
| Virtual bid fee, $4,000 to $5,999.99 | Clean $99 or $109. Non-clean $110 or $125 |
| Virtual bid fee, $6,000 to $7,999.99 | Clean $119 or $139. Non-clean $125 or $145 |
| Virtual bid fee, $8,000 and up | Clean $129 or $149. Non-clean $140 or $160 |
| Gate fee | $79 clean title, $95 non-clean title, on every purchase |
| Environmental fee | $15 per vehicle |
| Title mailing | $15 by USPS or $20 by FedEx per batch of up to 10 titles from one yard. $20 per title to pick it up in person |
| Late payment fee | $50 per vehicle once the payment deadline passes |
| Relist fee | 10% of the sale price, minimum $600, if not paid in full within 8 calendar days |
| Membership | Basic about $99 a year, Premier about $249 a year (2026 third-party guides) |
A worked example: a clean-title car won with a $5,000 pre-bid, paid by wire, costs $5,000 plus a $750 buyer fee, $99 virtual bid fee, $79 gate fee and $15 environmental fee, for $5,943 before title mailing, storage, tax and transport. The same bid placed live on a non-clean title costs $5,000 + $775 + $125 + $95 + $15 = $6,010.
Paying, pickup and storage
| Who can buy | Anyone can register. Lots labeled as needing no license are open to the public. Salvage and some other titles in many states need a business license or a registered broker. |
| Deposit | 10% of the amount you plan to bid, with a $400 minimum. Refundable. It is kept if you fail to pay for a lot. |
| When to pay | By the second business day after the sale, which is the third business day counting sale day. A $50 late fee applies after that. |
| Relist | Lots unpaid after 8 calendar days can be relisted, with a fee of 10% of the sale price, minimum $600. |
| Payment | Wire transfer and other secured funds use the lower fee table. Card or PayPal use the higher unsecured table. |
| Free storage | About 3 business days counting sale day, shown on the invoice. |
| Storage | A daily rate set by each yard after the free days, shown on the invoice. 2026 guides put most yards at $20 to $40 a day. |
| Pickup | Book a pickup at the yard. A carrier needs the gate pass, issued once all charges are paid. |
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UX Search is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Copart. Bidding, payment and delivery all happen on the house's own site under its own terms. Information checked October 22, 2026 from copart.com (fee and deposit blog pages, help center titles; the member fee page itself would not load for the fetch tool) and carcheckervin.com Copart fee calculator (full secured fee and virtual bid tables, read from Copart's U.S. non-licensed fee page in October 2026) and ebayfeescalculator.com Copart calculator (2024 unsecured examples) and auctiongate.io Copart fees in 2026 (deposit, membership, deadlines, relist, storage range) and carproxy.com car buying fees (late fee, relist, title mailing) and comparethecarrier.com Copart storage fees 2026; fees and rules can change, so confirm them on the sale page.