How to check a VIN before you bid at a US auction
Learn how to read a VIN, spot a typo with the check digit and see the photos and every earlier sale of the car before you bid at Copart or IAAI.
Short guides on VIN checks, title and damage types, fair bids and shipping: what to know before you bid at Copart, IAAI or Encar.
Learn how to read a VIN, spot a typo with the check digit and see the photos and every earlier sale of the car before you bid at Copart or IAAI.
Judge a fair bid at Copart or IAAI with the final bids of the same model, generation, year and engine, and see why the average is only a starting point.
Copart vs IAAI for buyers, what both auctions sell, how listings, condition labels, buy now and sale formats differ, and how to compare their lots.
How Encar listings work, what the inspection and insurance history reports show, and what to check before you buy a used car from South Korea.
Many cars come back to auction. Learn what earlier sales of the same VIN tell you about relists, repairs, damage and mileage, and how Bidpier shows them.
US title types explained for auction buyers, clean, salvage, rebuilt and parts only, and why the rules depend on the state and on the country you import to.
Copart and IAAI cars are won by buyers in the US and abroad. See what the Bidpier buyer locations pages show and how to use them before you bid.
Buy now or live bidding at Copart and IAAI? Learn when a buy now price makes sense, when to wait for the auction, and how to check it against final bids.
Auction damage types explained, from front end and hail to flood and burn, what primary and secondary damage labels tell you, and what they leave out.
What happens after you win a Copart or IAAI lot: payment, yard pickup, transport to the port, export papers, container or RoRo, customs and registration.
Runs and drives, engine starts, enhanced, stationary, keys: what auction condition labels generally mean at Copart and IAAI, and why none is a guarantee.
How to spot a flood car in auction photos, water lines, silt, corrosion and fogged lights, the title brands that may mark it, and why earlier sales matter.
What ACV, current bid, buy now and final bid mean at car auctions, what sold, not sold and on approval generally mean, and how Bidpier shows each price.
Ten checks to make before you bid on a salvage car at Copart or IAAI: VIN, photos, damage, keys, title, mileage, sale history, prices, transport and fees.