Copart vs IAAI for European Buyers: Fees, Inventory and Bidding Compared
For a European buyer the fee difference between Copart and IAAI is almost zero: both houses publish identical buyer-fee brackets, both switch to 7.5% of the sale price at $15,000, and both charge the same $0–160 internet-bid fee — the only fixed gap is $10 in flat fees ($130 at Copart vs $140 at IAAI, verified July 2026). The real differences are inventory character and lot numbering. LS Auction gives you one deposit and one licensed bidding desk across both houses — 500,000+ live US lots — with the same flat commission ($300 for vehicles under $25,000; $400 above) and identical import math either way.
Two houses, one market: what actually differs
Copart and IAAI are the two auction networks that carry nearly all US insurance-salvage vehicles. Between them they supply the 500,000+ live US lots on LS Auction, alongside 16,000+ Canadian lots from Impact / IAA Canada and Copart Canada.
IAAI — literally Insurance Auto Auctions — was built around insurance-company consignments, and its inventory still leans heavily toward insurance write-offs. Copart's consignor base is broader: insurers too, but also dealers, finance companies and fleets. Rather than betting on a house-level ratio, filter it per lot: on LS Auction a one-click insurance-sellers filter covers both houses at once, and non-insurance lots carry a red warning before you bid.
In vehicle character the overlap is near-total: American muscle and pickups, three-row family SUVs, exotics, and recreation lots (boats, RVs, ATVs) appear at both — often in the same city.
Buyer fees: the brackets are identical — verified July 2026
Both houses currently publish identical buyer-fee brackets. We verified this on 4 July 2026 directly against the official fee pages — Copart's US-licensed, secured-payment, non-clean-title schedule and IAAI's licensed standard-volume tier (in force since 4 November 2024). Many third-party fee calculators are stale; these figures are not.
- Winning bid $2,500–2,999 → $610 buyer fee (same at both)
- $4,500–4,999 → $750
- $10,000–14,999 → $1,000
- $15,000 and up → 7.5% of the sale price at both houses — note the cliff: a $14,999 bid pays $1,000, a $15,000 bid pays $1,125
The only structural difference sits in the flat per-vehicle fees: Copart charges a $95 gate fee, IAAI a $105 service fee; both add $15 environmental and $20 title handling. That makes IAAI exactly $10 more per vehicle — $140 vs $130 in flats. Actual invoices can vary by buyer tier and add-ons, which is why our estimates use the licensed rates above and the higher live-bid column, so the number you see never understates.
Bid fees and bidding mechanics from Europe
The internet/live bid fee is also identical at both houses: $0 under a $100 bid, then $50 (to $500), $65 (to $1,000), $85 (to $1,500), $95 (to $2,000), $110 (to $4,000), $125 (to $6,000), $145 (to $8,000) and $160 above $8,000.
LS Auction rolls everything into one "Auction fees" line — buyer fee + bid fee + gate/service + environmental + title. Worked totals:
- $5,000 winning bid → $1,030 at Copart / $1,040 at IAAI
- $10,000 → $1,290 / $1,300
- $20,000 → $1,790 / $1,800 (7.5% rule)
From Europe the mechanics are the same for both houses: no US dealer license, no US address. You place a maximum bid on the live inventory, back it with a refundable deposit of 10% of your max bid (card, Wise or Revolut — you're bidding within 1–2 hours), and our licensed desk executes the purchase. Buy Now lots can be taken at the listed price on request. Current bids sync from Copart and IAAI roughly once an hour, and unused deposits are refunded within 48–72 hours.
Lot numbers vs stock numbers
Copart identifies every vehicle by a lot number; IAAI uses a stock number. One practical trap: some data feeds disguise IAAI stock numbers as 12-digit pseudo-lots by prefixing "111" plus zero-padding — 111044875536 is really IAA stock #44875536. LS Auction always displays the bare stock number.
Both numbering systems are searchable across our free sold-price archive — 175,000+ recorded Copart and IAAI sales with final bids, damage data and original photos — and any VIN can be checked at the free VIN check, no account needed.
Same title logic, same import math — one account for both
Whichever house the car comes from, you see the US title document type and a traffic-light export status on the lot before bidding: green — export and Polish registration OK; yellow — export OK, but contact us before purchase to check registration (extra fees may apply); red — export or registration not possible. The mapping is maintained per individual US title document type.
The import arithmetic is identical for Copart and IAAI cars. The customs (CIF) value is the winning bid + auction fees + US land transport + ocean freight; on that value the EU charges a flat 10% duty at both clearance ports, Gdynia and Rotterdam — no US-origin exemption applies. Our flat commission of $300 (vehicles under $25,000; $400 above — never VAT on the commission) sits outside the customs value. Import VAT follows the clearance port: 23% in Gdynia (PL) or 21% in Rotterdam (NL). Polish registration via Gdynia adds akcyza excise (3.1% up to 2.0L and 18.6% above for petrol/diesel; hybrids 1.55% up to 2.0L and 9.3% for 2.0–3.5L; EVs and plug-ins up to 2.0L exempt), and EV/hybrid lots carry a flat $250 ocean hazmat surcharge. Typical door-to-door time: 4–8 weeks.
One LS Auction account covers Copart, IAAI and the Canadian houses with a single deposit. Pick the auction house in the delivered-cost calculator and compare the exact totals side by side before you bid.
FAQ
Are Copart and IAAI buyer fees different for a European buyer?
Practically no. Both houses publish identical buyer-fee brackets (verified July 2026), both switch to 7.5% of the sale price at $15,000, and both charge the same $0–160 internet-bid fee. The only fixed difference is the flat fees: Copart's $95 gate fee vs IAAI's $105 service fee — with $15 environmental and $20 title at each, IAAI comes out exactly $10 more per vehicle.
How much are the auction fees on a $10,000 winning bid?
$1,290 at Copart and $1,300 at IAAI: a $1,000 buyer fee, a $160 bid fee, plus flat fees ($130 Copart / $140 IAAI). At $20,000 the 7.5% rule applies: $1,500 buyer fee + $160 + flats = $1,790 at Copart, $1,800 at IAAI.
Which sells more insurance cars — Copart or IAAI?
IAAI (Insurance Auto Auctions) was built around insurance consignments and leans hardest that way, while Copart's consignor mix is broader — dealers, finance companies and fleets as well as insurers. Rather than betting on a house-level ratio, use LS Auction's one-click insurance-sellers filter: it works across both houses at once, and non-insurance lots carry a red warning before you bid.
What is the difference between a Copart lot number and an IAAI stock number?
Copart assigns lot numbers, IAAI assigns stock numbers. Some feeds prefix IAAI stock numbers with "111" and zero-padding into a 12-digit pseudo-lot — 111044875536 is really IAA stock #44875536. LS Auction shows the bare stock number, and the sold-price archive at /en/salvage is searchable by VIN or lot/stock number.
Can I bid on both Copart and IAAI with one account?
Yes. One LS Auction account and one refundable deposit (10% of your maximum bid, paid by card, Wise or Revolut) unlock bidding across Copart, IAAI and the Canadian houses within 1–2 hours — no US dealer license needed. Commission is a flat $300 per vehicle under $25,000 ($400 above), never with VAT, and unused deposits are refunded within 48–72 hours.