Before you buy a car at IAAI (Insurance Auto Auctions, which calls itself IAA on its own site), confirm five things: that you are allowed to bid on that lot, what title or ownership document comes with it, what the car's history says beyond the listing, what fees and storage will add, and how you will get it out of the yard within the deadline. Miss any one and a cheap hammer price turns expensive in about a week.
This is the checklist we wish more first-time IAA buyers ran through. As of mid October 2026 the rules below come from IAA's own pages, but they change, and some vary by branch, so treat the numbers as examples and check the lot and branch page you are actually bidding on. If you have bid at Copart before, a lot of this will feel familiar, and our guide to buying a car at Copart covers that auction. IAA's deadlines and payment limits are different enough to trip you up if you copy your Copart habits.
1. Account and eligibility
First, find out if you are allowed to bid at all. According to IAA's registration page, bidding on IAA inventory requires a $225 registration fee, paid by credit card or PayPal (debit cards are not accepted for that fee), plus a government ID and proof of address if your ID lacks one. Registration for the separate government fleet (GSA) auctions is free. Public buyers can only bid where their state allows it and only on cars open to the public, and IAA says to check the "Who Can Bid" list in the Bid Information section of each vehicle page. If your state does not allow public buying, your options are a business account or one of IAA's licensed brokers, which the IAA public buyer page lists. Ask what the broker charges and add it to your math.
2. Title and paperwork
Next, read what paper comes with the car, before you fall in love with the photos. Insurance auctions carry a lot of total-loss vehicles, so salvage and similar branded titles are common, and some states require extra licensing (IAA calls them bid cards) to buy certain title types. Decide now if your state will register this exact title, if it needs a rebuilt inspection, and if your insurer will cover it afterward. Our post on whether to buy a salvage title car goes through the tradeoffs. If the answer is "parts only," bid like it.
3. History beyond the listing
The listing tells you why the insurer totaled the car. It does not tell you what happened before that. Decode the VIN to make sure the year and trim match the photos, then run the free VIN lookup that the National Insurance Crime Bureau points used-car buyers to, for theft and insurer salvage records. The NMVTIS consumer page explains that the federal title database collects brand history from state titling agencies, salvage yards, recyclers and insurers, which is why a car totaled in one state should not come back clean in another. Then buy a full report. Our post on IAAI vehicle history before bidding covers what to read first, and IAAI announcement codes explained decodes the lot notes. Through us, a CARFAX report is about $5.50 as a guest or $4.50 as a member, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle about $6.75, against roughly $39.99 to $44.99 retail; confirm at checkout. We are a licensed reseller and not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian. Do not bid off a report screenshot someone posted in a group chat. Those get edited.
4. Preview the car if you can
Go look if the branch lets you. The Jacksonville, FL branch page, as one example, lists onsite preview from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the day before the auction. IAA also offers engine start videos and 360 views in its app, which helps, but a video will not show you a musty carpet or silt under the seat rails. If you cannot preview, assume the worst damage the photos allow and bid as if you will find it.
5. Fees, payment and the clock
Price the whole deal before you bid, not after. IAA's buyer fee page says standard fees depend on the final sale price, your license type and how much you buy, with separate schedules for licensed and non-licensed buyers. Then the clock starts. IAA says payment is due by 5 p.m. local branch time two business days after the vehicle is awarded for US buyers, four for buyers outside the US. The Jacksonville page lists a late fee of $50 or 2%, whichever is greater, free storage through the award day plus four days, and $50 a day after that. Payment method matters too. The IAA how-to-pay page lists a $2,500 daily card limit for public accounts and a $500 cash limit, so a $6,000 car means a wire, a cashier's check or another method set up in advance. Sort that out before auction day, because two business days goes fast when a weekend sits in the middle.
6. Getting it out of the yard
Plan the pickup before you win, because the yard will not wait. The Jacksonville branch says purchases must be picked up within five business days, or IAA moves the car to its nearest facility and charges transport and storage. Yards close earlier than offices, and cars can be picked up on sale day. If you are towing it yourself, bring the right equipment. If not, get a transport quote first, since IAA lets you request one from the vehicle page. Our post on storage fees after an auction win shows how fast those days add up.
Honestly, the buyers who do well at IAA are boring about this. They set a max bid that already includes fees, storage and the tow, and they stop when the number passes it.
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