The numbers side by side
| AutoBidMaster | Salvagebid | A Better Bid | BasicMobile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auctions | Copart | IAA | Copart | Copart, IAAI and Manheim |
| Membership | Free guest (1 car, max bid $1,200, no live bidding) · Basic $35/yr (1 car, max bid $2,200) · Advanced $189/yr (10 cars) · Premium $349/yr (unlimited) | Free guest (1 car up to $1,000) · Starter $35/yr (1 car up to $2,000) · Premium $199/yr · VIP $349/yr | Starter free (1 car at a time, $5,000 total) · Standard $49/yr · Premium $199/yr · Pro $549/yr | None. $100 one-time, credited toward your deposit and your car |
| Fee per vehicle on top of auction fees | Transaction fee by membership level (published in their fee schedule) | $299 (guest, starter) · 5% min $250 (premium) · 3% min $200 (VIP) | $349 flat (starter) · $299 or 9% (standard) · $269 or 5% (premium) · $199 or 3% (pro) | $200 up to $5,000 · $300 up to $10,000 · $400 up to $30,000 · 1.5% above; Manheim from $300 |
| Deposit to bid | 10% of buying power, min $600 | $600, or 10% above $6,000 | Deposit sets your bid limit | 10% of bid limit, min $600; Manheim 50% |
| Who bids, where | You, on their platform (a Copart mirror) | You, on their platform (an IAA mirror) | You, on their platform (a Copart mirror) | You, on the official Copart, IAAI and Manheim sites and our app, with your own login |
| Who you buy from | The broker | The broker | The broker | The auction, title reassigned to you by the dealer |
Competitor figures are taken from the public help pages of autobidmaster.com, salvagebid.com and abetter.bid as read in October 2026 and can change; their own pages are authoritative.
What the table does not show
- Inventory: each broker mirrors one auction. AutoBidMaster and A Better Bid show Copart, Salvagebid shows IAA. Nobody in the broker group offers Manheim, the clean-title dealer auction.
- Where you bid: on the broker’s copy of the auction, with the broker’s delay and the broker’s rules. With your own account you bid on the official site.
- Title: the broker buys the car and reassigns it to you; with a dealer account the auction sells to the dealer and the title is reassigned to you in the same way, but without a resale step and resale fee.
- Lost bids: none of the four charges for a lost bid, but membership years are not refundable.
Cost on a real car
Salvagebid Premium: $199 membership + $250 fee = $449 (plus IAA fees; Salvagebid is IAA only).
A Better Bid Standard: $49 membership + $450 fee (9% beats $299) = $499 (plus Copart fees).
AutoBidMaster Basic: $35 membership + their transaction fee (plus Copart fees), and a $2,200 bid cap on Basic means you need Advanced at $189 for a $5,000 car.
BasicMobile: $100 (credited to the car, so $0 net) + $200 fee = $200 (plus Copart fees), and the same account covers IAAI and Manheim.
When a broker platform is the better choice
If you want a familiar web interface with many languages and you only ever buy from one auction, the big platforms are polished and they have been around for years. If you want all three auctions, Manheim included, no yearly fee and your own login on the official sites, the dealer-account route is cheaper and gives more control. Read how bidding without a broker works.
- One-time $100 opens your own bidder account on Copart, IAAI and Manheim under our Florida dealer license; it is credited toward your deposit and your car.
- Deposit to bid: 10% of your bid limit, $600 minimum (Copart, IAAI); 50% for Manheim.
- Service fee only when you win: $200 up to $5,000, $300 up to $10,000, $400 up to $30,000, 1.5% above (Manheim from $300).
- You bid yourself from our app; we pay the auction, handle the title and coordinate transport.
Questions about copart brokers compared
Which Copart broker has the lowest fees?
For a first car of around $5,000 in a year, BasicMobile’s $200 fee with no membership is the lowest in this comparison; among the broker platforms, A Better Bid Pro and Salvagebid VIP have the lowest per-car fees but cost $549 and $349 a year.
Do any of these give access to Manheim?
Only BasicMobile. AutoBidMaster and A Better Bid cover Copart, Salvagebid covers IAA.
Is a broker platform the same as bidding on Copart?
No. You bid on the broker’s mirror of the auction and buy the car from the broker. With a dealer-license account you bid on copart.com itself.
Get your auction account today
Direct access to Copart, IAAI and Manheim with your own bidder account under our Florida dealer license. One-time $100, credited to your car. Account issued within 12 hours, usually within minutes.
Related guides
Copart and IAA fee and licensing details are taken from copart.com and iaai.com as of October 2026 and can change; the auction’s own page is the final word. BasicMobile fees and deposits are as published on this site.