At a glance
- License you need
- Your state's retail or wholesale dealer license
- Auction credential
- AuctionACCESS, accepted at over 400 auction marketplaces in the US and Canada
- Who can join
- Licensed vehicle dealers and their authorized representatives
- Salvage vehicles
- Some states add a license, such as Michigan's Salvage Vehicle Agent license
- No dealer license?
- Public auctions are open to licensed drivers 18 and older at Manheim's public sales
On this page
- Which license do you need to buy at a dealer auction?
- What is AuctionACCESS?
- How to get dealer auction access, step by step
- Is a wholesale license enough to buy at auction?
- Can you buy at a car auction without a dealer license?
- Do you need a dealer license for Copart and salvage auctions?
- What is an auction dealer license?
- What should you do after you win a car at auction?
- Common questions
- Sources
Which license do you need to buy at a dealer auction?
If you're wondering how to get a dealer license for car auctions, the answer is simpler than the name suggests: you get a regular dealer license from your state. Dealer-only auctions don't issue their own buyer's license. They check that you hold a dealer license, and several states write that limit into law:
- Florida: motor vehicle auctions may sell only to licensed dealers, and only licensed dealers or their authorized employees may bid.
- Alabama: a licensed wholesale auction may sell only to licensed dealers, dismantlers, secondary metals recyclers and holders of an equivalent license from another state.
- Missouri: a wholesale motor vehicle auction sells only to dealers licensed in Missouri or another jurisdiction.
- Texas: only licensed dealers may attend dealer-to-dealer auctions, and out-of-state dealers get in with a valid license from their home state.
- Pennsylvania: only licensed dealers, plus some vehicle businesses registered with PennDOT, may buy at wholesale auctions.
Retail and wholesale licenses both get you in. The difference is what you can do with the car afterward: retail lets you sell to the public, wholesale limits you to other dealers. Compare the two on our wholesale dealer license page.
What is AuctionACCESS?
AuctionACCESS is the membership dealer auctions use to confirm who may buy. Manheim calls it a dealer authentication service that confirms you are an authorized dealer. AuctionACCESS says it's accepted at over 400 auction marketplaces in the US and Canada, and it limits membership to licensed vehicle dealers and their authorized representatives.
Joining is separate from registering with each auction. At Manheim, AuctionACCESS first confirms your membership and issues an ID number. Then you sign up on Manheim.com with that ID and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number or government ID.
How to get dealer auction access, step by step
Get licensed in your state
Apply for a retail or wholesale dealer license with your state agency. The dealer license guide links every state's page, with its bond, location rules, fees and forms.
Decide who will bid
You can buy yourself or send someone. AuctionACCESS covers dealers and their authorized representatives, and Florida lets a licensed dealer's authorized employees bid.
Apply for AuctionACCESS
Send AuctionACCESS the information and documents it asks for, including your dealer license, and wait until your membership is confirmed and your ID number is issued.
Register with each auction
Use your AuctionACCESS ID to open an account with every auction you plan to use. At Manheim, that means signing up on Manheim.com once your membership is active.
Plan payment and transport
Each auction sets its own payment terms, so read them before your first bid. Then plan how cars get home: Florida's wholesale (VW) license comes without dealer plates, so wholesalers there need a transporter or another way to move cars.
Is a wholesale license enough to buy at auction?
Yes. Some states design the wholesale license around auctions. Florida's Wholesale Motor Vehicle Dealer (VW) license is for dealing only with other licensed dealers or through auctions, with no display space. Missouri's wholesale dealers sell only to other dealers or through dealer-only auctions. Texas issues a Wholesale GDN without the five-car display area a retail lot needs.
The catch is the location. A wholesale license won't get you out of a lot everywhere: Alabama still requires space to show at least one vehicle, Missouri requires a display lot for every class of dealer, and in Ohio wholesalers hold the same used dealer license as retail lots, with its 3,500-square-foot lot.
Can you buy at a car auction without a dealer license?
Yes, at a public auction. Manheim says its public auctions are open to the public and dealers, and any licensed driver 18 or older can attend. You register at the auction on sale day to get a bidder number, you need proof of current insurance to buy, and each location sets its own deposit and payment rules.
States license these sales separately. Missouri issues a public motor vehicle auction license for consignment sales run through a licensed auctioneer, and Pennsylvania licenses public auctions apart from wholesale ones.
Buying to resell is a different matter. If you flip auction cars, your state's dealer threshold still applies: Florida requires a license at 3 vehicles in 12 months, and Texas requires one to sell even a single car that isn't owned and registered in your name.
Do you need a dealer license for Copart and salvage auctions?
Copart and other auctions that sell salvage vehicles follow different rules from dealer-only sales, and the rules turn on the title and the state. Some examples from state law:
- Michigan: only a licensed Salvage Vehicle Agent may buy salvage or scrap titled vehicles at an auction. Class C and R dealers need that license too.
- Alabama: only holders of an automotive dismantler and parts recycler license, or their agents and employees, may buy at Alabama salvage pools and salvage disposal sales.
- Texas: buying or selling more than five salvage or nonrepairable vehicles in a calendar year takes a Salvage Dealer License.
- Illinois: nonresidents need an out-of-state salvage vehicle buyer license to buy salvage vehicles at Illinois auctions.
Before you bid on a salvage title, check the auction's own buyer requirements for that vehicle and location, then your state's salvage rules.
What is an auction dealer license?
When a state says auction license, it usually means a license to run an auction, not to buy at one. A few examples:
| State | License | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Motor Vehicle Auction (VA) | Selling vehicles by bid to licensed dealers. An auction that sells at retail needs an independent dealer license instead. |
| Texas | Wholesale Motor Vehicle Auction GDN | Dealer-to-dealer auctions at the licensed location, with a bond |
| Ohio | Auction Owner License | Running wholesale motor vehicle auctions, at $100 per location |
| Alabama | Motor vehicle wholesale auction license | Wholesale auctions for licensed dealers, dismantlers and recyclers, at $125 a year |
| Missouri | Special event motor vehicle auction | Up to 3 days, up to 3 times a year, with 90% of vehicles at least 10 years old; $1,000 fee and a $100,000 bond |
| Illinois | Vehicle auctioneer license | Auctioning vehicles for more than one owner. Licensed new and used dealers don't need it. |
| Michigan | Class D broker | Required for anyone who conducts a vehicle auction |
What should you do after you win a car at auction?
Get the title and the car home, recondition it, and list it fast. An auction car can't sell online until it has photos, so shoot the full set from our car photography angles list the day it lands. With CarShots, each photo comes back on a clean backdrop in about 20 seconds, and using the same backdrop on every car keeps your listings consistent. Hide the plate with a plain-word edit, download the set, and upload it to your website and listing sites the way you do now.
This is general information, not legal advice. Auction policies and state laws change, so confirm the rules with your state agency and with each auction before you buy.