Copart.de

Copart Deutschland GmbH, the German subsidiary of US group Copart Inc., has sold vehicles here through online live auctions since 2016 and runs its own German stock. Lots come from insurers, fleet and leasing operators, rental companies, dealerships and private sellers who went through Copart's CashforCars.de arm, and they are used and accident-damaged vehicles sold with all warranty for defects excluded and, depending on condition, not necessarily in running order. The company works from its head office at Am Seestern 24 in Düsseldorf plus nine marketing yards: Aachen, Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hannover, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich-East and Stuttgart, with over 16,000 parking spaces between them. Around 350 lots go up every weekday and the search currently lists 6,121 vehicles, mostly registered in Germany.

What you can buy

• Salvage and accident cars: front, side, rear, hail, fire and rollover damage on passenger cars and SUVs, bought mainly by workshops, rebuilders and dismantlers for repair or parts.
• Roadworthy used cars: ex-fleet, leasing and rental returns, dealer trade-ins and the occasional classic; lots that pass the check are flagged "runs and drives".
• Vans and trucks: panel vans and 7.5-tonne box trucks in volume, plus a handful of heavy LKW from fleet operators and haulage firms.
• Motorcycles and mopeds: damaged and used bikes, listed alongside the car lots.
• Campers and trailers: caravans, motorhomes and both private and commercial trailers in the same daily sales.
• Rarities: off-road vehicles turn up regularly, agricultural and industrial machinery only as one-off lots.

How the bidding works

Browsing is free: guests can filter by make, model, year, damage, body style, fuel, documents, yard and VAT status, search by VIN, save searches, set vehicle alerts and keep a watchlist. Bidding needs a paid membership taken out online, and private individuals are welcome, not only trade buyers: private membership costs €70.21 gross a year and covers up to three vehicles annually, while business tiers run €59 net (up to €5,000 and one vehicle per auction) and €199 net (up to €300,000 a day and 30 vehicles). Non-members may inspect at a yard for €11.90 gross per visit, by appointment and accompanied by a member, but cannot bid. Two routes in: a preliminary maximum bid before the sale, where the Bid4U agent raises only as far as it must, or the live auction in real time from a browser, the app or an on-site kiosk. If live bidding stops below your maximum, you pay the lower figure. Your bid limit does not reset after a sale — it frees up only once you have paid in full. Sales run Monday to Friday, payment falls due immediately and must arrive within three working days of the invoice, and you have five working days including the auction day to collect.

What to check before you bid

Fees sit on top of the hammer price and add up fast. The buyer fee is tiered in dozens of steps — €904.40 gross on a car sold at €15,000 — then a flat 5% above €17,850 gross (€15,000 net) with no cap. A virtual bid fee of €21.42 to €36.89 gross applies to bids placed online, which bidding at the yard kiosk avoids. Add €53.55 lot retrieval on every vehicle whatever its state, €29.75 document handling, €50 for late payment and €15 per vehicle per day storage once the free window closes. Consumer prices include VAT, but many lots sell under the §25a margin scheme, where the tax cannot be shown separately and no input VAT is deductible; on exports Copart covers no duties, and import permits and paperwork are yours to arrange. Condition data runs to 10–24 standardised photos, a written description, primary and secondary damage, confirmed mileage and checks on whether the engine starts, the gearbox works and keys are present — none of it binding, so inspect at the yard where you can and watch for lots marked parts-only or short of registration papers. Anything not safe to drive off must go on a transporter, which Copart will arrange up to 1,000 km inside Germany and neighbouring countries, and expect contracts and yard business in German or English, though the interface also offers Polish, Russian and Romanian.