From the carpybara blog
Guides, market data and dealer stories for importing auction cars. Honest numbers from real deals — no upselling.
Insurance vs non-insurance auction sellers: what changes for the buyer?
A practical guide to insurance, dealer, fleet, finance and private auction sellers — the common vehicle stories, warning signs and Carpybara checks to run before you bid.
Latest articles
- Guides
Salvage title vs clean title: how much does the brand discount a US car?
How much a salvage or rebuilt title knocks off a US car's value, why the discount exists, and how to use it without overpaying — a Carpybara guide for US and Canadian buyers.
4 min read - Import tips
What profit margin is good enough when buying a damaged car from the US?
A practical margin guide for US auction imports: when 20% is enough, when 30% is safer, and why low-liquidity or heavy-damage cars need a bigger buffer.
4 min read - Guides
Carpybara API: turn auction inventory into a dealer workflow
How dealers and import teams can use the Carpybara API for auction listings, filters, quotas, keys and CRM-ready inventory workflows.
3 min read - Guides
Copart vs IAAI: which auction should you use for a US import?
A practical Carpybara guide to choosing between Copart and IAAI by inventory, seller type, bidding pressure, documents, damage risk and final landed cost.
5 min read - Guides
How to build a car shortlist that keeps working after you close the tab
A workflow for using vehicle search, Buy Now lots, My cars, model subscriptions, reminders, notifications and Telegram handoff without refreshing auction sites all day.
3 min read - Guides
VIN check before you bid on a US auction car
A fast pre-bid workflow for catching title risk, relisted damage, recall issues and bad flip math before an auction lot eats your margin.
4 min read - Market data
Flipping US auction cars: the stats, the playbook, and how carpybara helps you find the good ones
More than half of Copart and IAAI lots end up flipped. Here are the numbers — average margins, time-to-flip, the trims that consistently beat the curve — and the tools we built to make finding them less of a guessing game.
6 min read