How to Pay for and Collect an Auction Vehicle
Pay inside the platform's window, often two to five business days depending on the platform, by wire, certified check or card where it is accepted. Collect the invoice, the gate pass or release, and the title, then pick up or book transport before the yard's free storage period runs out and a daily charge begins.
Read the invoice
The invoice is the first place a surprise shows up, and it usually shows up as a line item you forgot existed rather than a mistake. Compare it against the fee schedule you read before you bid: the buyer's premium, the gate fee, any internet-bid or virtual-bid fee, title shipping, and sales tax for your state or the sale's state, whichever the platform charges. If a figure looks wrong, this is the moment to call the platform, not after you have wired the money, because most of these charges are contractual once payment clears.
Some invoices also carry a documentation fee for preparing the title paperwork. It is small next to the vehicle price, but it is one more number worth confirming against what the platform actually published, since fee schedules move and the page you read a week ago may not match the one that generated your invoice.
Pay by the deadline
Payment windows are short and they are enforced by a clock, not by how busy your bank was. IronPlanet gives buyers 5 business days from contract conclusion before a default fee applies. That fee starts at $500 for a sale of $2,500 or less and rises to $6,500 on anything over $100,000, plus a per-business-day late fee on top of it. Ritchie Bros. wants full payment within 7 days of the auction's end, and charges a 2.95% "iClosing Convenience Fee" on anything paid after that. Purple Wave sets its deadline at 4:00 p.m. on the second business day after the sale, and caps credit card payments at $3,000 regardless of the purchase price. Copart's published fee schedule points to a similar rhythm, with a late payment fee of roughly $50 if payment does not land within about three business days, checked September 2026.
| Platform | Payment window | Storage fee starts |
|---|---|---|
| Copart | About 3 business days before a roughly $50 late fee applies, per the published schedule | Not broken out as a separate daily figure on the pages we checked; ask the yard directly before you plan a pickup date |
| IronPlanet | 5 business days from contract conclusion, or a default fee applies | $25 per day from day 9 after the auction closes |
| Ritchie Bros. | 7 days from the end of the auction, or a 2.95% late fee applies | Not published on the pages we checked; confirm with the branch before you bid |
| Purple Wave | By 4:00 p.m. on the second business day after the auction | Not published as a per-day charge; the terms describe a defined inspection period rather than a storage clock |
The pattern across all four is the same even where the numbers differ: the window is measured in single-digit days, and it starts running the moment the auction ends, not when you get around to checking your account.
Get the gate pass or release
Paying the invoice is not the same as being allowed to drive off the lot. Most platforms issue a separate release, gate pass or pickup order once payment clears, and the yard gate will ask for that document, not your payment confirmation email. Print it or save it somewhere you can pull up without cell signal, because some storage yards sit in spots where a data connection is not guaranteed.
If a lien existed on the vehicle you bought, ask whether a lien release is bundled with your paperwork or arriving separately. A vehicle can sit paid-for and released to you at the gate while its title is still a week behind in the mail, and knowing which situation you are in changes how soon you can register it.
Arrange pickup or transport
Once you can collect, decide how. Driving it home works if it runs, rolls and stops, and you have a temporary tag and insurance in place first. Otherwise you are hiring an open or enclosed carrier, or in a smaller number of cases using a seller's own delivery program. We cover all three routes, plus the questions to ask a carrier before you book, in how to transport a vehicle you have won. Whatever you choose, book it against the storage clock in the table above, not against your calendar preferences, since a carrier that is a week out will cost you storage fees before it ever shows up.
Verify paperwork at handover
Before a carrier leaves with the vehicle, or before you drive it off yourself, match three things: the VIN stamped on the vehicle, the VIN on the title or release document, and the VIN on the bill of sale. A mismatch at this stage is a phone call to the platform, not a problem you solve at the title office three states later. Photograph the odometer, the four corners of the vehicle and any existing damage while it is still on the seller's ground, since that record is what protects you if a carrier disputes a claim of new damage at delivery.
Title and register
The last step is the one that actually puts the vehicle in your name. Take the title, the bill of sale, and any lien release letter to your state's title office, along with whatever inspection or emissions paperwork your state requires for a vehicle from out of state. A clear title moves fastest; a salvage or rebuilt brand usually means an extra inspection step before the state will issue your registration, so budget more time for those. Most states give you a fixed window, often around 30 days, to title a vehicle before penalties apply, though the exact number and the required forms are set by your own state, not by the auction platform, so check with your state DMV before the temporary tag expires.