# IAAI Salvage Auctions > Depth-first rabbithole dossier for IAAI Salvage Auctions; source-anchored research pack. Parent: [Used Car Auctions and Buying](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/used-car-auctions-and-buying/) · 8 facets · 150 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/iaai-salvage-auctions/ ## Definitions - 5. The lot-count-up / price-per-lot-down pattern in claim 4 means **unit supply to buyers rose while average unit value fell** over that period — relevant to any buyer modelling expected acquisition cost at IAAI. https://investor.rbglobal.com/news/news-details/2025/RB-Global-Reports-First-Quarter-2025-Results/default.aspx — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#market-position-and-supply` - 31. **Starts** means only that the motor started and idled on arrival at the yard; **Stationary** means the vehicle would not start, had engine damage, **or was simply not tested** — so Stationary is an ambiguous code covering both known-bad and untested units. https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/vehicle-start-codes — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` ## Structure and components - **Concept:** IAAI Salvage Auctions (Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., trading as IAA) **Parent domain:** Used Car Auctions and Buying **Report type:** mechanism / internal structure **Date:** 2026-09-19 — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md` - **G3.** A salvage auction is a *reporting entity* under NMVTIS. 28 CFR 25.56 requires that "any individual or entity engaged in the business of operating a junk yard or salvage yard within the United States shall provide…an inventory of all junk automobiles or salvage automobiles obtained," and the rule is explicitly read to cover salvage pools and salvage auctions. `[direct]` — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.56 — https://www.fenderbender.com/news/article/55044080/salvage-companies-insurers-must-report-to-national-title-database — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#g-title-and-regulatory-invariants` - **The reports disagree about what they could fetch — and that's the biggest result (D-0).** `mechanism` and `history` declare `www.iaai.com` wholly bot-blocked and mark every claim from it `[indirect]`. `edge-cases` and `practice` both fetched `/AuctionRules` directly and quote the *same verbatim strings* — the capitalised as-is language, the four-part Run & Drive test, "$50 or 2%", "$1,000 or 15%". Two independent word-for-word retrievals means bot detection is path-specific, not domain-wide. **`mechanism`'s confidence markers on AuctionRules claims are systematically too pessimistic and shou — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md#three-findings-the-cross-read-produced-that-no-single-report-had` - **B8.** A substantial part of IAA's seller-side value proposition is *cycle-time compression*, not price maximization. IAA markets Loan Payoff as trimming an average of 12–15 days from each claim, with ~20 days saved on negative-equity transactions and ~10 days on positive-equity transactions. Cycle time matters to the carrier because storage and rental-car costs accrue daily while a title is unresolved. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/Press-Releases/insurance-auto-auctions-announces-loss-advisor-tool-for-advanced-total-loss-assessment — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#b-supply-side-how-a-vehicle-enters-the-auction` - **C3.** The start code carries an explicit non-guarantee, and this is the load-bearing invariant of the whole information layer: the tested functions "are not guaranteed at pickup, and the vehicle may not be roadworthy." A start code is a timestamped observation, not a warranty. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/run-and-drive — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#c-the-information-layer-what-iaa-standardizes-before-sale` - **C4.** The general disclaimer extends C3 to all listing data: IAA "makes no warranty or representation as to the condition of any vehicle or any of its component parts" when it provides information about a vehicle for sale. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#c-the-information-layer-what-iaa-standardizes-before-sale` - **G2.** Federal law defines a salvage automobile by an *economic* test, not a damage test: a vehicle "damaged by collision, fire, flood, accident, trespass, or other event, to the extent that its fair salvage value plus the cost of repairing" would exceed its pre-damage fair market value. A junk automobile is separately defined as one that "[i]s incapable of operating on public streets, roads, and highways" and "[h]as no value except as a source of parts or scrap." `[direct]` — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2009-title28-vol1/html/CFR-2009-title28-vol1-part25-subpartB.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#g-title-and-regulatory-invariants` - - **Primary — SEC filings (2 distinct filers):** RB Global FY2025 Form 10-K; Copart FY2025 Form 10-K. The Copart filing is used deliberately as an *independent* check on claims about how salvage auction economics and buyer bases work, from a company with no incentive to describe IAA favourably. - **Primary — federal regulation:** 28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B (govinfo.gov, eCFR) and the DOJ/BJA NMVTIS guidance for insurance carriers. - **Corporate first-party (non-blocked):** RB Global / Ritchie Bros. corporate blog. - **Secondary/trade:** FenderBender (trade press on NMVTIS enforcement), AutoBidMa — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#quality-gate` - **Primary — federal regulation and government guidance** 4. 28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B (NMVTIS), incl. §25.52 definitions and §25.56 — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2009-title28-vol1/html/CFR-2009-title28-vol1-part25-subpartB.htm 5. eCFR, 28 CFR 25.56 — Responsibilities of junk yards and salvage yards and auto recyclers — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.56 6. DOJ/BJA NMVTIS — For Insurance Carriers — https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_insurance — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#sources` - 28. **Liability is capped at the purchase price of the vehicle**, expressly excluding repair costs, parts, labour, transportation, and storage. Consequential losses from a bad buy are not recoverable from IAAI. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 29. All vehicles are sold **"AS IS, WHERE IS"**, and IAAI states it "MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION AS TO THE CONDITION OF ANY VEHICLE OR ANY OF ITS COMPONENT PARTS." Buyers may not rely on IAAI's descriptions of condition, mileage, parts, or functionality. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` - 35. Vehicle Score is a **paid subscription inside IAA Interact®, available only to registered buyers** — so the best structured condition signal IAAI produces is gated behind an additional cost, and is not part of the free listing. https://www.iaai.com/marketing/iaa-vehicle-score — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` ## How it works - 1. **Conflicting founding narratives in tertiary sources.** Search-surfaced profiles variously assert that IAA "was founded as Impact Auto Auctions in Illinois" in 1982, or that "International Automotive Auctions (IAA) was established with the opening of its first auction in St. Louis, Missouri" in 1982. Both conflict with IAA's own SEC filing, which states the company "was organized as a California corporation in 1982 under the name Los Angeles Auto Salvage, Inc." (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880026/000095013705002982/c93072e10vk.txt). **Resolution: the SEC filing governs.** The c — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **B1.** The supply is a *by-product of the insurance claims process*, not of consumer selling. A vehicle enters IAA when an insurance carrier declares it a total loss and assigns the salvage to IAA. IAA's own product line is built around that trigger — "first notice of loss to sale at auction." `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/Articles/transforming-the-total-loss-process — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#b-supply-side-how-a-vehicle-enters-the-auction` - **First-party corporate (bot-blocked; cited via search-engine extraction only)** 9. IAA — Auction Rules — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules 10. IAA — Buyer Fees — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees 11. IAA — Standard IAA Licensed Buyer Fees — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-licensed-buyer-fees 12. IAA — Standard IAA Non-Licensed Buyer Fees — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees 13. IAA — Vehicle Start Codes / Run & Drive — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/run-and-drive 14. IAA — Bidding — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/bidding 15. IAA — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#sources` - 37. IAAI defines a **salvage title** as issued "when an insurance company says a vehicle needs more repairs than the car is worth, making it a total-loss vehicle," and a **clear title** as a vehicle that has "never been deemed a total loss by an insurance company." https://www.iaai.com/Blogs/us-vehicle-titles-clear-and-salvage — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` - **A2. Eligibility keys off the vehicle's location, not the buyer's residence.** A buyer legally able to purchase in their home state can be blocked from a specific lot because the branch holding that lot sits in a stricter state. This is the single most common eligibility surprise reported by buyer-facing guides. Confidence: medium — this is consistently asserted by buyer-side secondary sources; I could not retrieve an IAA page stating it in those words because the relevant help article host failed TLS verification (`help.iaai.com` → "unable to verify the first certificate"). — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/edge-cases.md#a-buyer-eligibility-boundaries` - **C4. Brand meaning is not portable across states.** DOJ states NMVTIS "is designed to collect information from states, but not to change the nomenclature used in, or standards created by, state motor vehicle laws," and that "because a vehicle has been in the possession of a junk or salvage yard, does not mean that a state must brand the vehicle as junk or salvage. State laws vary in this regard." The same physical vehicle can carry different brands depending on where it is titled. — [source](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_consumers) - **C6. Regulators are still actively amending salvage-title proof requirements, so rules retrieved today can go stale within a legislative session.** Texas S.B. 2246 (89R), effective September 1, 2025, amended Transportation Code § 501.1003 to let salvage dealers use an "auction sales receipt" as proof of ownership in place of a title when reporting a vehicle for dismantling, scrapping, or destruction — because "many times, vehicle titles and other standard documents used to establish proof of ownership are not available." — [source](https://snapclaim.com/total-loss-state-laws/) - This report explains how IAA's salvage auction works as a machine: who supplies the vehicles, what IAA does to a vehicle between assignment and sale, how the bidding formats actually resolve a price, how buyers are gated, how money is extracted, and what legally must be true about the title. It stays inside IAA. It does not survey Copart, Manheim, ADESA, or the broader wholesale market except where a competitor filing is used as an independent check on a claim about IAA's own mechanism. It does not cover the parent domain's general questions (how to buy a used car at auction, whether salvage b — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#scope` - **B3.** Because B2 is a threshold on ACV, the *supply volume* is mechanically coupled to used-vehicle prices: when used-car values rise, the same physical damage is less likely to cross the total-loss threshold, and fewer vehicles enter the salvage pool. RB Global states the price coupling directly: "A significant change in used-vehicle prices could impact the proceeds and revenue from the sale of damaged and total loss vehicles." `[direct]` — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#b-supply-side-how-a-vehicle-enters-the-auction` - **C1.** IAA reduces an unrepeatable physical object to a small set of standardized, searchable fields so that remote bidding is possible at all. The listing carries primary and secondary damage, loss type, a start code, ACV, and ERV (estimated retail value). `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/run-and-drive — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#c-the-information-layer-what-iaa-standardizes-before-sale` - **D3.** The bid-resolution primitive is a proxy (ascending second-price-like) mechanism: a buyer enters a maximum Proxy/AutoBid, and "IAA will automatically bid on the buyer's behalf using as much of the bid as needed to make them the winner of the auction or meet the auction's reserve price." The system bids incrementally on the buyer's behalf and notifies on outbid. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/bidding — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#d-the-auction-mechanism-itself` - **H7.** *Access is the binding constraint for most would-be buyers, not price.* E2–E5 mean that for a large fraction of the US population the auction is not reachable directly at any bid level. The mechanism's effective bidder pool is set by state licensing law, not by IAA. — https://www.iaai.com/Articles/online-car-auctions-who-can-buy — https://blog.autobidmaster.com/2026/06/auto-auction-licensing-requirement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#h-limits-and-failure-modes-of-the-mechanism` - 19. Because claims 15–17 stack, **fees are a dominant share of landed cost on cheap lots**: at the low tier a $25 buyer fee plus $105 service, $15 environmental and $20 title handling exceeds $165 in fixed charges before transport — which can exceed the hammer price itself on sub-$500 vehicles. https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#cost-structure-beyond-the-hammer-price` - 42. Claims 40–41 generalise the mechanism behind claim 11: **IAAI's public-buyer eligibility map is downstream of state salvage-dealer law**, so eligibility must be checked per branch-state and per title type before bidding, not assumed from the national platform. https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/Salvage_Nonrepairable_Manual.pdf — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` - 5. **Public-buyer state eligibility detail is second-hand.** The Michigan/Utah clear-title-only restriction (claim 11) was extracted via search summary, not a direct fetch of https://help.iaai.com/s/article/Buyer-Eligibility-by-State-1590513137195?language=en_US (the host failed TLS certificate verification in this environment). The state-law *mechanism* is independently confirmed by TxDMV, but the specific Michigan/Utah facts are not primary-verified. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#unresolved-disagreements` ## Examples and snippets - ``` — `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/synthesis.md` … — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md` ## Measurements and reference values - **`mechanism`'s self-declared "single most consequential open question" is answered (S7).** It couldn't tell whether IAA's salvage business uses consignment or principal/inventory contracts. `history` gives FY2004 (both methods) → FY2019 (outright purchases "approximately 4% of our vehicles sold"), and `edge-cases` quotes the FY2025 10-K: principal operation is "**in certain countries**." So the incentive inversion `mechanism` worried about is marginal in the US and live internationally — a scope restatement, not a retraction. `mechanism`'s U2 (payment clock) also closes: three business days = — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md#three-findings-the-cross-read-produced-that-no-single-report-had` - 21. Sale formats evolved from live physical auctions to a mix of live, live-online, timed, and fixed-price channels. IAA's FY2019 10-K names weekly live auctions, **IAA Timed Auctions™** ("bidders may bid on those vehicles for a fixed duration"), and **IAA Buy Now™** ("vehicles are offered for sale at a fixed price"). In fiscal 2019 online sales were "**approximately 70% of the total vehicles sold**." — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000174504120000003/iaa-20191229x10k.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#business-model-evolution` - The percentage tiers also conflict: one source reports "7% or 5.5% depending on sale volume" above $2,000; another reports 7.5% standard / 6.0% high-volume above $15,000 with a tiered schedule below that. **Do not rely on any figure in this table.** The structural claims (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5) are well-corroborated; the amounts are not. Resolving this requires a human-session retrieval of https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-licensed-buyer-fees and https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#unresolved-disagreements` - 2. IAAI's inventory is consignment from insurers, and that supply is **concentrated**: RB Global's FY2025 Form 10-K states that "approximately 23% of our consolidated revenues were associated with vehicles supplied by the Company's three largest supplier customers." https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#market-position-and-supply` - 24. **Late payment past that window incurs $50 or 2% of sale price, whichever is greater.** https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 25. **Non-payment by seven calendar days triggers a Renege Fee of $1,000 or 15% of sale price, whichever is greater.** Walking away from a winning bid is expensive, not free. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` ## Problems, failure modes and limitations - **Concept:** IAAI Salvage Auctions (IAA, formerly Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.; a segment of RB Global, Inc.) **Parent context:** Used Car Auctions and Buying **Report date:** 2026-09-19 **Report type:** boundary conditions, failure modes, disagreements, disconfirming evidence — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/edge-cases.md` - This report covers only the IAA/IAAI salvage auction marketplace: its buyer-eligibility boundaries, its contractual rules, its condition and title disclosures, and the documented ways those things fail for a buyer. It does not cover Copart, Manheim, ADESA, or any other auction operator except where a competitor figure is the only available benchmark for an IAA-relevant claim. It does not cover the general economics of used-car buying, rebuilt-title repair practice, or vehicle history reports as products. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/edge-cases.md#scope-statement` - **D4. Disconfirming evidence against "salvage auctions are the cheap way to buy a car."** Salvage pricing has been rising, not falling. Copart — the closest available benchmark, reporting on the same insurer salvage supply pool — reported record-high average selling prices in fiscal Q1 2026: U.S. insurance ASP +8.4% year over year and global ASP +6.8%, both all-time highs, while total global units sold fell 6.7% and U.S. insurance-obtained units fell 9.5%. International buyers paid on average 38% more than comparable U.S. buyers. Rising prices on falling volume, with export bidders setting the — [source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm) - **Primary / official** 1. IAA Auction Rules — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules 2. RB Global, Inc. Form 10-K, FY2025 — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm 3. U.S. DOJ, NMVTIS — For Consumers — https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_consumers 4. Texas Transportation Code § 501.091 (definitions) — https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._transp._code_section_501.091 5. Texas S.B. 2246 (89R) bill analysis — https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/analysis/html/SB02246I.htm 6. New Mexico MVD, Ch. 9 — Reconstructed, Rebuilt, Salvage and Nonrepairable V — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#source-list) - **Trade press and secondary** 21. FenderBender — "Salvage companies, insurers must report to national title database" — https://www.fenderbender.com/news/article/55044080/salvage-companies-insurers-must-report-to-national-title-database 22. AutoBidMaster — "Auto Auction Licensing Requirements by State" (2026-06) — https://blog.autobidmaster.com/2026/06/auto-auction-licensing-requirement/ 23. RemarketSpace — IAA fee calculator (fee schedule stated effective 2024-11-04) — https://www.remarketspace.com/iaa-fee-calculator 24. Stat.vin — "IAAI Fees: Uncovering the Pricing Structure" — https://stat. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#sources` - 11. Public access is **not uniform across branches**: buying limits are set by state regulation, and IAAI directs public buyers who cannot bid on a given vehicle or auction to use a **licensed broker**. Reported examples include Michigan and Utah branches where public buyers are effectively limited to Clear Title vehicles, putting most salvage inventory out of direct reach. https://help.iaai.com/s/article/Buyer-Eligibility-by-State-1590513137195?language=en_US — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - **Saturated on structure, unsaturated on numbers, blocked at a wall all four runs hit independently.** Four passes failed on the *same three* obstacles — bot detection on `/marketing/*`, TLS chain failure on `help.iaai.com`, HTTP 503 on the fee PDF. That repetition is itself the finding: further automated research on fees and per-state eligibility has negative expected value. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md#saturation-verdict` - Highest-yield next action is a single human-session read of `https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules` — it would likely close five or six open items at once, including the unresolved tension where `practice` says risk of loss passes at award while `edge-cases` says the award is subject to consignor approval. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md#saturation-verdict` - **B7. "Arbitration" means two different things in this domain, and conflating them is a real failure mode.** IAA's Auction Rules impose *mandatory binding legal arbitration* on disputes generally, with a one-year filing deadline and a small-claims carve-out. That is a forum-selection clause. It is **not** the same as auction-house *condition arbitration* (the used-car-auction practice of unwinding a sale over undisclosed mechanical defects), which secondary buyer guides describe as narrow at IAA — limited to significant undisclosed title or VIN problems, and unavailable where the vehicle is di — [source](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules) - **C1. Certificate of Destruction / non-repairable lots are a terminal title state in most states.** A COD or non-repairable designation means the vehicle cannot be rebuilt, retitled, or legally driven; New Mexico codifies it directly: "Once a nonrepairable vehicle certificate has been issued for a vehicle, the motor vehicle division shall not issue further ownership certificates for that vehicle." Florida COD listings on salvage marketplaces are commonly annotated "for export only / US customers — parts only." Sources: https://www.mvd.newmexico.gov/chapter-9-reconstructed-rebuilt-salvage-and-n — [source](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules#c-title-failure-modes) - **U4. Which states permit public buyers, and under what per-state conditions.** IAA publishes a "Public Buyer State by State Eligibility" article and a "Buyer Eligibility by State" article; both hosts failed retrieval in this pass (TLS verification failure on `help.iaai.com`, bot-block on `www.iaai.com` marketing pages). No consolidated, current, primary-sourced state table was obtained. This is the largest single gap in the report. — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#unresolved-disagreements) - **Gate limitations to state explicitly:** - IAA's own fee pages and state-eligibility help articles could not be retrieved (bot detection and a TLS certificate failure). Claims B6 and A2 rest on secondary sources and are marked accordingly. - D4 and D5 use Copart and CCC figures as the dated public benchmark for the shared salvage pool because equivalent IAA-segment unit and ASP disclosures were not retrieved in this pass. - No peer-reviewed or standards-body literature exists for this concept; it is a commercial marketplace governed by state administrative law, so "primary" here means operato — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#quality-gate) - **Source-access caveat that shapes the whole report.** `iaai.com` and `help.iaai.com` both block automated retrieval — `iaai.com` returns a bot-detection interstitial ("Pardon Our Interruption") and `help.iaai.com` fails TLS chain verification. Every claim below that is attributed to an `iaai.com` URL was taken from a search engine's extracted summary of that page, **not** from a direct fetch of the page. Those claims are marked `[indirect]`. Claims from SEC filings, the Code of Federal Regulations, and the RB Global corporate blog were fetched directly and are marked `[direct]`. Fee amounts i — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#scope` - **D4.** Proxy bids can be entered both **pre-auction** and **in-auction**, and pre-bids can be set up to one hour before the auction. The pre-bid window is what lets a buyer participate in a live lane they cannot attend. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/bidding — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#d-the-auction-mechanism-itself` - **F8.** Storage and late fees are **set by each branch**, not centrally, and the free storage window is commonly described as the sale day plus a small number of days before per-day charges begin. Because storage is a branch-level variable, the total landed cost of a lot cannot be computed from the national fee schedule alone. `[direct for the branch-level statement; indirect for the window length]` — https://www.remarketspace.com/iaa-fee-calculator — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#f-the-fee-mechanism` - **H1.** *The information layer cannot be audited by the buyer.* Because the vehicle is sold as-is with no condition warranty (C4) and the start code is explicitly not guaranteed at pickup (C3), all residual valuation risk transfers to the buyer at the fall of the hammer. The mechanism does not include an arbitration-on-condition step comparable to a franchise wholesale auction. — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#h-limits-and-failure-modes-of-the-mechanism` - **H2.** *The branding invariant leaks across state lines.* G1 holds only within a single state's title system. Where a receiving state does not carry over a brand category, a branded vehicle can be re-titled clean — "title washing." NMVTIS has reduced this but not eliminated it, because compliance and data completeness still vary by reporting entity. This is the clearest documented limit on the salvage auction's regulatory guarantee. — https://legalclarity.org/what-makes-a-vehicle-title-not-clean/ — https://www.mechanicinsights.com/2026/05/title-washing-warning-signs.html — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#h-limits-and-failure-modes-of-the-mechanism` - **U3. Does the inventory/purchase-agreement model apply to IAA's salvage business, or only to RB Global's commercial-asset business?** RB Global's FY2025 10-K describes straight-commission, guarantee, and inventory contracts (B5, B6) at the *consolidated* level. A separate search-derived characterization asserts flatly that "IAA operates under a consignment model, meaning it does not take ownership of the vehicle." Both cannot be fully true of IAA's US salvage operation. Historically IAA used purchase-agreement contracts (buying salvage from the carrier at a fixed percentage of ACV) in parts o — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **Access failures (recorded so the next pass does not repeat them)** - `https://www.iaai.com/*` — bot-detection interstitial on every WebFetch attempt. - `https://help.iaai.com/s/article/*` — TLS error: "unable to verify the first certificate". - `https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/...` — 302 redirect to an unblock gateway; the govinfo.gov copy (source 4) was used instead. - `https://assets.ctfassets.net/.../USLBRegForms.pdf` — retrieved but returned as unparseable compressed PDF streams. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#sources` - 8. Public registration requires an online form plus a **government-issued photo ID bearing signature and residential address**, and payment of the annual membership fee by credit card. *(Same extraction caveat as claim 7.)* https://help.iaai.com/s/article/How-do-I-register-to-bid — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - 26. **Risk of loss passes to the buyer at award**, not at payment or pickup — so the buyer carries the vehicle's risk during the storage window they are also being billed for. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 38. A salvage-title purchase **cannot be immediately driven or resold**; the buyer must obtain a state-specific rebuilt or reconstructed title before legal road use. https://www.iaai.com/Blogs/us-vehicle-titles-clear-and-salvage — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` ## Comparisons and alternatives - 1. IAAI is a digital marketplace for salvage and damaged vehicles, and was acquired by RB Global (formerly Ritchie Bros.) in a transaction completed in **March 2023**; it is reported inside RB Global's automotive sector rather than as a standalone issuer. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#market-position-and-supply` - **B5. Storage accrues against the buyer after purchase and varies by branch.** IAA charges daily storage when a vehicle is not picked up within the stated window, and the per-day rate is set at branch level rather than nationally, so total cost is not knowable from the listing alone. Sources: https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules · https://vininfohub.com/iaai-fees-explained — [source](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules) - **D3. Some IAA-adjacent markets are principal, not agency — which changes the counterparty.** The 10-K: "In certain countries, the salvage market typically operates on a principal basis, in which a vehicle is purchased and then resold, rather than on an agent basis... Operating on a principal basis exposes us to inventory risks, including losses from theft, damage and obsolescence." It also states "IAA assumes the settlement risk for vehicles sold through its marketplaces." — [source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm) - 3. **The "approximately 2.5 million vehicles" figure is ambiguous.** IAA's FY2019 10-K states the company processes "approximately 2.5 million total loss, damaged and low-value vehicles annually" (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000174504120000003/iaa-20191229x10k.htm), while the Form 10 uses a similar 2.5 million figure in a context that could read as either IAA's own volume or the addressable North American salvage market (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000114036119008944/s002330x6_ex99-1.htm). A FY2022 figure of approximately 2.3 million was surfaced for IAA — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **Stated limitations:** - `iaai.com` is bot-protected and returned a challenge page rather than content; IAA's official About and Auction Rules pages were **not directly retrieved**. Claim 31 is attested indirectly and is the weakest claim in this report. - `ecfr.gov` and `govinfo.gov` both failed to return the CFR text; the NMVTIS regulation was read via Cornell LII, a reliable but non-governmental mirror. - Pre-1996 SEC filings were not retrieved, so the 1982–1995 period rests on one secondary history plus a 2005 filing's retrospective statements. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#quality-gate` - **E6.** An independent filing confirms that the salvage buyer base is structurally professional rather than retail. Copart's FY2025 10-K describes "a database of thousands of members in the vehicle dismantling, rebuilding, repair licensee, used vehicle dealer and export industries, as well as the general public" — the general public is last and additive, not the core. `[direct]` — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/900075/000162828025042946/cprt-20250731.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#e-buyer-gating-the-access-control-layer` - **G1.** The salvage brand is a *permanent* attribute of the vehicle record, and this is a legal requirement rather than an auction-house policy. RB Global states that state regulations "require that a damaged and total loss vehicle be forever 'branded' with a salvage notice" and limit "who can purchase damaged and total loss vehicles." `[direct]` — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#g-title-and-regulatory-invariants` - **H3.** *Flood inventory is the hardest case for the mechanism.* A meaningful share of IAA salvage inventory is flood-related total loss, and flood damage is the category where a visual-inspection-plus-start-code information layer performs worst, because electrical degradation is latent and progressive rather than visible on arrival. — https://auctiongate.io/us/news/post/what-is-a-salvage-title-and-how-does-it-affect-the-value-of-a-car-at-copart-or-iaai-auction — https://www.mechanicinsights.com/2026/05/title-washing-warning-signs.html — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#h-limits-and-failure-modes-of-the-mechanism` - **H5.** *Fee opacity is structural, not incidental.* F8 (branch-set storage), F9 (fees change without notice, buyer must verify), and F3 (channel-priced bidding) together mean the total cost of a lot is not a pure function of the hammer price and cannot be determined in advance from a single published document. IAA's own mitigation is a per-vehicle cost calculator available to logged-in registered buyers — i.e. the information is gated behind registration rather than published. — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#h-limits-and-failure-modes-of-the-mechanism` - 1. **Annual membership fee: $225 vs $200.** IAAI's own Help Center article states the yearly membership fee for Public and Licensed Business accounts is **$225** (https://help.iaai.com/s/article/What-is-the-registration-fee?language=en_US), while RB Global's own IAA explainer blog states **$200** (https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/). Both are first-party to the same corporate group. Most likely a price increase with a stale blog post; not resolved here. **Treat $225 as current and verify at registration.** — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#unresolved-disagreements` - 3. **Vehicle Score scale.** One source describes a condition score of **0–50** (https://www.iaai.com/selling-services/vehiclescore), while third-party buyer guides describe an IAAI "Vehicle Score (1–5)" (https://auction.ridesafely.com/decoding-damage-codes-auto-auctions-guide/). These may be a raw score and a banded display of the same model, or two different products (IAA Vehicle Score vs IAA Vehicle Value). Unresolved. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **Caveats on the gate.** Three IAAI marketing pages (`/Marketing/run-drive`, `/marketing/iaa-vehicle-score`, `/Articles/online-car-auctions-who-can-buy`) returned bot-detection interstitials, and `help.iaai.com` failed TLS verification, so claims 7–12, 35 and parts of 34 rest on search-engine extraction of those pages rather than direct retrieval. The licensed-buyer fee PDF returned HTTP 503. Claims 15, 16, 18 and 33 are therefore **third-party-sourced and should be re-verified against IAAI's own PDF** before use in any pricing model. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#quality-gate` ## Facts and statements - **Concept:** IAAI Salvage Auctions **Parent context:** Used Car Auctions and Buying **Report type:** history / evolution, atomic claims **Compiled:** 2026-09-19 — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md` - The concept name given in the brief is "IAAI Salvage Auctions." "IAAI" is the company's historical Nasdaq ticker and long-running informal name; the legal names across the period are Los Angeles Auto Salvage, Inc. (1982–1991), Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (1991–2019), and IAA, Inc. (2019–2023). The operating brand today is "IAA" under RB Global. This report treats all of these as the same concept. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#scope` - **Concept:** IAAI Salvage Auctions (IAA, Inc. / Insurance Auto Auctions, trading as `iaai.com`) **Parent context:** Used Car Auctions and Buying **Date of research:** 2026-09-19 **Report type:** operational practice — atomic claims with inline sources — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md` - This report covers **IAAI's salvage auction marketplace only**: how the venue is supplied, who is allowed to bid, what the buyer pays beyond the hammer price, what condition information IAAI publishes and what it disclaims, and the downstream title consequences that follow from a purchase there. Sibling venues, the wider used-car auction domain, and adjacent concepts (dealer-only wholesale auctions, broker intermediaries, transport logistics) are **out of scope** and are referenced only where an IAAI rule explicitly points at them. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#scope` - **A5. Disconfirming evidence against the common "you need a dealer license to buy salvage" claim.** That blanket statement is false in a material number of jurisdictions. IAA operates a public-buyer program (A1, A4), and Texas explicitly carves out up to five unlicensed purchases per year (A3). The accurate framing is that licensing is a per-state, per-volume threshold, not a universal precondition. Sources: https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules · https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._transp._code_section_501.091 — [source](https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/) - **Operator / trade** 10. RB Global blog, Everything you need to know about bidding in IAA auto auctions — https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/ 11. IAA, Who Can Buy at Online Car Auctions? — https://www.iaai.com/Articles/online-car-auctions-who-can-buy 12. Repairer Driven News, Copart reports 'all-time high' average selling prices (2025-11-24) — https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/ 13. Better Business Bureau, IAA complaints profile — https://ww — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#source-list) - This report covers **IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. / IAA, Inc.)** as a salvage auction operator: its corporate origin, ownership chain, business model, sale formats, operating scale, and the regulatory regime that governs salvage-vehicle reporting where that regime directly binds IAA's own operations. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#scope` - Out of scope by instruction and not researched here: competing salvage auction operators (Copart, Impact Auto Auctions, ACV, Manheim), the broader used-car auction market, insurance total-loss adjudication practice, and state salvage-title branding law as a general subject. Where a sibling entity appears below, it appears only to resolve a factual conflict about IAA's own founding. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#scope` - 1. The company was organized as a California corporation in 1982 under the name **Los Angeles Auto Salvage, Inc. ("LAAS")**. — SEC Form 10-K, Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., fiscal 2004 (CIK 0000880026): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880026/000095013705002982/c93072e10vk.txt — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#origin-and-early-corporate-history` - 2. In **October 1991** the company changed its name to **Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.**, and it **completed its initial public offering in November 1991**. Its common stock traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol **"IAAI"**. — Same 10-K: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880026/000095013705002982/c93072e10vk.txt — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#origin-and-early-corporate-history` - 18. In its 2005-era filings IAAI described **two contractual arrangements**: the **purchase method**, where "the Company generally purchases vehicles from the insurance companies," and **consignment**, where "the Company sells vehicles on behalf of insurance companies, which continue to own the vehicles." — SEC Form 10-K, Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., fiscal 2004: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880026/000095013705002982/c93072e10vk.txt — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#business-model-evolution` - 31. This reporting duty is a live operational constraint for IAA, not a background fact. IAA's own Auction Rules warn buyers that a vehicle sold with a clear title may nevertheless later appear as "junk/salvage" in downstream reports as a consequence of NMVTIS reporting. — IAA Auction Rules: https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules *(Page is bot-protected and was not directly retrievable in this run; the content is attested via search-result extraction and the BBB complaint record below.)* — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#regulatory-regime-binding-salvage-auction-operations` - **Company / official communications** 10. PR Newswire — KAR Board of Directors Approves IAA Salvage Auction Business Spin-Off — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kar-board-of-directors-approves-iaa-salvage-auction-business-spin-off-300862869.html 11. RB Global investor relations — Ritchie Bros. Completes Acquisition of IAA — https://investor.rbglobal.com/news/news-details/2023/Ritchie-Bros.-Completes-Acquisition-of-IAA-Creating-a-Premier-Global-Marketplace-Leader/default.aspx 12. IAA Auction Rules — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules *(not directly retrievable; bot-protected)* — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#source-list` - **B2.** The total-loss decision upstream of IAA is a threshold comparison, not a judgment: reported damage, actual cash value (ACV), and salvage value are combined against a carrier-specific total-loss threshold. IAA sells a tool (Loss Advisor) that performs this weighted-points computation for the carrier. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/selling-services/loss-advisor — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#b-supply-side-how-a-vehicle-enters-the-auction` - **D2.** Timed Auctions are *sequenced ahead of* the live auction, not parallel to it: vehicles are open for bidding online for roughly 24 hours before their scheduled online auction, and each vehicle has its own individual closing deadline. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/Marketing/timed-auctions — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#d-the-auction-mechanism-itself` - 6. IAAI operates roughly **200 branch locations** running daily digital live auctions, with additional Timed Auctions, Buy Now, and specialty channels (IAA Specialty, Rec Rides, Dream Rides, Virtual Lane). https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#market-position-and-supply` - 39. **Auto financing is generally unavailable** on salvage-title vehicles, while clear-title vehicles typically qualify for auto loans — a working-capital constraint on salvage buying. https://www.iaai.com/Blogs/us-vehicle-titles-clear-and-salvage — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` - 41. Texas additionally restricts **resale**: a casual purchaser may sell, transfer, or release ownership only after the vehicle "has been repaired, rebuilt, or reconstructed and retitled with a Rebuilt Salvage brand in the purchaser's name." Flipping an unrepaired IAAI salvage lot is not permitted there. https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/Salvage_Nonrepairable_Manual.pdf — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` - **Primary — IAAI / vendor** - IAA Auction Rules — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules - IAA Vehicle Start Codes — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/vehicle-start-codes - U.S. Vehicle Titles: Clear and Salvage — https://www.iaai.com/Blogs/us-vehicle-titles-clear-and-salvage - IAA Buyer Fees (index) — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees - Standard IAA Non-Licensed Buyer Fees — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees - Standard IAA Licensed Buyer Fees (PDF; 503 at time of access) — https://content.iaai.com/documents/en-us/IAALicensedBuyerFees.pdf - IAA Vehicle S — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#sources` - **Third-party and critical** - IAA Auction Standard Vehicle Buyer Fees (SCA Help Center mirror) — https://help.sca.auction/en/articles/6177388-iaa-auction-standard-vehicle-buyer-fees - How to Understand Vehicle Damage Codes (AutoBidMaster) — https://helpcenter.autobidmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033513172-How-to-Understand-Vehicle-Damage-Codes - Decoding Damage Codes: A Buyer's Guide to Auto Auctions (RideSafely) — https://auction.ridesafely.com/decoding-damage-codes-auto-auctions-guide/ - IAA BBB complaints profile — https://www.bbb.org/us/il/westchester/profile/auto-auction/iaa-0654-88276 — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#sources` - - `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/synthesis.md` — new: four-report cross-synthesis — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/rabbithole-synthesis.md#files` - 1. **IAA is a distributor, not the origin of most constraints.** Many of the hardest boundary conditions below are state motor-vehicle law, not IAA policy. IAA's rules sit on top of a patchwork it does not control. A finding phrased as "IAA will not let you" is frequently "your state will not let IAA." 2. **`www.iaai.com` marketing pages are bot-blocked to automated fetchers.** The fee-schedule pages (`/marketing/standard-iaa-licensed-buyer-fees`, `/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees`) returned a "Pardon Our Interruption" bot-detection page on direct fetch. `https://www.iaai.com/Au — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/edge-cases.md#scope-statement` - **A1. Public (non-licensed) buying at IAA exists but is state-gated, not universal.** IAA states that "Public Buyers do not require a business license" and can bid on vehicles available to the public "where allowable by state laws and regulations," explicitly adding that this "is not something available in every state." Source: https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules and https://www.iaai.com/Articles/online-car-auctions-who-can-buy — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/edge-cases.md#a-buyer-eligibility-boundaries` - **A3. Texas caps unlicensed salvage purchases at five vehicles per calendar year — a hard statutory ceiling, not an IAA setting.** Texas Transportation Code § 501.091(17) excludes from "salvage vehicle dealer" an unlicensed person who "buys not more than five nonrepairable motor vehicles or salvage motor vehicles in the same calendar year." § 501.091(14) defines a "rebuilder" as one who acquires and rebuilds "more than five salvage motor vehicles in a calendar year." A buyer who exceeds five is operating as an unlicensed dealer. — [source](https://www.carvins.net/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-buying-salvage-auction-vehicles-as-a-public-buyer-navigating-copart-and-iaai-without-a-broker-2/) - **B3. Everything is sold with no warranty.** IAA's rules state in capitals: "ALL VEHICLES SOLD THROUGH IAA'S AUCTIONS ARE SOLD 'AS IS, WHERE IS,' WITH NO WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED." — [source](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules) - **C3. NMVTIS is an incomplete check, by DOJ's own admission.** The Department of Justice warns that "more than half of the states report data to the system" and that consumers should be aware "of the possibility that a search may yield a false negative indication, such as 'no junk or salvage history.'" A clean NMVTIS result is therefore weak evidence of a clean history. — [source](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules#c-title-failure-modes) - **Met.** The report uses more than three independent sources across distinct hosts, including primary and official material: IAA's own Auction Rules (`iaai.com`), RB Global's FY2025 Form 10-K (`sec.gov`), DOJ's NMVTIS consumer guidance (`vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov`), Texas statutory text (`texas.public.law`), a Texas legislative bill analysis (`capitol.texas.gov`), New Mexico MVD (`mvd.newmexico.gov`), Virginia DMV (`dmv.virginia.gov`), and NICB (`nicb.org`). — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#quality-gate) - **Disconfirming sources were actively sought and found** — see D4 (record-high salvage ASPs contradict the bargain premise), A5 (public buying contradicts the universal-dealer-license premise), C5 (a total loss does not always brand), and U1 (two official sources pulling in different directions on COD finality). — [source](https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/11/24/copart-reports-all-time-high-average-selling-prices-as-total-loss-frequency-remains-up/#quality-gate) - 3. IAA's own later filings date the start of the salvage business to 1982 and the first public listing to 1991: the company "entered the salvage business in 1982" and "became publicly traded in 1991." — SEC Form 10-K, IAA, Inc., fiscal 2019: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000174504120000003/iaa-20191229x10k.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#origin-and-early-corporate-history` - 5. A secondary company history names **Bradley Sterling Scott** as founder and describes the 1982 origin as a **one-acre auto pool in Van Nuys, California**, with the first live auction held in **1983**. — FundingUniverse, *History of Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.*: https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/insurance-auto-auctions-inc-history/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#origin-and-early-corporate-history` - 8. In **2005** IAAI was acquired by affiliates of **Kelso & Company and Parthenon Capital**, taking the company private. — KAR Auction Services, Inc. final prospectus (Form 424B4, 2009): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1395942/000119312509251586/d424b4.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#ownership-chain-2005-to-2023` - 9. On **December 22, 2006** KAR LLC agreed to acquire **ADESA**; the merger closed **April 20, 2007**. Concurrently with that merger, **IAAI was contributed** by the Kelso and Parthenon affiliates and IAAI management to **KAR Auction Services**, making ADESA and IAAI sibling wholly owned subsidiaries. — KAR Auction Services final prospectus: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1395942/000119312509251586/d424b4.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#ownership-chain-2005-to-2023` - 11. On **February 27, 2018** KAR announced a plan to separate and spin off its salvage auction business into a separate public company. The spin-off vehicle, **IAA Spinco Inc.**, was incorporated in Delaware on **June 19, 2018** and renamed **IAA, Inc.** on **June 27, 2019**. — SEC Form 10-Q, IAA, Inc., Q2 FY2019: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000162828019010696/iaa-20190630x10q.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#ownership-chain-2005-to-2023` - 12. KAR's board approved the spin-off and the SEC declared IAA, Inc.'s Form 10 registration statement **effective on June 14, 2019**. — PR Newswire, "KAR Board of Directors Approves IAA Salvage Auction Business Spin-Off": https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kar-board-of-directors-approves-iaa-salvage-auction-business-spin-off-300862869.html — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#ownership-chain-2005-to-2023` - 14. As a standalone public company IAA expanded by acquisition: **Auto Exchange**, a New Jersey salvage auction provider, on **June 18, 2021**, and **SYNETIQ Ltd.**, a UK integrated salvage and vehicle dismantling company, on **October 26, 2021**. — SEC Form 10-K, IAA, Inc., fiscal 2022: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000174504122000005/iaa-20220102.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#ownership-chain-2005-to-2023` - 22. Under RB Global the branded formats are **IAA AuctionNow™**, **IAA Buy Now™**, and **IAA Timed Auctions™**, alongside **IAA Transport™**, **IAA Title Services®**, catastrophe response, and inspection/appraisal services. — SEC Form 10-K, RB Global, Inc., fiscal 2024: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828025008201/rba-20241231.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#business-model-evolution` - 30. Under **28 CFR § 25.56** (NMVTIS), "any individual or entity engaged in the business of operating a junk yard or salvage yard within the United States" must provide inventory data to the NMVTIS operator, "by no later than March 31, 2009, and continuing on a monthly basis." Required elements include entity name, address and contact information, the **VIN**, "the date the automobile was obtained," the source entity name, and "a statement of whether the automobile was crushed or disposed of, for sale or other purposes." Exemptions cover entities already reporting to a state that shares data w — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#regulatory-regime-binding-salvage-auction-operations` - 32. Buyers have filed **Better Business Bureau complaints alleging that IAA's automated salvage pool database erroneously reported electronic "Salvage / Total Loss" records to NMVTIS and NICB for vehicles sold with clear state-issued titles**, and separately alleging long delays in title delivery. IAA's recorded response position is that vehicles were processed in accordance with its auction policies and applicable reporting requirements. — BBB complaint record for IAA (Westchester, IL): https://www.bbb.org/us/il/westchester/profile/auto-auction/iaa-0654-88276839/complaints *(BBB complaints ar — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#disconfirming-friction-evidence` - **Met.** The report rests on **nine or more independent source documents across seven distinct hosts**: sec.gov (six separate filings by three different registrants — Insurance Auto Auctions Inc. CIK 880026, IAA Inc. CIK 1745041, and Ritchie Bros./RB Global CIK 1046102), prnewswire.com, law.cornell.edu, fundinguniverse.com, businesswire.com, globenewswire.com, chicagobusiness.com, and bbb.org. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#quality-gate` - Primary sources dominate the corporate-history and business-model claims: SEC registration statements, annual reports, and a merger-completion press release filed as an exhibit. A **disconfirming source was actively sought and included** — the BBB complaint record alleging erroneous NMVTIS salvage reporting by IAA (claim 32), and the shareholder and proxy-advisor opposition to the Ritchie Bros. merger (claim 16), both of which cut against the company's own filings and press narrative. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#quality-gate` - **Primary — SEC filings** 1. Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., Form 10-K, fiscal 2004 (CIK 0000880026) — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880026/000095013705002982/c93072e10vk.txt 2. IAA Spinco Inc., Form 10-12B/A, Exhibit 99.1 information statement (2019) — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000114036119008944/s002330x6_ex99-1.htm 3. IAA, Inc., Form 10-Q, Q2 fiscal 2019 — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000162828019010696/iaa-20190630x10q.htm 4. IAA, Inc., Form 10-K, fiscal 2019 — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1745041/000174504120000003/iaa-20191229x — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#source-list` - **Primary — regulation** 9. 28 CFR § 25.56, NMVTIS reporting requirements for junk yards, salvage yards and insurance carriers — https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/25.56 — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#source-list` - **Secondary history** 16. FundingUniverse — History of Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. — https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/insurance-auto-auctions-inc-history/ *(Mirrored near-verbatim at encyclopedia.com, company-histories.com and companies.jrank.org; these are not independent corroboration.)* — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/history.md#source-list` - **C2.** The start code is a three-state classification, and each state is defined by a *test performed on arrival at the branch*, not by a prediction about the future: - **Run and Drive** — the motor started (with or without a jump), idled, forward and reverse gears engaged, and the steering wheel made one full rotation each way. - **Starts** — the motor started and idled on arrival at the branch. - **Stationary** — the vehicle will not start, has engine damage, or was not tested. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/run-and-drive — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#c-the-information-layer-what-iaa-standardizes-before-sale` - **D1.** IAA runs four distinct sale formats, not one: **Live Auctions** (daily, branch-associated, bid digitally through the AuctionNow platform), **Timed Auctions** (a fixed online bidding window that closes before the scheduled live sale), **Buy Now** (fixed price, immediate purchase, no bidding), and **Online Exclusives** (IAA Specialty, Rec Rides, Dream Rides, Virtual Lane). `[direct]` — https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#d-the-auction-mechanism-itself` - **E2.** Public access is *not* uniform and is not IAA's choice. Buying limitations are set by state regulation, and public access is limited at many IAA branches. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/Articles/online-car-auctions-who-can-buy — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#e-buyer-gating-the-access-control-layer` - **E4.** The required credential varies by state and is sometimes a *dismantler* license specifically, not a dealer license — Illinois is cited as requiring a dismantler license for salvage purchases even for dealers and businesses; Wisconsin is cited as requiring a state-issued "BID Card" or Buyer's License endorsement before a public buyer may bid on salvage. `[indirect]` — https://blog.autobidmaster.com/2026/06/auto-auction-licensing-requirement/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#e-buyer-gating-the-access-control-layer` - **F1.** The buyer fee is a *tiered* function of final sale price, not a flat percentage, and the tier schedule differs by license type and by purchase volume. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#f-the-fee-mechanism` - **F2.** There are multiple parallel fee schedules keyed to vehicle class — standard vehicles, heavy vehicles, and recreational vehicles each have their own schedule. `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#f-the-fee-mechanism` - **F4.** On top of the price-dependent fees sit fixed per-unit charges (service fee, environmental fee, title-handling fee, optional premium imagery). These fixed charges dominate the total cost at the low end of the price distribution, which is where much salvage inventory sits. `[direct, amounts contested — see U1]` — https://www.remarketspace.com/iaa-fee-calculator — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#f-the-fee-mechanism` - **F9.** IAA reserves the right to change fees without notice, and places verification on the buyer: "It is the sole responsibility of each buyer to verify fees charged by any IAA branch prior to incurring such charges." `[indirect]` — https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#f-the-fee-mechanism` - **G5.** The reporting obligation explicitly reaches vehicles handled on a carrier's behalf: entities "must report all salvage or junk vehicles they obtain, including vehicles from or on behalf of insurance carriers, which can be reasonably assumed are total loss vehicles." This is the clause that captures the consignment case where IAA never takes title. `[direct]` — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2009-title28-vol1/html/CFR-2009-title28-vol1-part25-subpartB.htm — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#g-title-and-regulatory-invariants` - **G6.** Small handlers are exempt: entities handling fewer than five salvage/junk/ total-loss vehicles per year need not report. Non-reporting is punishable by a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation. `[direct]` — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2009-title28-vol1/html/CFR-2009-title28-vol1-part25-subpartB.htm — https://www.fenderbender.com/news/article/55044080/salvage-companies-insurers-must-report-to-national-title-database — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#g-title-and-regulatory-invariants` - **U4. Reserve-price handling is inferred, not documented.** D5 is derived from the wording of D3, not stated directly by a retrieved source. What happens to an unsold lot — whether it re-runs, goes to an "on approval / pending seller acceptance" state, or is repriced as Buy Now — was not established. `help.iaai.com` (which appears to host the relevant article) failed TLS verification on every attempt. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **First-party corporate (retrieved directly)** 7. Ritchie Bros. / RB Global blog — "Everything you need to know about bidding in IAA auto auctions" — https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/ 8. RB Global — IAA transaction solutions — https://rbglobal.com/transaction-solutions/iaa/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/mechanism.md#sources` - Primary evidence is IAAI's own published Auction Rules, fee schedules, and start-code definitions; corroboration comes from its parent's SEC filings and investor releases, a state motor-vehicle regulator, and a consumer-complaint aggregator. Two claims below rest on search-engine extraction of IAAI Help Center pages that could not be fetched directly (TLS/bot-block) — they are flagged inline. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#scope` - 7. IAAI operates two buyer classes: **Public (non-licensed) Buyer** and **Licensed Business Buyer**. Public buyers need no business license but may bid only on vehicles marked public-eligible, and eligibility depends on state law and the vehicle's title type. *(Extracted from IAAI Help Center via search; direct fetch of help.iaai.com failed TLS verification.)* https://help.iaai.com/s/article/IAA-Public-Buyer-Guidelines-1590513137200 — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - 9. The annual membership fee for Public and Licensed Business accounts is **$225**, and IAAI does **not** require a refundable security deposit to bid. *(Extracted from the IAAI Help Center registration-fee article via search.)* https://help.iaai.com/s/article/What-is-the-registration-fee?language=en_US — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - 10. Licensed business accounts can add extra named bidders at **$100 per additional bidder per year**. https://help.iaai.com/s/article/How-do-I-register-to-bid — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - 12. Using a broker is a **priced** path, not a free workaround: IAAI's published fee list includes a **broker fee of $100 per vehicle**. https://help.sca.auction/en/articles/6177388-iaa-auction-standard-vehicle-buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#access-and-eligibility` - 13. IAAI's buyer fee is **tiered on final sale price, license type, and purchase volume** — four published schedules exist (Licensed Buyer, Non-Licensed Buyer, Heavy Vehicle Buyer, Rec Rides Buyer). https://www.iaai.com/marketing/buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#cost-structure-beyond-the-hammer-price` - 14. The non-licensed (public) schedule carries a **worse rate than the licensed schedule**, which is the core economic reason a high-volume buyer obtains a dealer license. https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#cost-structure-beyond-the-hammer-price` - 17. Fixed per-unit charges apply regardless of price, currently: **Service Fee $105/unit** (imaging, pull-out and/or loading, "as applicable in IAA's sole discretion"), **Environmental Fee $15/unit**, **Title-Handling Fee $20**, and **Premium Imagery Set Fee $10/unit on eligible vehicles**. https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#cost-structure-beyond-the-hammer-price` - 20. **Storage fees are branch-specific and not centrally published**; IAAI instructs buyers to confirm per-day storage cost with the local branch. This is an unpriced variable at bid time. https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#cost-structure-beyond-the-hammer-price` - 21. IAAI runs three bid modes: **Proxy/AutoBids** (system bids to a stored maximum), **Live Bidding**, and **Buy Now** (fixed price outside the auction). https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 22. **Live bidders beat proxy bids on ties.** A proxy maximum equal to a live bid loses. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 23. **Payment is due within three business days** (auction day plus two business days). https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 27. Disputes are governed by **binding arbitration in Cook County, Illinois** under AAA rules, after a mandatory **30-day informal resolution** attempt. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#auction-mechanics-and-settlement-risk` - 30. **Run & Drive®** is a narrowly defined *arrival-time* test, not a roadworthiness grade: "the vehicle motor started (either with or without a jump) and idled, both the forward and reverse gears engaged and the steering wheel made one full rotation in each direction." https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/vehicle-start-codes — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` - 32. Start codes carry an explicit **temporal disclaimer**: the functions "are not guaranteed at pickup, and the vehicle may not be roadworthy"; the vehicle "may not start, drive or move forward at time of pickup." https://www.iaai.com/buying-services/vehicle-start-codes — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` - 34. **IAA Vehicle Score** is a computer-vision damage rating derived from the vehicle's four corner images using deep learning trained on over 2 million annotated images, surfaced on the vehicle details page. https://www.iaai.com/selling-services/vehiclescore — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` - 36. Vehicle Score does not displace claim 29: it is a damage-severity rating generated from images at check-in, not a warranty, and the "AS IS, WHERE IS" rule governs the sale. https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#condition-information-what-it-does-and-does-not-assert` - 40. The state-imposed volume ceiling on public buyers is real and independently confirmed: in Texas, "an unlicensed purchaser may not purchase more than five salvage or nonrepairable vehicles per calendar year," and exceeding that requires a salvage dealer licence. https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/Salvage_Nonrepairable_Manual.pdf — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#title-consequences-downstream-of-the-purchase` - 43. A deliberately sought disconfirming source: IAAI's BBB profile records **195 complaints closed in the last three years** alongside an **A+ rating** — non-trivial complaint volume coexisting with a high rating, so the rating alone should not be read as buyer satisfaction. https://www.bbb.org/us/il/westchester/profile/auto-auction/iaa-0654-88276839/complaints — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#disconfirming-critical-evidence` - 45. The only class action surfaced in this search naming Insurance Auto Auctions (*Hector Leon v. Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.*) is an **employee wage-and-hour** matter, **not** a buyer-fee case. No buyer-fee class action was found — an absence worth recording against the "hidden fees" framing. https://irp.cdn-website.com/22e69d11/files/uploaded/Leon+v.+IAA-+Class+Settlement+Agreement+-+Fully+Executed-+With+Addendum.pdf — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#disconfirming-critical-evidence` - 2. **Service fee effective dates are inconsistent across pages.** IAAI's non-licensed fee page labels the buyer-fee and internet-bid-fee tables "Effective November 4, 2024" while labelling additional fees "Effective July 1, 2026" (https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees). A third-party mirror reports $95/unit effective January 1, 2024 (https://help.sca.auction/en/articles/6177388-iaa-auction-standard-vehicle-buyer-fees). Whether the November 2024 tier table is still the live one in September 2026 is unconfirmed. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#unresolved-disagreements` - 4. **Exact buyer-fee tier table could not be verified from the primary source.** IAAI publishes its tier tables as embedded SVG/images on https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees and as a PDF at https://content.iaai.com/documents/en-us/IAALicensedBuyerFees.pdf, which returned HTTP 503 during this research. The tier figures in claims 15–16 come from a third-party mirror and should be re-verified against the IAAI PDF before being used for pricing. — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#unresolved-disagreements` - **Met.** More than three independent hosts were used, and they are not all downstream of one another: primary vendor documentation (`iaai.com`, `help.iaai.com`), the parent company's SEC filing (`sec.gov`) and investor relations (`investor.rbglobal.com`), a state motor-vehicle regulator (`txdmv.gov`), a consumer-complaint aggregator (`bbb.org`), and third-party fee mirrors (`help.sca.auction`, `helpcenter.autobidmaster.com`). A disconfirming source was actively sought and is reported in claims 43–45, including a null result (no buyer-fee class action found) that cuts against the critical frami — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#quality-gate` - **Primary — parent company filings and disclosures** - RB Global Inc., Form 10-K FY2025 (SEC EDGAR) — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm - RB Global Reports First Quarter 2025 Results — https://investor.rbglobal.com/news/news-details/2025/RB-Global-Reports-First-Quarter-2025-Results/default.aspx - Everything you need to know about bidding in IAA auto auctions (RB Global blog) — https://blog.ritchiebros.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bidding-in-iaa-auto-auctions/ — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#sources` - **Primary — regulator** - Texas DMV, Salvage/Nonrepairable Motor Vehicle Manual (January 2026) — https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/Salvage_Nonrepairable_Manual.pdf - TxDMV Salvage Dealer License — https://www.txdmv.gov/dealers/licensing/salvage-dealer — source: `~/.global-ai-hub/research-runs/used-car-auctions-20260919/iaai-salvage-auctions/reports/practice.md#sources` ## Related concepts - IAAI — is a part of IAAI Salvage Auctions - Salvage — is a part of IAAI Salvage Auctions - Auctions — is a part of IAAI Salvage Auctions