You can buy from IAAI without a dealer license, but not everywhere. IAA's US registration page (checked 2026-10) describes three levels: a guest account that only browses, a Public Buyer account for people without a business license that can bid and buy in certain states with a government ID, and a Licensed Business Buyer account that covers all 200+ locations. Which states count as eligible for public buyers is on a separate IAA page that we could not load, so we do not list them.
Source: IAA registration page.
LocalIQ™ market snapshot
What top flip candidates are asking right now
| Model | Listings | Median asking price |
|---|---|---|
| GMC Sierra 1500 | 632 | $29,972 |
| Honda Civic | 5,396 | $15,000 |
| Honda Accord | 4,176 | $15,999 |
| Ford F-150 | 3,134 | $24,000 |
| Toyota Corolla | 3,040 | $14,500 |
| Nissan Sentra | 3,004 | $9,880 |
| Toyota Camry | 2,510 | $17,082 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2,396 | $9,499 |
LocalIQ™ asking-price median · 24,288 listings · updated every 6 hours. National, last 8 model years; asking price is your resale ceiling.
What are IAAI's account types?
| Account | License needed | What the page says it does |
|---|---|---|
| Guest (free or premium) | No | Browse inventory and keep a watch list. Cannot bid or buy |
| Public Buyer | No | Bid and buy in certain US states with a government ID |
| Licensed Business Buyer | Business license | Bid and buy at any of 200+ locations after a membership fee and document review |
The sign-up form asks you to pick "Business with business license(s)" or "Individual without business license(s)". The page also says Registered Buyers have no deposit and no bidding limits. We cover what that means for bidding in IAAI max bid and buying limit.
Where can a public buyer bid?
The page says Public Buyers are eligible in some US states. It links to a separate IAA help article, IAA Public Buyer Guidelines, for the list. We could not load that article, so do not take our word or anyone else's secondhand figure for the state count. Open the link and check your state before you pay for anything.
Why would states differ? Dealer licensing and who can buy salvage or total-loss vehicles are set by state law. Our overview of state rules is in the dealer license guides.
Does a dealer license change what you pay?
Possibly, because your account type can change your fee schedule. IAA's registration page says nothing about fee amounts, and we could not load its fee articles, so we cannot compare public and licensed totals. Our IAAI fee calculator models the Standard schedule, so a public buyer should confirm what their own account shows.
The registration page does name one cost: a membership fee for licensed buyers, with no amount listed. Weigh it against how many cars you plan to buy.
One practical difference we can verify from the branch pages: online payment through I-Pay is listed for Licensed Business Buyers, while others have a wire or in-person options. See IAAI payment methods and deadlines.
Do you need a license to flip cars you buy at auction?
Buying and reselling are different legal questions. Being allowed to bid does not settle how many cars you may sell per year without a dealer license, which is set by your state. Our post how many cars you can flip without a dealer license has the by-state view, and how to get a car auction dealer license and the getting a dealer license guide cover the process.
We are not giving legal advice. Check your state agency before you scale.
What changes at a monthly buying pace?
If you buy a car a month, the question is not just whether you may bid, it is what the license costs you versus saves. Work it with real numbers:
- Add up the access you lose without a license (locations and states).
- Add the membership fee and the cost of getting licensed in your state.
- Compare with the margin on the cars you would otherwise not reach.
If the extra locations open cars you would not otherwise see, the license can pay for itself. If you buy a handful a year inside a public-buyer state, it may not. That is arithmetic, not a rule.
What does registration involve?
From the page: you start by choosing business or individual on the sign-up form. Licensed Business Buyers then submit a membership fee and "official documents" that IAA reviews before bidding opens. The page does not list which documents, so ask IAA for the current list instead of relying on a forum post. Guests can sign up free and upgrade later, which is a low-cost way to browse inventory and study lots before you commit to an account level.
That order is worth using. Spend a week or two as a guest, pick lots you would have bid on, and price each in the IAAI fee calculator. If those cars would have cleared your margin, the upgrade is justified by your own numbers. If they would not, you saved the membership fee.
What is "iaai fees without license plate" about?
Nothing to do with plates. It is a noisy search phrase. If you are wondering about registration costs after you buy, that is your state's title and registration fees, covered in the car title fee calculator and IAAI fees and taxes.
What if your state is not on the public buyer list?
Then a guest account will not get you a bid, and your options are a Licensed Business Buyer account (which needs a business license) or buying the same kind of car through other channels. Do not assume a workaround exists. Ask IAA directly, and check your state's rules before you route a purchase through anyone else's license.
Next steps
- Open IAA's registration page and decide between Public Buyer and Licensed Business Buyer.
- Check the public buyer guidelines for your state.
- Price a target lot in the IAAI fee calculator and in the max bid calculator before you pay a membership fee.
Run one real lot through both calculators first. If the margin only works with licensed access, you have your answer.