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Getting started

Time required: 5 minutes from install to first verdict. Prerequisites: a Google account and a Chrome-based browser. That's it.

1. Install the Chrome extension

  1. Open the AuctionMate Pro listing on the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Click Add to Chrome.
  3. Click Add extension in the prompt.

The extension installs and pins itself to your toolbar. You don't need to configure anything yet.

If you use Edge, Brave, Arc, or another Chromium-based browser, the extension still works — install from the same Chrome Web Store URL.

If you use Safari or Firefox, the extension isn't available yet. Use the web app at auctionmate.app instead.

2. Open a Copart or IAAI lot

Navigate to any active lot on copart.com, iaai.com, or one of the supported international Copart sites (Canada, UK, Germany, etc.). The side panel opens automatically and starts populating within a few seconds.

First-time wait: the very first lot you open takes 15–25 seconds because we're decoding the VIN, fetching market values, and pulling auction history in parallel. Subsequent lots feel instant — once a VIN is cached, we serve from the cache.

If the panel doesn't open automatically:

  • Click the AuctionMate icon in the Chrome toolbar.
  • Or click Side panel in Chrome's right-side controls.

3. Read the verdict

The top of the panel shows the verdict banner: Strong Margin, Thin Margin, Below Cost, or Parts Only.

  • Strong Margin — projected margin is healthy at the current bid.
  • Thin Margin — margin is positive but tight. Double-check the title, damage, and your assumptions.
  • Below Cost — projected margin is negative at the current bid.
  • Parts Only — reconditioning is too expensive relative to resale value. The math is telling you the value is in components.

The number next to the verdict is your projected profit at the current bid and a suggested sales price. Both are editable below.

For more on what goes into the call, see How the verdict works.

4. Look at the Profit Bar

Just below the verdict, the horizontal bar visualizes where your potential exit prices land.

  • Red zone = loss territory.
  • Yellow zone = tight margin.
  • Green zone = healthy margin.

The blue vertical line is the current bid. The red ▼ marker is My Sales Price — what you think you can resell for. Drag the marker to model different exit prices; the verdict updates live.

A few things you might do here:

  • Drag the marker down to see what happens if the market is softer than you expected.
  • Drag it up to see how much room you have before the verdict trips into Strong Margin territory.
  • Click the bid value to override it manually if you're modeling a different bid.

5. Check the due-diligence tiles

Below the Profit Bar, the 2x3 due-diligence grid shows six checks:

  • Title — clean, salvage, rebuilt, etc.
  • Damage — front end, side, rear, undercarriage, water, etc.
  • Features — premium packages, AWD, sunroof, etc. (value lift)
  • Odometer — actual vs. exempt vs. not actual.
  • Auction history — has this lot been listed before? Sold then relisted?
  • Recalls — open NHTSA recalls, click for details.

A green ✓ means the check is OK. A yellow △ means there's something to look at. A red ✕ means we'd skip this lot. Click any tile to expand the detail.

If anything looks wrong — say the odometer says "Not Actual" but the listing claims 75k miles — that tile flips red and the verdict adjusts.

6. Tune your inputs (one-time)

The verdict math depends on three things you should set once and forget:

  1. Your zip code — drives the shipping calculator. Settings → Calculation defaults → ZIP.
  2. Your buyer fee tier — Copart's tier table is the default; if you're at a different fee tier or you've negotiated something custom, override it. Settings → Fee tiers.
  3. Your default recon bundle — what you typically spend per lot on cleanup, mechanical baseline, and detail. We default to $350. Settings → Recon bundle.

You can override any of these per lot when you have better information.

7. Save it to a watchlist

Click the + List button on a lot you want to track. Pick an existing list or create a new one. The lot card joins your watchlist and syncs across devices.

When the auction sale time approaches, you'll get a push notification (15m, 30m, 1h, or 2h before — pick in Settings).

For the full watchlist deep dive, see Watchlists.

8. Sign in (optional but recommended)

The extension works without an account, but you'll lose your data if you reinstall Chrome or switch devices. Click Sign in in the panel header to authenticate with Google.

Once signed in:

  • Your watch lists, max bids, and notes sync across the extension, the web app, and any other browsers you sign into.
  • You can paste a VIN into the web app's Look Up page and get the same audit, even when you're not on a Copart page.
  • AuctionMate is free to use — the verdict, profit math, market range, and recall data run on every lot you analyze.

What's next

Common first-day issues

The panel says "Awaiting VIN enrichment" forever. The lot page loads its data a few seconds after the page looks done, so the VIN sometimes arrives late. Wait 30 seconds and refresh the page. If it persists across multiple lots, reload the extension at chrome://extensions/.

Market value shows zero. The VIN decoded but the market-value provider returned no comps for that exact trim. This happens on rare or new vehicles. You can manually override the Wholesale value in the Profit & Decision card.

Recon bundle is way too low for this car. The default $350 covers basic cleanup. For lots with significant damage, override the recon estimate per-lot in the Profit Bar. The verdict recalculates immediately.

The verdict feels wrong. Read How the verdict works and check whether the title type matches what your DMV check would show. If you disagree with the title brand on the listing, override it in the dropdown — the math recalculates instantly.

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