Introduction to AutoRetta
AutoRetta aggregates salvage and rebuilt-title vehicle listings from major auction houses — so you can search, compare, and track inventory all in one place without juggling multiple platforms.
What is AutoRetta?
AutoRetta is a vehicle intelligence platform built for buyers, dealers, and enthusiasts who want transparent access to auction inventory. We pull data from Copart and other major sources, normalize it, and surface it in a clean, searchable interface — giving you confidence before you ever place a bid.
Search & Filter
Find vehicles by make, model, damage type, title status, location, and more.
Alerts
Save search criteria and get notified when matching listings appear.
Trusted Data
Sourced directly from auction APIs — no guesswork, no stale listings.
Creating your account
An account unlocks your watchlist, saved searches, bid tracking, wallet, and personal notes. Registration is free and takes under a minute.
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Click Sign up in the top-right corner of any page.
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Enter your email and password, or continue with Google or another supported provider.
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Complete any verification steps from our auth provider (e.g. email confirmation).
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You're in — open the dashboard from the menu to get started.
Already have an account? Choose Sign in — your watchlist and history are waiting for you.
Understanding your dashboard
Open Dashboard from the site header. Use the sidebar on desktop or the section picker on mobile. Each area focuses on one job — from discovery to payment and support.
Overview
A snapshot of recent activity and quick links into other sections.
Watchlist
Vehicles you've saved — revisit and compare anytime.
History
Listings you've recently viewed for easy back-navigation.
Alerts
Saved search criteria and how you get notified about new matches.
Bid Tracker
Every bid submitted through AutoRetta — statuses update when auction results are known.
Notes
Your private notes across vehicles — keep research in one place.
Wallet
Buying power from deposits, amounts reserved for active bids, and Add Funds via card or bank (where enabled).
Profile
Your account details and dealer application (if available for your account type).
Support
Open and reply to support tickets — the same flow as Contact support in Help.
Using filters on Inventory
The Inventory page is the main place to browse. Narrow results with make, model, year, damage type, title type, location, price range, and more. Combine filters to match exactly what you're shopping for — then sort by auction date, price, or distance when those options are available.
Saving searches & alerts
In the dashboard Alerts tab, save combinations of criteria you care about. When new listings match, AutoRetta can notify you according to your preferences (where notifications are enabled). Alerts help you act quickly on fresh inventory without manually re-running the same search every day.
Vehicle detail pages
Each listing shows photos, specs, and auction context. When multiple photos are available, you can move between them with the on-screen controls — and use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to step through images without clicking.
Tip: On a listing, focus the photo area and press ← → to browse the gallery quickly.
Wallet & buying power
Your Wallet holds funds you add through our payment provider (Stripe). Buying power is what remains after we reserve amounts against your active bids. Adding funds is optional for browsing — you need sufficient buying power when you place bids that require a balance.
Add Funds
Choose an amount and pay with card, ACH, or SEPA where supported. Deposits show in your wallet after the payment succeeds.
Reserved
Active bids can lock part of your balance so you can't double-spend the same dollars on overlapping commitments.
Winning bid paymentis separate: when you win, you complete vehicle purchase payment through the flow in your Bid Tracker receipt (card checkout), not by "spending" wallet balance at checkout in the same way. See After you win a bid.
Membership & access levels
Most visitors can browse inventory. Certain actions — like placing bids or seeing premium fields on a listing — require a signed-in account and sometimes an upgraded access tier.
Member
Default after sign-up. Browse, watchlist, alerts, and dashboard tools per product rules.
Premium
Unlocks additional listing detail and bidding features where the UI shows a Premium gate. Upgrade paths appear in context (e.g. from a locked section).
Dealer
For verified businesses. May include dealer-specific workflows; apply from Profile if available.
How we source data
Listings are ingested from partner auction systems and APIs. We normalize fields (make, model, damage, title, location) so you can search consistently. Sale dates, photos, and fees can change as the source updates a lot — always treat the auction host's listing as the legal source of truth before you bid.
If you spot a mismatch between AutoRetta and the host site, contact support with the lot number and we'll investigate.
Privacy & your data
Authentication is handled by our identity provider (e.g. Clerk). We store account and usage data needed to run the service — watchlists, bids, wallet transactions, and support tickets. Payment card details are processed by Stripe; we don't store full card numbers on AutoRetta servers.
For deletion or data questions, reach out through Contact support.
FAQ
Is AutoRetta free?
Browsing and core tools are free. AutoRetta does not add a platform markup to your vehicle purchase — see AutoRetta fees in Help. You still pay the auction host's fees and any payment processing for deposits or purchases.
Do I pay Copart (or another host) directly?
Fee line items that belong to the auction are shown separately on your receipt as auction fees. Complete vehicle purchase payment through AutoRetta's checkout when you win — don't send cash to random third parties.
What's the difference between Wallet and paying for a won vehicle?
Wallet buying power is for participating in bidding (reserves against your balance). When you win, use the Pay button on your auction receipt to complete purchase payment by card through our provider.
Can I export or print my receipt?
Yes — open the receipt from the Bid Tracker and use Save PDF / print from your browser. Print-friendly formatting uses a high-contrast logo.
How do I get help?
Use the Support tab in your dashboard or visit Contact support in this Help Center. You can also open a ticket from a bid card using the headphones icon.