# Copart Scraper \[$0.7/1K💰] | Salvage Auctions | Bids & VINs (`ahmed_jasarevic/copart-scraper`) Actor

Extract Copart salvage auction lot data - VIN, damage, bids, buy-it-now price and yard location - for car flipping, export deals, parts sourcing and auction market research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ahmed\_jasarevic/copart-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Ahmed Jasarevic](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.67 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Copart Scraper: Salvage Auction Data, Bids & VINs

**Copart Scraper** extracts salvage auction lot data from [Copart](https://www.copart.com) — the world's largest online vehicle auction platform — and returns **VIN, year/make/model/trim, primary + secondary damage, odometer, current bid, buy-it-now price, retail value, auction date, yard location, photos and seller info** per lot. Built for **car flippers, export dealers, parts dismantlers and auction-data researchers**, it runs on the Apify platform with proxy rotation, scheduling, API access and JSON/CSV/Excel dataset exports built in.

### Use Copart Scraper for Salvage Car Market Research

- **Salvage auction market research** — track bids, sale dates and damage mixes across the market by model, year and yard.
- **Car flipper sourcing** — filter by damage code, odometer and bid vs. retail value to find rebuild candidates.
- **Salvage car export data** — pull VIN + damage + photos + yard location for overseas buyers and exporters.
- **Parts dismantling** — locate donor vehicles by make/model/year and yard for parts harvesting.
- **Auction price monitoring** — watch current bid and buy-it-now price movements on the lots you care about.

Each row is a complete record fetched in **a single HTTP request** — no extra per-lot round-trips, no browser.

### Get Copart Auction Data Without an Official API

Copart sits behind **Imperva Incapsula** (cookie + JS challenge wall) and offers no public REST API for anonymous lot data — you must log in on copart.com. This actor talks directly to Copart's own public JSON endpoints, the same ones Copart's frontend calls, and pushes search-level records with zero extra per-lot requests. No browser, no mobile app surface, no Playwright — just fast HTTP.

| Step | Endpoint | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Search | `POST /public/lots/search-results` with `{query, start, page, size}` | Enumerate lots (VIN, make/model, bid, auction date, damage, photos …) |
| 2. Search fallback | `POST /public/lots/search` (browse-all surface) | Tried when the primary search-results endpoint is Imperva-challenged |
| 3. Retry on challenge | Same endpoint, fresh proxy session (up to 2 retries) | The WAF is flaky — a fresh session often gets through |
| 4. Lot detail | `GET /public/data/lotdetails/solr/lotNumber/{lot}` | Only used for directly pasted `/lot/<number>` seed URLs |

The actor auto-detects the first working search endpoint and logs which one won, so the bypass stays transparent.

### Build a Vehicle Auction Dataset / Export Copart Listings to CSV or Excel

- **Fast & cheap** — pure HTTP + `CheerioCrawler`, no browser on the hot path. Runs on **256 MB** with low concurrency (3).
- **Lightweight** — no Playwright dependency, ~300 MB Docker image.
- **Export-ready** — pull results as **JSON, CSV, HTML or Excel** from the Apify dataset, or fetch them via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2).
- **Automate it** — schedule daily runs for auction price monitoring, or trigger runs via webhook from your own tooling.

#### How to use

1. Click **Try for free** (or open the actor in Apify Console).
2. Enter a **Search query** (e.g. `tesla model 3`) **or** paste Copart URLs into **Start URLs** — a filtered `/lotSearchResults/` URL (filters preserved) or individual `/lot/<number>` URLs.
3. Set **Max lots** and click **Start**.
4. Download results as **JSON, CSV, HTML or Excel**, or fetch them via the Apify API.

```json
{
    "searchQuery": "tesla model 3",
    "maxItems": 50
}
```

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `searchQuery` | string | no | `ford f-150` | Keyword seed for the public JSON search API. Paginated automatically (~20 lots per page). Used when no Start URLs are given. |
| `startUrls` | array | no | `[]` | Copart search URLs (filters preserved) or `/lot/<number>` URLs. Overrides `searchQuery`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | no | `50` | Max unique lots (1–1000). Free users capped at 20. |
| `maxRequestRetries` | integer | no | `5` | Retries on 403/429/503 from Imperva-class gateways (0–10). |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | no | Apify proxy, residential group | Residential proxies strongly recommended — datacenter IPs get challenged almost immediately. |

### Output: Lot Data, Damage Codes and Auction Prices

One dataset record per unique lot:

```json
{
    "lotNumber": "41609716",
    "url": "https://www.copart.com/lot/41609716",
    "vin": "5YJ3E1EA7JF000123",
    "year": 2018,
    "make": "TESLA",
    "model": "MODEL 3",
    "trim": "LONG RANGE AWD",
    "primaryDamage": "REAR END",
    "secondaryDamage": "MINOR DENT/SCRATCHES",
    "odometer": 45210,
    "odometerBrand": "ACTUAL MILEAGE",
    "currentBid": 8500,
    "buyItNowPrice": null,
    "retailValue": 24900,
    "auctionDate": "2026-09-15T16:00:00.000Z",
    "saleLocation": "CA - SAN JOSE",
    "city": "SAN JOSE",
    "state": "CA",
    "color": "BLACK",
    "engine": "ELECTRIC MOTOR",
    "transmission": "AUTOMATIC",
    "drive": "AWD",
    "fuel": "ELECTRIC",
    "bodyStyle": "SEDAN 4D",
    "seller": "INSURANCE COMPANY",
    "images": ["https://cs.copart.com/v1/AUTH_svc.pdoc00001/..._ful.jpg"],
    "thumbnail": "https://cs.copart.com/v1/AUTH_svc.pdoc00001/..._ful.jpg",
    "imageCount": 12,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z"
}
```

#### Data fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `lotNumber` | Copart lot identifier |
| `url` | Public lot URL |
| `vin` | 17-char VIN when Copart exposes it (masked for some anonymous views) |
| `year`, `make`, `model`, `trim` | Vehicle identity |
| `bodyStyle`, `engine`, `color`, `transmission`, `drive`, `fuel` | Specs |
| `odometer`, `odometerBrand` | Mileage + brand (ACTUAL / NOT ACTUAL / EXEMPT) |
| `primaryDamage`, `secondaryDamage` | Damage codes (FRONT END, REAR END, …) |
| `titleCode`, `titleState` | Title brand + issuing state |
| `seller` | Seller type when exposed |
| `currentBid`, `buyItNowPrice`, `retailValue` | Auction economics (USD) |
| `auctionDate` | Sale date, ISO 8601 |
| `saleLocation`, `city`, `state`, `zip` | Yard location |
| `images`, `thumbnail`, `imageCount` | Full-size photo gallery |
| `searchUrl`, `scrapedAt` | Provenance |

### How Much Does It Cost to Scrape Copart?

The actor runs on **256 MB** with low concurrency (3) to stay under rate limits. A 50-lot run uses a fraction of a compute unit plus residential proxy traffic. **Free-plan users get up to 20 lots per run** as a preview; paid users get the full `maxItems`. You only pay for the compute and proxy traffic Apify actually consumes — no per-lot surcharge.

### Tips

- **Filtered searches:** apply filters on copart.com, paste the `/lotSearchResults/` URL into Start URLs — `query` and `searchCriteria` are forwarded to the search API.
- **Single-lot mode:** paste `/lot/<number>` URLs to fetch detail JSON directly.
- **Keep `maxItems` tight** while testing; each search request returns ~20 lots so a 50-lot run needs only 3 search pages.

### Related Actors

- [Copart Scraper (crawloop)](https://apify.com/crawloop/copart-scraper) — reference Copart lot scraper in this cluster
- [IAAI Scraper (crawloop)](https://apify.com/crawloop/iaai-scraper) — IAAI auction data, Copart's main US competitor
- [VIN Decoder Recall Auditor](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/universal-vin-decoder-recall-auditor) — decode VINs and check recall status for the lots you collect
- [Cars.com Scraper](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/cars-com-scraper) — US retail car listings, VIN and dealer data for price benchmarking
- [AutoTrader UK Scraper](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/autotrader-scraper) — UK car prices and specs for export/resale comparisons

### FAQ

**Does Copart have a public API?** Copart exposes internal JSON endpoints that its own frontend uses, but there is no documented, rate-limited developer API — you need to log in on copart.com to browse lots. This actor reads the same public JSON endpoints anonymously, so it works as a Copart API alternative.

**What are alternatives to Copart?** IAAI is Copart's largest US competitor — see the [IAAI Scraper](https://apify.com/crawloop/iaai-scraper). For US retail pricing context, pair Copart data with the [Cars.com Scraper](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/cars-com-scraper).

**Why are some VINs masked?** Copart masks trailing VIN characters for anonymous views; the actor returns exactly what Copart exposes publicly.

**How can I monitor auction prices for a model?** Schedule the actor to run daily on the search query (e.g. `tesla model 3`) and diff `currentBid` / `retailValue` across runs — Apify's scheduling makes this a set-and-forget feed.

**How do car flippers find rebuildable cars?** Filter by `primaryDamage`, `odometer` and the gap between `currentBid` and `retailValue` — lots where bid sits well below retail are typical rebuild candidates.

**Zero rows?** Check the run log. If you see repeated Imperva challenges, make sure you're on a residential proxy group (default is `BUYPROXIES94952`). If you see `zero lots`, verify your search query returns results on copart.com.

**Issues & support:** please use the actor's **Issues** tab on Apify. Custom scraping solutions are available on request.

### SEO Keywords

copart scraper, copart data, copart api alternative, copart dataset, salvage auction data, salvage car export usa, copart vin lookup, copart lot details, copart damage codes, copart auction prices, copart bid tracking, iaai alternative, salvage car market research, copart inventory, damaged cars for sale auction, copart title codes, buy cars at auction usa, pending auction list, car flipper sourcing data, auction vehicle database, salvage title cars, export cars from usa

### For AI Agents & LLM Apps

One dataset record per Copart auction lot: VIN, vehicle identity, damage codes, odometer, current bid / buy-it-now / retail value, auction date, yard location and photo URLs — wired for the Apify MCP server and the Apify API.

Minimal working input:

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "tesla model 3",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

Variant 1 — filtered search URL (filters preserved):

```json
{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResults/?free=true&query=tesla+model+3"],
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

Variant 2 — single-lot detail fetch:

```json
{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.copart.com/lot/41609716"]
}
```

Output field list: `lotNumber, url, vin, year, make, model, trim, bodyStyle, engine, color, transmission, drive, fuel, odometer, odometerBrand, primaryDamage, secondaryDamage, titleCode, titleState, seller, currentBid, buyItNowPrice, retailValue, auctionDate, saleLocation, city, state, zip, images, thumbnail, imageCount, searchUrl, scrapedAt`.

Behaviors an agent should know:

- `startUrls` takes priority over `searchQuery` — set one, not both (Start URLs override the search query).
- Leave `maxItems` unset or low for a cheap run — free accounts are capped at 20 lots.
- Some VINs are truncated by Copart for anonymous views — expect masked trailing characters.
- Use a residential proxy group; datacenter IPs get challenged by Imperva almost immediately (free preview runs at low concurrency).
- This is a Copart API alternative performing anonymous reads only — no login, no account-gated data.

Billing model: pay-per-event (compute + Apify proxy traffic actually consumed); pricing from **$0.67 per 1,000 results**.

### Legal & Compliance Disclaimer

This actor is **independent** and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Copart, Inc. It only reads data that is publicly visible to anonymous visitors without logging in, via the same endpoints Copart's public web surface uses; it does not bypass authentication or access account-gated data. Users are responsible for complying with Copart's Terms of Service and all applicable laws in how they collect and use the data.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Keyword seed for the public JSON search API (e.g. "tesla model 3"). Returns the first ~20 inventory lots per page, paginated automatically. For targeted lots paste /lot/ URLs into Start URLs.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Copart search URLs (/lotSearchResults/..., filters preserved) or individual lot URLs (/lot/<number>). Overrides Search query.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of unique lots to return. Free users are capped at 20.

## `maxRequestRetries` (type: `integer`):

Retries on 403/429/503 from Imperva-class gateways.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Residential proxies are strongly recommended — Copart challenges datacenter IPs almost immediately.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "ford f-150",
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResults/?free=true&query=ford+f-150"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "maxRequestRetries": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "BUYPROXIES94952"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResults/?free=true&query=ford+f-150"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ahmed_jasarevic/copart-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResults/?free=true&query=ford+f-150" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ahmed_jasarevic/copart-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResults/?free=true&query=ford+f-150"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call ahmed_jasarevic/copart-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,ahmed_jasarevic/copart-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/cIRPJiE9JW0AEB7KK/builds/4gYvXEUPY2CvVRfAB/openapi.json