Salvage bidding: what number to stop at (reading the risk score)
Your stop number on a salvage lot is the bid at which projected net profit still meets your minimum margin. Above it, you are buying someone else’s optimism; below it, you make money. The discipline is to set that number before the lot opens and not chase past it. Here is how to set it, and how a risk score keeps a profitable-looking lot from turning into a bad buy.
Work backward to the stop number
- Add up resale for the parts intact on the lot.
- Subtract auction and gate fees and transport.
- Subtract the margin you require and an allowance for parts that never sell.
- What is left is the most you can bid - your stop number.
If the live bid passes that number, you walk. The next lot is always coming.
Why “profitable” lots still lose
A lot can clear on paper and still bite you. The usual reasons:
- Thin margin. A small miss on resale or one extra fee flips it negative.
- Concentration. Most of the profit is in one expensive part that is slow to sell, so your cash is tied up for months.
- Slow movers. The revenue depends on parts that sit on the shelf.
These are exactly the cases a stop number alone does not catch - the math says yes, reality says be careful.
Reading the risk score
Pre-bid ROI returns a risk score alongside the net-profit number. A high score is the tool flagging a fragile lot: thin margin, concentrated value, or slow-moving revenue. Treat it as a signal to lower your stop number or pass, even when the headline profit looks fine. Enter the VIN and your max bid, edit the parts list to the lot, and you get both the number and the risk in seconds - no Copart account, no scraping.
Decode the lot first with the free VIN decoder.
The full method behind the stop number is in the pillar guide: Is a salvage car worth parting out? How to know before you bid.
Takeaways
- Your stop number is the bid where net profit still meets your minimum margin.
- Set it before the lot opens and do not chase past it.
- Use the risk score to catch profitable-looking lots that are fragile in practice.
Frequently asked questions
What number should I stop bidding at on a salvage car?
Stop at the bid where projected net profit still meets your minimum margin. Work backward from the intact-parts revenue minus fees and transport, leave room for your target margin and the parts that will not sell, and that is your ceiling.
Why do I lose money on lots that looked profitable?
Usually thin margin, profit concentrated in one slow part, or fees left out of the math. A risk score flags exactly these cases before you bid.
How does the risk score help me bid?
It tells you when a lot that shows a profit is fragile - so you lower your stop number or pass, instead of winning a lot that loses money in practice.