You want a car at an auction price, you live in Minnesota, and you do not have a dealer license. You have probably clicked into an auction site only to find a dealers only sign. The good news: Minnesota has real public car auctions, and you can bid at them as a private buyer.
This guide covers who can bid, where, what it costs and how to win a car without surprises. Want to see what is up for bid right now? Browse cars in this week’s auctions, no dealer license and no membership fee.
The short answer: Yes. In Minnesota you can bid on cars without a dealer license at public auctions, including Remarket Space, the Minneapolis Impound Lot and state surplus sales on MNbid. A Remarket Space account is free. A Minnesota buyer pays the winning bid plus a buyer’s premium, an administrative fee, 6.875% sales tax and $119.50 in DMV fees, and every car is delivered.
Updated November 9, 2026. Checked against the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes (sections 168.27 and 297B.02), the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Department of Administration and Remarket Space’s How It Works, Pricing and Guarantee pages. Sources are at the bottom.
Key takeaways
- Anyone can bid at a public auction: you need an account and an ID, not a dealer license.
- Dealer-only auctions are a different world: wholesale lanes are closed to the public, so skip them.
- Know the total before you bid: fees, 6.875% Minnesota sales tax and DMV fees add to the hammer price.
- Bids are binding: set your limit first and stick to it.
- Five cars a year is the line: Minnesota exempts buying or selling up to five vehicles in 12 months from dealer licensing.
Are car auctions in Minnesota open to the public?
Many are. Anyone who registers can bid at a public auction, and you do not need a dealer license to buy a car for yourself. What you do need depends on the auction: usually a free account, a government ID and a way to pay.
Remarket Space (formerly Twin Cities Auctions) is open to everyone: dealers, repair shops and the general public. Creating an account is free, you verify your ID before you buy, and you bid online from home. Cars come from the Twin Cities area, with more from the St. Louis area. For a wider list of options, see our guide to auto auctions open to the public near you.
Public auction vs dealer-only auction: what is the difference?
Car auctions fall into a few groups. The group decides whether you can bid, how you see the car and how you get it home.
| Auction type | Can the public bid? | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer-only wholesale | No, dealer license required | Dealers trading inventory with each other |
| Insurance and salvage (Copart, IAA) | Depends on the state and the title | Many damaged or salvage cars, sometimes a broker is needed |
| City impound auctions | Yes | Towed, unclaimed cars sold as is, you arrange towing |
| State and federal surplus | Yes | Retired fleet vehicles sold online on MNbid and GSA Auctions |
| Online public marketplace (Remarket Space) | Yes | Inspected cars, free Carfax, Buy Now or live bidding, delivery |
If you keep running into dealer-only walls, our guide on how to buy a car at auction without a dealer license explains when a broker makes sense and when it does not. Comparing salvage sites? Read Remarket Space vs Copart.
Where can the public buy cars at auction in Minnesota?
- Remarket Space: an online marketplace open to the public, with Buy Now and live auctions, every car inspected and delivered. See Minnesota cars for sale.
- Minneapolis Impound Lot: the city holds public auctions on the first Thursday of each month, run by Friedrichs Auctions. Cars cannot be driven off the lot, have no plates and must be towed out after you pay.
- State surplus on MNbid: the Minnesota Department of Administration sells surplus state property online at MNbid.mn.gov, and the federal GSA lists Minnesota items at gsaauctions.gov.
Government and impound sales can be cheap, but they come with more legwork: towing, inspections and title paperwork you handle yourself. Our guide to police and government surplus vehicles in Minnesota goes deeper, and buying repossessed cars in MN covers bank repos.
What does it cost to register and buy?
Registering on Remarket Space is free. When you win, you pay the winning bid plus a buyer’s premium and an administrative fee. A Minnesota buyer without a dealer license also pays 6.875% sales tax and Minnesota DMV fees. Every listing shows the out-the-door total, delivery quote included, before you bid. Here is a $4,000 car from the published fee schedule:
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Winning bid | $4,000.00 |
| Buyer’s premium | $549.00 |
| Administrative fee | $209.00 |
| MN sales tax (6.875% of bid plus premium) | $312.74 |
| MN DMV fees | $119.50 |
| Out-the-door total | $5,190.24 |
Out-of-state buyers and licensed dealers do not pay Minnesota tax and DMV fees here; they handle those in their own state. For how premiums compare across auction sites, see what a car auction buyer’s premium is, and for the DVS side, what it costs to transfer a title in Minnesota.
How do you bid at a public car auction, step by step?
Here is the process on Remarket Space. Other public auctions follow a similar order, with more of the work on you. Our step by step buying guide has screenshots.
- 1. Create a free account: it takes about a minute. No dealer license and no membership fee. You verify your ID before you buy.
- 2. Check the car: every listing has an inspection by a Verified Remarket Space Inspector, a free Carfax and an HD virtual test drive. Our car auction inspection tips show what to look for.
- 3. Set your limit: look at the out-the-door total, not just the bid. Bids are binding and cannot be retracted.
- 4. Buy Now or bid live: Buy Now takes the car at the listed price. In a live auction, offers made beforehand act as proxy bids and live bidding moves in $50 steps. No Reserve cars sell to the highest bidder.
- 5. Pay by card within 48 hours: the full amount goes on a credit or debit card. Cash, personal checks, Venmo and CashApp are not accepted. Miss the window and the account is suspended and the car is relisted.
- 6. Get it delivered: delivery typically arrives within 48 hours in the Twin Cities area. Every car is delivered, so there is no trip to a lot.
- 7. Get your title: title transfers typically take 8 to 12 weeks, and the title guarantee lasts as long as you own the car.
Not sure what your budget buys? See Minnesota cars under $5,000 or SUVs for sale in Minnesota, and check real sold prices before you bid.
Can you inspect or test drive the car first?
It depends on the auction. City impound auctions may let you look but not drive. Remarket Space is fully online, so there are no in-person inspections or test drives. Instead, every listing publishes the full inspection results, covering tires, suspension, transmission, engine, brakes and mechanical codes, plus the Carfax and a video of the car starting and running.
If something serious was missed, eligible cars carry a 3-Day Major Mechanical Guarantee. It covers four undisclosed defects: lower-end engine damage, automatic transmission failure, frame or structural damage, and flood damage. You file within 72 hours of delivery. Under $2,000 you keep the car and get 25% of the bid back, up to $500. At $2,000 or more, you return the car for a refund of the bid, buyer’s premium and DMV fees.
Do you need a dealer license to buy several cars in Minnesota?
Not for a handful. Minnesota’s dealer law exempts isolated or occasional sales, which it defines to include the sale, purchase or lease of not more than five motor vehicles in a 12-month period, other than pioneer or classic vehicles (Minnesota Statutes, section 168.27, subdivision 8). Past that, you are treated as being in the business.
Planning to flip? Read how many cars you can sell in Minnesota without a license before you buy the sixth one.
What happens after you win?
You get an invoice with the same total the listing showed. You pay by card within 48 hours, the car is delivered, and the title follows by mail. Minnesota charges a 6.875% motor vehicle sales tax on the purchase price (Minnesota Statutes, section 297B.02), which is already in your Remarket Space total if you register in Minnesota.
At an impound auction the order flips: you pay, get a receipt and a notarized bill of sale, arrange a tow, have a mechanic complete the safety checklist on the back of the bill of sale, then apply for title and plates at Driver and Vehicle Services. Salvaged or rebuilt vehicles also need a DVS inspection. Credit is tight? See buying a car at auction with bad credit in Minnesota.
Why Minnesota buyers without a license use Remarket Space
Remarket Space is built for people buying one car, not dealers buying fifty. You sign up free, with no dealer license, no broker and no membership fee, and bid from your phone. Every car has an inspection report, a free Carfax and an HD virtual test drive, so you know what is wrong before you bid. The listing shows your out-the-door total with Minnesota tax, DMV fees and delivery, and delivery in the Twin Cities area typically takes about 48 hours. Eligible cars carry the 3-Day Major Mechanical Guarantee, and the title guarantee lasts as long as you own the car. For more on fees and Minnesota paperwork, see our guide to online car auctions in MN.
See cars up for auction now, or read how it works first.
Frequently asked questions
Many are. Public auctions, city impound auctions, state surplus sales on MNbid and online marketplaces such as Remarket Space let anyone register and bid. Dealer-only wholesale auctions do not, and salvage auctions set their rules by state and title type.
No, not at a public auction. You need a free account, a government ID and a way to pay. A dealer license only matters once you buy or sell more than five vehicles in 12 months, under Minnesota Statutes section 168.27.
On Remarket Space there are no in-person inspections or test drives because the lot is fully online. Each listing has a full inspection report, a free Carfax and an HD virtual test drive, and eligible cars carry a 3-Day Major Mechanical Guarantee.
You get an invoice for the out-the-door total the listing showed. Pay the full amount by credit or debit card within 48 hours. The car is delivered, typically within 48 hours in the Twin Cities area, and the title arrives in about 8 to 12 weeks.
A buyer’s premium and an administrative fee, both tiered by price. Minnesota buyers without a dealer license also pay 6.875% sales tax and 119.50 dollars in DMV fees. On a 4,000 dollar car the total comes to 5,190.24 dollars before delivery.
Not on Remarket Space. Every vehicle is delivered and lot pickup is no longer offered. Your delivery quote is shown on the listing before you bid. At a city impound auction it is the other way around: you must arrange a tow.
It depends on the auction. Remarket Space takes credit and debit cards for the full amount, and licensed dealers can also pay by ACH. It does not accept cash, personal checks, Venmo or CashApp. Check each auction’s terms before you bid.
Sources
- Minnesota Statutes, section 168.27 (dealer licenses)
- Minnesota Statutes, section 297B.02 (motor vehicle sales tax)
- City of Minneapolis: Impound Lot auctions
- Minnesota Department of Administration: State auctions
- Remarket Space: How it works
- Remarket Space: Pricing and fees
General information, not legal or tax advice. Auction rules and fees change, so confirm on each auction’s site before you bid.
