How to Get Buying Access on ACV Auctions and OPENLANE: AuctionACCESS, Paperwork, and Payment

You got the dealer license. The bond's posted, the sign's up, and you're ready to stop buying off Marketplace and start buying wholesale. Then you open ACV Auctions and it asks for a "100 Million Number." OPENLANE wants documents. Somebody at the auction says you need an AuctionACCESS card. None of it is hard, but nobody hands you the order.

Here it is: what AuctionACCESS is and what it costs, exactly what ACV and OPENLANE ask for when you register, how to pay for what you win, and what it takes to get selling access later. If you don't have the license yet, start with our guide to the dealer license you need to buy at auction; this post picks up the day after you get it.

Five steps to get buying access on ACV Auctions and OPENLANE: get your state dealer license, enroll in AuctionACCESS for each person who will buy, register on ACV with your 100 Million Number, register on OPENLANE and upload your documents, then set up ACH or your floor plan before your first bid.

Step 1: AuctionACCESS, the dealer credential auctions run on

AuctionACCESS is a dealer credentialing service that wholesale auctions use to confirm you're a licensed dealer, or someone authorized to buy for one. Its site says it's "accepted at over 400 auction marketplaces throughout the US and Canada" (AuctionACCESS).

What you need to know, from its own FAQ (AuctionACCESS FAQ):

• Who can join: "Membership is restricted to licensed, credentialed vehicle dealers and their authorized representatives," meaning employees or contractors of the dealership.
• What it costs: "$103 USD per individual" per year, plus applicable sales tax. "There is no charge to the company or dealership itself," only to each person credentialed. You can pay by credit, debit or ACH.
• ID: each person needs valid photo ID, such as a state-issued driver's license.
• Adding people: you can add or remove individuals on your dealership's account, so a new buyer gets their own credential instead of borrowing yours.
• The card: it lives in the AuctionACCESS Mobile app, with a QR code you scan at participating auction kiosks.

You'll see two numbers. ACV explains them well: the 5 Million Number is "a unique number for every licensed automotive dealer," and the 100 Million Number is "a unique number for every owner, officer, or buyer authorized to buy and sell for a dealership" (ACV). The 100 Million Number is the one online platforms ask you for. The AuctionACCESS application form also asks for the dealership's federal ID (the EIN for a US business).

One thing AuctionACCESS is not: a registration everywhere. Asked whether membership registers you at every auction, its FAQ says "No," it "simplifies the credentialing process." You still sign up with each auction or platform, and each one sets its own paperwork and payment terms.

A checklist of what to have ready before registering on ACV Auctions and OPENLANE: your state dealer license, your AuctionACCESS 100 Million Number, the photo ID on your AuctionACCESS account, your dealership's legal business name and federal ID, the business bank account for ACH, and your floor plan account if you'll floor purchases.

Step 2: Register to buy on ACV Auctions

ACV is dealer-only. Its buyer page says "only licensed car dealers (or their authorized reps) can buy," and "you'll need a valid dealer license and an active AuctionACCESS account to register and bid" (ACV).

What registration asks for:

1. Your AuctionACCESS 100 Million Number and the last four digits of the government ID tied to your AuctionACCESS account.
2. A DocuSign covering a resale certificate and a power of attorney. Read both before you sign; they're standard for wholesale buying, but they're legal documents.
3. ACH banking information for paying what you buy.

ACV's App Store listing says it's "free for dealers to use" with "no monthly fees or contracts." You bid from a computer or the ACV app. What you do pay is a buy fee on each car you win. ACV doesn't publish its buyer fee schedule on a public page; as of early October 2026, its pricing page pointed to a schedule inside the logged-in app. Our ACV vs. OPENLANE comparison covers what each platform publishes about fees, condition reports and arbitration.

Paying with a floor plan: ACV's support page says it "accepts most major Floor Plans" and gives a number to call to confirm yours. If you plan to floor purchases, set that up before your first bid, not after you win a car you can't pay for.

Step 3: Register to buy on OPENLANE

OPENLANE says it's "built for licensed automotive dealers looking to buy or sell wholesale vehicles," franchise and independent (OPENLANE).

Its sign-up runs in three steps: get started, dealership info, documents. The first screens ask for your name, the legal business name, email, cell phone, dealership name, and an AuctionACCESS ID, which the form marks optional. That's a real difference from ACV. OPENLANE's own walkthrough says you can provide your dealer license and driver's license information "to be able to browse and view inventory as soon as your account is created," and that "once your information has been verified, you'll be ready to start bidding and buying" (OPENLANE).

Costs, from OPENLANE's help center:

• "Registration and bidding are free." Buy fees are tiered by the car's final sale price, and the amount shows on each listing before you bid (OPENLANE help).
• You can pay "using ACH or most major floor plans," but "when paying with a floor plan other than AFC or NextGear, a floorplan administrative fee will be applied to all purchases." There's also an "ACH upon Title Receipt" option at checkout that holds payment until OPENLANE has the title, for an additional fee (OPENLANE help).
• New independent dealers get "$350+ buy fee credits," with terms and conditions OPENLANE links from its buyers page. Read them before you count on it.

If your floor plan isn't AFC or NextGear, that admin fee lands on every OPENLANE purchase. Factor it in when you compare a car on OPENLANE with the same car somewhere else.

What getting buying access costs as listed in October 2026: AuctionACCESS is one hundred three dollars a year per person plus tax, registering on ACV is free, registering and bidding on OPENLANE is free, and OPENLANE offers new independent dealers three hundred fifty dollars or more in buy fee credits.

ACV vs. OPENLANE sign-up, side by side

All of this is as each platform listed it in October 2026. Confirm with the platform when you sign up, because fees and requirements change.

Step 4: Set up how you'll pay before your first bid

Winning a car is the easy part. Paying for it on time is what keeps your account in good standing. Before you bid, decide for each platform whether you're paying by ACH from the business account or flooring the car.

If you floor it, know your terms before you buy. A floored auction car starts accruing interest the day it's funded, and if it hasn't sold by the end of its term you owe a principal paydown, the interest and the fees. Our guide to floor plan curtailments walks through what's due at each one, and how dealer floor plans work covers the rest of the line.

Then price in what the car really costs to land. The hammer price is just the start: add the buy fee, any payment or floorplan admin fee, and transport. Our auction transport guide covers that piece, and the calculator below works backward from your target margin to the most you should bid.

In DealerVLO, each car has its acquisition cost plus a cost list where every line has a vendor, a description and an amount, so the buy fee, the transport and the recon all go on the car they belong to. The car's all-in cost and margin update as you add lines, and that all-in cost is what gross is figured against when it sells. Adding the car takes a VIN: type it or scan the door-jamb barcode with your phone, and DealerVLO decodes the year, make and model.

Before you bid on your first car

Registration gets you in the door. A few things are worth doing before you spend real money:

• Read the arbitration policy. Each platform has its own window and rules for disputing a car that isn't as described. Our auction arbitration guide explains how claims work and what kills them.
• Learn to read the condition report. It's the only inspection you get before you buy. See condition report red flags.
• Start small. Buy a few of the cars you already know sell on your lot, track what each one cost all-in and how fast it sold, and only then widen out. Our auction buying mistakes post covers the expensive lessons.

Running both platforms for a month on the same kind of car is the fastest way to learn which one fits your lot. Just make sure each car's real cost is written down so the comparison is honest. In DealerVLO, every car's page shows its days in inventory next to its cost and margin, so after a month you can see which platform's cars made money and which ones sat.

Getting selling access later

Buying access comes first. Selling usually takes a track record.

ACV's seller page says registering is "free for dealers" and there are "no subscription or listing charges." But it's explicit that selling access comes after buying: "you can be approved to sell, provided you have consistent monthly volume and are near an ACV Vehicle Condition Inspector" (ACV). So the path is: buy on ACV for a while, build steady monthly volume, and ask your rep about selling once you're there. If no ACV inspector covers your area, that's a hard stop for now.

OPENLANE describes itself as a platform for dealers who buy and sell, and its fee and payment details for sellers are in its help center. Ask your OPENLANE rep what it takes to list once your buying account is active.

Either way, selling wholesale only makes sense when you know which cars to send. That's the auction vs. retail break-even call: a car whose days on lot are climbing and whose retail price no longer clears your all-in cost is a wholesale candidate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need AuctionACCESS to buy on ACV Auctions?

Yes. ACV's buyer page says you need a valid dealer license and an active AuctionACCESS account to register and bid. ACV's sign-up asks for your AuctionACCESS 100 Million Number and the last four digits of the government ID on your AuctionACCESS account.

Do I need AuctionACCESS to buy on OPENLANE?

OPENLANE's sign-up form marks the AuctionACCESS ID field as optional. You still need to be a licensed dealer, and OPENLANE verifies your information before you can bid. Having your AuctionACCESS ID ready doesn't hurt, since many dealer-only auctions use it.

How much does AuctionACCESS cost?

AuctionACCESS's FAQ says the annual membership fee is $103 per individual, plus applicable sales tax. There's no charge to the dealership itself, only to each person credentialed to buy.

Does it cost anything to register on ACV or OPENLANE?

No. ACV's app listing says it's free for dealers to use with no monthly fees or contracts, and OPENLANE's help center says registration and bidding are free. You pay buy fees on the cars you win, plus transport and any payment or floor plan fees.

Can I pay for auction cars with my floor plan?

Usually. ACV says it accepts most major floor plans and suggests calling to confirm yours. OPENLANE accepts ACH or most major floor plans, but adds a floorplan administrative fee when you pay with a floor plan other than AFC or NextGear.

How do I get approved to sell on ACV?

ACV says registering is free and there are no subscription or listing charges, but selling access comes after a period of buying: you can be approved to sell if you have consistent monthly volume and are near an ACV Vehicle Condition Inspector.

Bottom line

Getting buying access is a paperwork afternoon, not a project: license, AuctionACCESS for each buyer at $103 a year, then a free registration on each platform with your 100 Million Number, your resale and power of attorney paperwork, and a payment method. The part that decides whether auction buying makes you money comes after: knowing what every car really cost to land and how fast it sold.

Start your free 14-day DealerVLO trial at /signup and put every auction car's buy fee, transport and recon on its cost list from day one.