Cars from US Auctions to Poti in 2026: Prices, Timeline and Documents, Step by Step

Who this is for

This guide is for dealers and importers in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Kazakhstan who buy at US auctions regularly. A full-cycle set-up solves the three problems that stop most first purchases:

• no US dealer license, so no direct bidding at Copart, IAAI or Manheim;
• no US transport partner to check which carrier collects the car and with what insurance;
• no ocean contract, so freight to Poti is sourced car by car.

If you already have a forwarder and an ocean contract, you only need the US leg: US auction cars to Georgia via Poti, the US inland leg only, with your own forwarder. This article is about the full cycle.

What follows: each step priced from tariff v2 (effective 1 October 2026), a worked bill for a $37,500 lot, a timeline, the documents, and what happens after Poti. Every tax and duty figure comes from a primary source checked on 6 October 2026; where there is none, we say so.

What "full cycle" means, and where Y7's scope ends (CIF Poti)

Full cycle means one coordinator from the bid to the port of Poti, with every cost line published in advance. It does not mean one company does everything:

• Auction access to Copart, IAAI and Manheim comes from a licensed auction partner under your direct agreement with it. The account is in your company's name.
• The US inland leg, yard to export warehouse, is arranged by Y7 Logistics, a Licensed & Bonded FMCSA Broker (MC #1741537, USDOT #4427359, BMC-84 bond $75,000). Y7 is not a carrier: a licensed motor carrier with its own cargo insurance moves the car; Y7 checks its authority and certificate of insurance before every dispatch.
• The container and the ocean to Poti are handled by a licensed ocean partner, under your direct agreement with it and at its published tariff.
• Y7 Logistics coordinates the whole chain: one person answers "where is the car" at every link.

Your agreements stay direct with each partner. "Y7 Group" below means Y7 Logistics and its partner network, not a legal entity.

The calculator total is CIF Poti: the car is unloaded in Poti, with terminal handling (THC) and the port forwarder counted. Everything after that is outside the tariff and the service: customs clearance in Georgia or transit onward; port and storage in Poti beyond THC (about $100–150, paid in Georgia); and delivery from Poti to your country.

Clearance and onward transit are done by you or your customs broker. Y7 gives no customs or legal guarantees: the rates below link to the law; the final figure comes from the customs calculator and your broker.

Step 1: Copart, IAAI and Manheim access without your own license

Copart and IAAI sell most lots only to licensed US dealers; Manheim is a closed dealer auction. Dealers abroad buy through a licensed partner.

1. You sign the paperwork with the auction partner: your direct agreement with it, where the account terms are set.
2. About 2 business days after signing, access opens: an account in your company's name, bidding, paying the lot, release documents.
3. From there you bid yourself, on every yard.

What it costs under the tariff, the "Purchase and handling" line, per car:

This is the partner's tariff, published in full on the full-cycle page. A new tariff applies only to cars bought after it: a car already bought keeps its rate. How the three auctions differ: Copart vs IAA vs Manheim.

Step 2: paying for the lot and the auction fees

Two amounts follow a winning bid. The lot price: your bid. The auction fees: buyer fee, internet bid fee, documentation fee and whatever else the auction adds. They depend on the auction, lot type and price, so the calculator shows an estimate; you can type the exact figure from the invoice instead.

The calculator's estimate (our approximation, not the auction's schedule):

• Copart and IAAI: lot × 12% up to $5,000; 8.5% up to $15,000; 7% up to $30,000; above that 6% at Copart and 6.33% at IAAI; plus $180 in fixed fees.
• Manheim: $350 or 1.2% of the lot plus $200, whichever is higher.

For a $37,500 lot at Copart that is 6% × $37,500 + $180 = $2,430.

Payment goes through the auction partner: you transfer the money to it, and it settles the auction invoice by the auction's deadline. Each transfer is $35; one per car or one for several. From the day of payment the auction yard's clock starts, so the car has to be collected quickly: step 3.

Step 3: the auto-hauler to the port (336 miles, May–July 2026 data)

This is the only leg Y7 Logistics runs itself, and the only line the tariff does not fix: car-hauler prices in the US move with fuel, season and the number of drivers on a lane.

1. After payment the auction opens a release slot. Y7 posts the load to its network of 900+ carriers and assigns one, typically within 1–2 days, after checking its FMCSA authority and certificate of cargo insurance.
2. Pickup is typically 1–3 days after the release slot. The carrier photographs the car at loading.
3. The car goes to the ocean partner's export warehouse at the chosen port: New Jersey / New York, Savannah, Houston or Los Angeles. Y7 follows it to the warehouse and confirms receipt.

Until you pick a yard, the calculator uses 336 miles: the median auction-to-export-hub distance across Y7's own dispatched auction loads, May to July 2026. At that distance the auto-hauler estimate is ≈ $299, range $260–310. This is an estimate from real dispatch data, May–July 2026, not a tariff: on the day your car ships the price can differ. Once you choose a yard in the calculator, the figure switches to that yard's distance to each port, and the calculator shows which port is cheapest once ocean freight is added.

This line covers yard-to-warehouse transport only: auction storage and a second trip after a failed release are not in it. Fair auction-to-port prices by distance: the auction-to-port cost breakdown for 2026.

Step 4: the container and the ocean (partner tariff, 4 or 3 per container, four ports)

At the port warehouse the ocean partner takes over on its tariff: loading into a 40-foot container, export documents, ocean freight to Poti.

Container loading and documents: $100 per car, fixed.

Ocean freight to Poti, per car (tariff v2, effective 1 October 2026):

Four per container is the normal loading: your car shares the container with three others and you pay a quarter; three per container is for pickups and large SUVs. The partner's cap is 50 cars a month per loading type.

Which port. With the yard unknown (336 miles), auto-hauler plus ocean comes to ≈ $1,099 via Savannah, ≈ $1,199 via New Jersey (+$100), ≈ $1,449 via Houston or Los Angeles (+$350). The calculator shows the difference for a known yard.

Insurance from the US warehouse to unloading in Poti: optional, 1% of the lot price including auction fees, minimum $150, paid separately and not in the total.

Timing depends on sailing schedules and how fast the container fills. We publish no "average transit time" because we have no verified basis for one; the forwarder gives the date for the sailing.

Step 5: Poti, THC and the forwarder

The container is discharged at the terminal in Poti. It matters which costs here are inside CIF.

Inside the CIF total (counted at $200): terminal handling and the forwarder, the "THC" line; $200–250 under the tariff, paid in Georgia.

Outside the total, paid in Georgia: port and storage in Poti, about $100–150, which is what the terminal itself charges under its own published tariff (APM Terminals Poti, effective 1 January 2026, tariff PDF, checked 2026-10-06):

• stripping a car out of the container: 130 GEL, excluding VAT;
• the container is free of storage until stripping; the stripped car is free on the stripping day plus 3 days, then 30 GEL per day (days 5–6), 35 GEL (7–13), 40 GEL (14–60), 15 GEL (61–90), 1 GEL from day 91;
• customs inspection of a container with stripping and re-stuffing: $126.

Since 16 July 2026 a car leaves the terminal's customs warehouse only from 06:00 on the day after the container is opened, once customs procedures are complete (terminal notice, checked 2026-10-06).

From here it is your customs broker's job: declaration, payments, release or transit; see "What happens after Poti" below.

The full bill, worked example ($37,500 → ≈ $41,514 via Savannah)

The calculator's default example: Copart, lot $37,500, yard not chosen (336 miles), Savannah, up to 20 cars a month, 4 per container, no insurance. Tariff v2, effective 1 October 2026.

Delivery and services: ≈ $4,014, 10.7% of the car.

Not in this bill: port and storage in Poti (≈ $100–150, paid in Georgia); insurance (optional; here 1% of $39,930, ≈ $399); customs clearance or onward transit; late auction storage.

The same lot through the other ports with the yard unknown: New Jersey $100 more, Houston and Los Angeles $350 more. At 21–50 cars a month line 3 drops to $100; at 51 and more, to $50. A walk-through at other price points is in the price of a turnkey car from the USA: the bill explained (in Russian). To price your own car, use the calculator: same tariff, lines added as you type.

Timeline by stage

Only stages with a basis get a figure; elsewhere we write "by the forwarder's schedule" rather than invent a number.

The deadline for a specific VIN: rs.ge/TerminalAuto. Temporary storage is limited to 30 days, extendable by 60; a customs warehouse to 180 days (Customs Code of Georgia, Art. 78, checked 2026-10-06).

Documents

On the leg to Poti you receive three documents, and all three are needed afterwards.

1. The title (Certificate of Title). The state-issued ownership document: clean, salvage or rebuilt, as shown on the lot page. The auction issues it after payment.
2. The auction invoice / bill of sale. The lot price and fees: your commercial document for customs.
3. The bill of lading. The ocean transport document, issued by the ocean partner once the vessel has sailed.

What Georgia asks for when a car is declared in Poti (per Georgian MoF Order 257, Annex 8, the copy hosted on rs.ge; confirm with your broker):

• the registration document: the US title, including salvage or rebuilt, or a VIN document from the Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau or an accredited body;
• the bill of lading;
• the auction invoice or bill of sale;
• the declarant's ID;
• a notarised power of attorney if a representative declares for an individual (Customs Code of Georgia, Art. 14, checked 2026-10-06).

You can lodge the declaration yourself or ask the MIA Service Agency to fill it for 50 GEL. Registration after release: application, ID, ownership document, inspection act (20 GEL), plates (80 GEL), registration certificate (100 GEL), internal transit (50 GEL). Amounts from the Service Agency fee law, checked 2026-10-06.

Salvage, rebuilt or clean title: what to expect

Most cars that leave Copart and IAAI for Poti carry a branded title. The three types:

• Clean title. Never declared a total loss by an insurer. Manheim sells mostly clean-title cars.
• Salvage title. Declared a total loss by an insurer: collision, flood, hail, theft recovery or a repair estimate above its threshold. Sold as is, often not running.
• Rebuilt title. A former salvage car repaired and passed through a state inspection, with a new title carrying the "rebuilt" brand.

On the leg to Poti nothing changes in the tariff; a non-runner may need a winch, priced by the carrier at pickup. After Poti:

• Georgia. The declaration instruction treats the US title, salvage or rebuilt included, as the registration document, and no provision was found that treats a branded title differently. That is an absence of a rule, not a confirmed rule: ask your customs broker. What first registration does require is the emission standard: Euro 5 (gasoline) or Euro 5b (diesel), or the US equivalent EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 / California LEV II ULEV, per Government Decree 238; in practice pre-2013 cars are affected, re-export and transit are exempt; confirm with your broker.
• Azerbaijan. No salvage rule found. What matters is the customs value: the official calculator asks for the car's market price in Azerbaijan, not the auction price. Ask your customs broker.
• Kazakhstan. No title-status rule found. The practical gate is the СБКТС safety certificate from an accredited laboratory: a car with deployed airbags or frame damage will not pass. Ask your customs broker.
• Armenia. No provision found; ask your customs broker.

Ask the destination country's broker about the title before you bid, not after the car is in Poti.

What happens after Poti: Georgia / Azerbaijan / Armenia / Kazakhstan

On each of the four paths, clearance is done by you or your customs broker; Y7 takes no part in the filing and gives no guarantee on the payments. The essentials only, with links to the country articles (all four in Russian).

Georgia

Who clears: you or your customs representative in Georgia. Excise on passenger cars is charged on engine volume in two age brackets (Tax Code of Georgia, Art. 188, as amended by Law 1477 of 1 April 2026). Confirm the excise rates, the customs duty and the VAT treatment of cars under HS 8703 with your customs broker in Georgia. Run the total in the official rs.ge calculator and have your broker confirm it. In full, with the 180-day re-export refund: customs clearance in Georgia in 2026 (in Russian).

Azerbaijan

The car is not cleared in Georgia: it moves under Georgian transit (Customs Code of Georgia, Arts. 118 and 120: no import duties, under guarantee and seals; checked 2026-10-06) to the Red Bridge crossing and on to Baku, where your broker clears it. Duty is per cm³: on the official e.customs.gov.az calculator on 6 October 2026, a car older than one year pays $0.70 per cm³ up to 1,500 cm³ and $1.20 above. On top: excise by engine volume, VAT 18%, utilization fee 400 AZN (4–7 years) or 700 AZN (over 7), checked 2026-10-06. Cars older than 10 years cannot be imported (per Cabinet Decision 94 of 29.03.2023, confirm with your broker). Days and kilometres Poti to Baku have no primary source: ask your forwarder. In full: a US car to Azerbaijan via Poti (in Russian).

Armenia

Transit through Georgia via Sadakhlo / Bagratashen to Yerevan, about 585 km by map. Since 1 January 2020 Armenia applies the EAEU regime: individuals pay the unified rates of EEC Council Decision 107 by age and engine volume (cars over 5 years: €3.0 to €5.7 per cm³), plus VAT at 20%; no excise on cars, no recycling fee (checked 2026-10-06). Total: the Armenian SRC calculator. No official transit time exists: ask your forwarder. In full: a US car to Armenia and Kazakhstan via Georgia (in Russian).

Kazakhstan

The longest route: transit through Georgia and Azerbaijan to the port of Alat near Baku, a Caspian ferry to Kuryk or Aktau, clearance in Kazakhstan. ASCO's ferries run "on a 1–2 day interval in favorable weather"; no crossing time is published. An individual pays the Decision 107 unified rate as one sum, no VAT or excise on top; a company pays the EAEU tariff duty, VAT 16% and excise under the 2026 Tax Code. Then the utilization payment, 324,375 KZT to 2,486,875 KZT by engine volume (recycle.kz), and the first-registration fee of up to 2,162,500 KZT for a car aged 3 years or more, at the 2026 MRP of 4,325 KZT (checked 2026-10-06). A СБКТС certificate and an ЭПТС are required; since 27 September 2026 an ЭПТС for an individual's import is issued only for cars 5 years old or less (per the Ministry of Industry and Construction order, confirm with your broker). Right-hand-drive cars cannot be registered. Calculators: kgd.gov.kz. In full: the same article, Kazakhstan section. Other EAEU countries have their own rules; check them separately.

Full cycle or a specialist per leg: both cases are made in full-service vs specialist for auto export.

How to start. Price the car in the calculator, press "Lock this tariff" and send the request, with an NDA before we discuss terms if you want one. Or write to us on Telegram. We reply within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00 ET.

FAQ

How much does a car from a US auction to Poti cost in 2026?

The lot, the auction fees and the tariff lines: purchase and handling $50–150, transfer $35, auto-hauler by distance (≈ $299 at 336 miles, estimate), loading $100, ocean from $800 (Savannah, 4 per container), THC $200. A $37,500 lot lands at ≈ $41,514 CIF Poti. Customs is separate.

Do I need my own dealer license for Copart and IAAI?

No. A licensed auction partner provides access under your direct agreement with it; the account opens in your company's name about 2 business days after the paperwork is signed.

What is inside CIF Poti, and what do I pay in Georgia?

CIF includes the lot, auction fees, purchase and handling, the transfer, the auto-hauler, loading, ocean freight and THC. Paid separately in Georgia: port and storage (≈ $100–150), stripping at 130 GEL under the terminal tariff, customs clearance and everything after it.

How long does the car take from the auction to Poti?

A carrier is typically assigned in 1–2 days, pickup is 1–3 days after the release slot, road time depends on distance. Container fill and the ocean run on the forwarder's schedule: we publish no "bid to Poti" average because we have no verified basis for one.

Who clears the car in Poti?

You or your customs broker in Georgia. Y7 Logistics coordinates the chain up to CIF Poti and takes no part in the filing. An individual may self-declare; a representative needs a notarised power of attorney; the MIA Service Agency fills the declaration for 50 GEL.

Can the car go on to Azerbaijan, Armenia or Kazakhstan?

Yes, under Georgian transit without Georgian import payments, but you or your forwarder arrange it: delivery beyond Poti is not in the tariff or the service. Payments follow the destination country's rules; the official calculators are linked above.

Who is liable for the car on the way to the US port?

A licensed motor carrier with its own cargo insurance. Y7 Logistics is a Licensed & Bonded FMCSA Broker (MC #1741537, BMC-84 bond $75,000), not a carrier: before dispatch it checks the carrier's FMCSA authority and certificate of insurance. Ocean insurance is optional, 1%, minimum $150.

Does the price change if the tariff is updated after I buy?

No. A new tariff applies only to cars bought after it; a car already bought or in transit keeps the old one. The only market line is the US auto-hauler, and the calculator shows its range in advance.

Sources

• Full-cycle tariff v2 (Y7 Group, effective 1 October 2026) and Y7 Logistics dispatch data, May–July 2026: /import-from-usa · internal data, median 336 miles
• Tax Code of Georgia, consolidated text (Arts. 166, 173, 188, 194, 197, 198, 199): https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/1043717 (English translation, may lag: https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/1043717) · checked 2026-10-06
• Law of Georgia 1477 of 1 April 2026 (passenger-car excise, in force 2 April 2026): https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6826443 · checked 2026-10-06
• Customs Code of Georgia (Arts. 14, 65, 78, 118, 120, 160): https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/4598501 · checked 2026-10-06
• Government of Georgia Decree 105 of 12.03.2026 (withdrawal of the 6-year rule before it took effect): https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6812293 · checked 2026-10-06
• Government of Georgia Decree 56 of 12.02.2026 (wording of the emission regulation, Euro 5 / EPA Tier 2 Bin 5): https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6785423 · Medium, base text of Decree 238 not opened
• MEPA note on the Euro 5 regulation: https://mepa.gov.ge/En/News/Details/21586 · Medium
• Law of Georgia on the fees of the MIA Service Agency (Art. 6): https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/23230 · checked 2026-10-06
• MIA Service Agency, vehicle registration: https://sa.gov.ge/p/vehicle/registration · Medium, the 60-day deadline cites no act
• Georgian MoF Order 257 of 29.08.2019, Annex 8 (rs.ge copy): https://www.rs.ge/Media/Default/კანონმდებლობა/კანონები/257%20დანართი%208.pdf · Medium, copy carries amendments to 2020
• Georgia Revenue Service car clearance calculator: https://www.rs.ge/CarClearance-en (Georgian: https://www.rs.ge/CarClearance) · checked 2026-10-06
• Per-VIN declaration deadline lookup: https://www.rs.ge/TerminalAuto · checked 2026-10-06
• APM Terminals Poti tariff, effective 01.01.2026: https://cms-cd.apmterminals.com/poti/-/media/mainsite/europe/Poti/services/APM-Terminals-Poti-Tariffs2026Effective-01012026ENG-Updated.pdf · checked 2026-10-06
• APM Terminals Poti notice of 16.07.2026 on vehicle release: https://akamai.apmterminals.com/en/poti/our-port/news/2026/260716-APM-Terminals-Poti-Important-Notice · checked 2026-10-06
• Azerbaijan State Customs Committee calculator: https://e.customs.gov.az/for-individuals/calculator · checked 2026-10-06
• Tax Code of Azerbaijan (Arts. 164, 173, 190): https://e-qanun.az/framework/46948 · checked 2026-10-06
• Azerbaijan Cabinet Decision 61 of 31.01.2024 (utilization fee): https://tamizshahar.az/storage/app/media/NV-Normativ%20h%C3%BCquqi%20baza/61-neqliyyat-vasitelerinin-utilizasiya-haqqinin-mebleginin-utilizasiyaya-verilen-neqliyyat-vasitesi-ucun-tetbiq-edilen-guzestin-mebleginin-ve-birdefelik-odenisin-hecminin-tesdiq-edilmesi-haqqinda.pdf · checked 2026-10-06
• Azerbaijan Cabinet Decision 94 of 29.03.2023 (10-year import restriction): primary text not located · Medium
• Azerbaijan border crossing points with Georgia: https://customs.gov.az/az/ferdler-ucun/dovlet-serhedinden-buraxilis-menteqeleri/3 · checked 2026-10-06
• Armenian SRC EXIM vehicle calculator: https://exim.src.am/en/transport · checked 2026-10-06
• Tax Code of Armenia (English, Arts. 63, 64, 87, 164–172): https://arlis.am/en/acts/229632 · checked 2026-10-06
• EEC Council Decision 107 of 20.12.2017, Annex 2 (unified rates for individuals): https://eec.eaeunion.org/upload/medialibrary/48d/754bnati3u804penijmb0h866e5g6cng/Prilozhenie-2_107.pdf · checked 2026-10-06
• Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan 2026 (Arts. 503, 537, 554, 615): https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2500000214 · checked 2026-10-06, text read via the official database mirror
• Law of Kazakhstan on the 2026–2028 budget (MRP 4,325 KZT): https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z2500000239 · checked 2026-10-06
• Utilization payment methodology, Annex 4 as amended by Order 54 of 20.03.2026: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V2600038306 · checked 2026-10-06; operator: https://recycle.kz/ru/transportnye
• Law of Kazakhstan on Road Traffic, Art. 67 (right-hand-drive first registration ban): https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z1400000194 · checked 2026-10-06
• Kazakhstan Order 342 of 26.03.2015 (emission classes, first-registration conditions): https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V1500011009 · checked 2026-10-06
• KGD calculators: https://portal.kgd.gov.kz/ru/pages/calculators · Medium, JavaScript page
• Kazakhstan ЭПТС order (5-year rule from 27.09.2026): https://www.zakon.kz/pravo/6533033-izmenilis-pravila-oformleniya-elektronnykh-pasportov-na-transport.html · Medium, adilet number not located
• ASCO ferries Alat → Kuryk / Aktau: https://asco.az/en/pages/156/148 · Medium, "1–2 day interval" per the operator's page