# Quick Start: How It Works

Campo Brokers can be understood in **three stages** and one **complete journey** that runs from creating your account to exporting the vehicle. This section gives you the bird's-eye view; each step has its own section with full detail.

## The 3 stages

1. **Subscription + account (US$5/year membership).** You create your account and, when you activate a plan, you pay the **US$5** annual membership. See [Registration](#registro).
2. **Plan activation (Verified Access).** Choose **Importer** (refundable **US$400** deposit, **US$10,000** bid cap) or **Dealer** (**US$800** deposit, **US$20,000** cap), upload your documents, and once approved, you receive an **assigned auction account**. See [Membership and Plans](#membresia-planes).
3. **Auction operation.** You search, bid, and, if you win, follow the payment and logistics flow through to export.

## The complete journey (from registration to export)

| Step | What you do | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Registration | Create your account and complete your profile | [Registration](#registro) |
| 2. Verification | Activate Importer or Dealer and upload documents | [Membership and Plans](#membresia-planes) |
| 3. Auction account | Receive your assigned Copart/IAAI account | [My Dashboard](#dashboard) |
| 4. Search | Search for vehicles and review each lot | [Search and Purchase](#busqueda-compra) |
| 5. Analyze | Calculate costs and check the vehicle history | [Calculators](#calculadoras), [Vehicle History Reports](#carfax) |
| 6. Bid / buy | Place a bid or use "Buy It Now" | [Search and Purchase](#busqueda-compra) |
| 7. Pay (Pre-Alert) | Complete the Pre-Alert and pay the balance | [Payment and Reconciliation](#pago-conciliacion) |
| 8. Towing | Request pickup of the vehicle | [Towing](#grua) |
| 9. Workshop / warehouse | Prepare the vehicle and documents for export | [Workshop and Export](#taller-exportacion) |
| 10. Export | The vehicle ships to port and on to your country | [Workshop and Export](#taller-exportacion) |

> [!NOTE]
> **You don't have to go through all ten steps.** Auction accounts, towing, and the export warehouse are contracted separately: you use only the ones you actually need, and there is no mandatory bundle.
>
> For example, if you already have a trusted workshop in the United States and want to send your vehicles straight there, you can. In that case you would use only the auction accounts: when you win a lot, the system will ask where to send the **original title**, you enter your workshop's address, and we ship it via FedEx as soon as it reaches our office. Steps 9 and 10 simply never appear in your flow.

## What you can do without activating a plan

Even without an active plan, you can use the free and low-cost tools:

- The **calculators** for auction fees, DR taxes, and towing (free).
- Buying **vehicle history reports**.
- Installing **CampoBrokerBot** (with a Premium option).

To **bid and buy**, you need to activate an Importer or Dealer plan.

> [!TIP]
> First time here? Read in order [Introduction](#introduccion) → [Registration](#registro) → [Membership and Plans](#membresia-planes), and keep the [full pricing table](#precios) handy.