RB Auto Trade API: Korean Salvage and Used Export Car Data

RB Auto Trade at a glance

RB Auto Trade sells to export buyers, and a good part of its stock is salvage: cars with damage that will be repaired or used for parts. The site presents listings, stand-by stock and a live auction. In KoreaCarsAPI, RB Auto Trade is grouped with the marketplaces; each listing still carries its own is_auction flag, which tells you how that record was offered.

KoreaCarsAPI is independent and not affiliated with RB Auto Trade. The API returns data only and does not take part in any sale or auction.

Who needs salvage data

Salvage buyers have their own trade, and their data needs follow from it.

• Repairers abroad who rebuild damaged cars and need to judge the work before committing.
• Parts businesses that look for specific models regardless of body damage.
• Exporters who mix salvage and clean used cars and want both in one system.
• Analysts comparing salvage asking prices with clean cars of the same model.

Damage and condition in the record

Alongside the usual vehicle fields, year, brand, model, generation, trim, engine volume, fuel, transmission, body type, colour and options, salvage listings lean on two listing fields: condition and damage. These describe the state of the car as the source presents it. Photos matter more than usual too, since they are often the clearest view of the damage.

Where public inspection data exists, inspections[] adds checked items with part, damage type, severity and location on a body map. Where a public history report exists, vehicle_history_reports[] adds counts such as total_loss_count and the flood loss counts.

Which fields are filled depends on the listing. Salvage sellers often put important details in the title and the photos rather than in structured fields, so keep the title in your system and show it next to the damage field. The price with its currency and the dated price history work as for any other source.

Filtering by damage type

GET /search accepts damages[], so you can ask only for cars with the damage types you work with, combined with brand, model and year filters. Add domains[] with RB Auto Trade's ID from GET /domains, and repeat it with KS Cars' ID to compare salvage sources in one search.

# Cars of one model with a chosen damage type
# DAMAGE_TYPE values are listed in the OpenAPI docs
curl --get https://api.auctionsapi.com/search \
  -d "brands[0][id]=BRAND_ID" \
  -d "brands[0][models][0][id]=MODEL_ID" \
  -d "damages[]=DAMAGE_TYPE" \
  -d api_key=$API_KEY

Practical tips for salvage buyers

Salvage data is only as good as the care taken in reading it.

• Read the damage field and the photos together; neither is complete on its own.
• Separate flood damage from body damage early, since buyers treat them very differently.
• Use the odometer as a guide, not proof, on damaged cars.
• Check is_auction on each listing so auction-style offers and fixed listings do not mix in your reports.
• A missing inspection or history report never means a clean history.

RB Auto Trade with KS Cars and the export marketplaces

For salvage, RB Auto Trade pairs naturally with KS Cars, which also offers salvage vehicles from Korea. Reading both through the same filters gives a wider choice of damaged stock.

For clean export stock, add Autowini, Sena Auto and Autobell Global. And for the domestic side, Encar and KB ChaChaCha show what undamaged cars of the same model are listed for in Korea, which is a useful reference when you price a repair.

You can request a demo key to see how RB Auto Trade records behave in your own pipeline; paid access then depends on sources and volume.

Questions