Manheim and the other wholesale houses are closed auctions — sellers get trade prices precisely because the buying pool is licensed dealers only. A dealer license is a genuine barrier: state application, surety bond, zoned commercial premises, records inspections, renewals. The ledger's view: the wall is not a scandal, it is the market's structure, and buyer education means knowing which side of it you stand on.
Lawful ways through: licensed brokers, managed bidding services with disclosed fees, or simply buying from the independents who do the lane work — after checking their math against the wholesale comps they paid.