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How to Buy

In this video we provide information on the process of buying vehicles in Japan and exporting them.

Step 1 Register on our vehicle search engine to see the largest selection of vehicles in Japan. We will activate your login and contact you.

Step 2 Tell us what vehicle you are interested in and the preferences you have for it. We will then provide an estimate to the desired port of delivery.

Step 3 To move forward on the vehicle you want, please send a deposit to our PayPal account via payjapancardirect.com. 60,000 yen covers a bid up to 1 million yen to win 1 vehicle. For bids over 1 million yen we require 8% of the intended max bid on file. We will translate the auction sheets and inspect the vehicles meeting your requirements. The deposit is applied to your winning invoice or can be refunded (minus transaction fees) at any time.

Step 4 Before deciding to bid we can have additional professional third party inspections done on all vehicles to confirm they have been well-maintained and are in good overall condition. Additional pre-bidding photo service is also available at USS auction houses.

Step 5 We will contact you with the inspection report, and bid if it meets your requirements. If you have the highest bid, and it meets the reserve, you will win for only $50 more than the second highest bidder. You can win for less than your maximum bid!

Step 6 After winning, pay the invoice, and your vehicle will be delivered to the nearest port where multiple photos will be taken for your confirmation.

Step 7 We will make a booking on the next ship, send you the necessary documentation, and guide you through the import process.

EXPORT COSTS

JCD’s friendly professional service charge of ¥79,000 includes:
• Real-time internet support (Whatsapp, Skype, Messenger, Twitter, Line, Homepage chat, etc.)
• Translation of auction sheets
• Arrangement and direction of professional pre-bidding inspections
• Transcription of inspection reports
• Auction bidding
• Inquiry and negotiation with domestic used vehicle dealerships
• Arrangement of vehicle delivery to the nearest port for export
• Pictures taken of vehicle at port and supplemental inspection performed
• Maintenance estimates available at port
• Storage at the port FREE for 30 to 45 days depending on available yards
• Making a booking on the next available ship
• Vehicle de-registration
• Making and Translation of the export certificate
• Domestic mailing and courier service of import documents

* Our base fee is ¥79,000. However, on vehicles costing more than ¥1,000,000, we charge an additional 4% of any amount in excess of ¥1,000,000. For example, an extra ¥4,000 is added to a winning bid of ¥1,100,000. If the winning bid at auction is more than ¥8,000,000 no additional margin will be charged on the amount over that.

Additional Export Costs

  • Auction house fee ¥24,000 ~ ¥40,000
  • Domestic inland transportation: The average is ¥22,000 – ¥38,000. Please ask for a quote for distant houses.
  • Export shipping charge: ¥25,000 ~ ¥45,000
  • Ocean Freight: Charged by volume of the vehicle. Please ask for a quote.

Note On Export Costs
Auction house fees and Export customs clearance may vary depending on the auction house, auction house listing section, export yard and size of vehicle. For example, the Meisha section of USS auction houses charge an additional 10,000 yen to the winner. Also, an additional 10,000 yen is charged on oversized vehicles such as campers and firetrucks if over a certain M3 volume. These costs will be made clear to the bidder prior to bidding. Inland transport is charged by distance and vehicle size.

A Note on Simultaneous Bidding
The Japanese used car auctions provide a sophisticated, high tech exchange that is the closest thing to the free market ideal that it’s possible to get. It’s the place where many good deals are to be found and it’s fast paced and challenging.

Bidding is lightening quick and when a very popular car comes up there can be hundreds, even thousands of people placing their bids in just a few seconds and all in real time. And when the action is at its most intense you may get what’s called “simultaneous bidding,” where three, five, even ten bids are entered at the very same moment.
As the bids are electronically sorted in the queue it is possible to have a bid run over and the auction houses reserve the right to go up to JPY20,000-jPY30,000 over your maximum bid.

While it is rather rare for this to happen, it at least gives you the chance of getting that in-demand car that you would otherwise have missed. If this happens (and it only happens occasionally, and usually only at the largest auctions) you’ll pay a touch more than you planned, but you’ll be very happy that you beat the others and scored that ideal machine.

Variable Additional Costs

  • Third party professional pre-bidding inspections: ¥3,000 ~ ¥4,000
  • Additional, pre-bidding USS photo service, ¥2,000 for 3 areas and ¥4,000 for 6 areas
  • Negotiation fee at auction ¥10,000, if applicable
  • Inner cargo is no longer accepted by the majority of carriers (in most cases a disposal fee will be charged)
  • Any additional inspections required by the import country
  • Additional storage over 30 or 45 days charged per day at a rate of 700-900 yen depending on port yard and vehicle size.
  • Additional transport if export yard is changed by the carrier
  • Fee to have a vehicle re-entered into the auction ¥40,000
  • An additional ¥40,000 yen deposit is necessary when bidding on vehicles that have not been inspected by the auction house (無効) but if a third party inspection is requested by the client and can be performed, the additional deposit is not necessary
  • Vehicle washing at port ¥20,000 ~
  • Notary Public signature and seal ¥40,000.
  • Import customs clearance, duties, taxes, compliance and registration etc *(paid in import country)
  • Professional vehicle measurement on oversized (wwo) ¥25,000 ~ ¥45,000