Car Auctions — Japan
Car auctions from Japan are the best way to become the owner of a unique car with a powerful engine, rich equipment and in excellent technical condition. Japanese car auctions have a slightly different specificity than American ones. When it comes to importing cars from Japan, auctions are the most popular way to buy a car from this country. How do auction houses work?
Types of car auctions in Japan
Car auctions in Japan can be divided into two categories. The first is classic auction houses, where car auctions are held live or online. The second is bidding mode bidding, which is more exciting and carries more risk. Buyers make their offers and they are invisible to others. Within the specified period, tenders are opened and the most favorable one is selected.
Car auctions in Japan — how does it work?
If you want to import a car from the United States, for example, you can participate in the auction as a natural person. Meanwhile, when it comes to cars from Japan, auctions and sales platforms are only available to companies. Therefore, if you want to buy cars from Japan, Sakura Motors will help you in conducting transactions, starting from searching for a car, through participation in bidding, Car transport from Japan, formalities, customs and stamp duties, up to the preparation of the vehicle for registration in Poland. Already at the consultation stage you will know the approximate cost of importing a car from Japan.
Finding a car
At Sakura Motors, we know where to look for such cars that we would buy ourselves. Many years of experience makes buying a car from the country of cherry blossom safe and transparent. The first step is to find a car. Once you have defined your expectations and budget, we start looking for suitable offers. Then you decide which car to bid on.
Checking the condition of the car
The largest auction houses, such as e.g. USS Tokyo, for each car they prepare a vehicle auction card. It contains information about the parameters of the car, as well as possible imperfections. At the end, a rating is issued. In the case of USS Tokyo auction card includes a general assessment and an assessment of the condition of the interior. The former is awarded in the range from 1 to 6 and the higher it is, the better the condition of the vehicle. The interior is evaluated in letters from A to E, where A denotes an excellent state of preservation.
Car auction
If you have chosen your potential dream car, it's time to bid. Auction houses in different ways organize the process of buying a car, so we will describe it using the example of the already mentioned USS Tokyo. Participants sit in a room filled with monitors. Each has at its disposal two monitors on which auctions are displayed, as well as a button for raising the price. On the monitor you can see a photo of the car, the auction rating, the current price and whether you managed to reach the minimum price for the car to be sold at all. You can also bid online.
At Sakura Motors, we encourage our customers to take an active part in the auction. Thanks to this, you can, for example, change the budget if it turns out that the car is attractive enough that it is worth spending more money on it. You can also abandon the purchase of a particular model if you find another one more interesting. However, here you need to know that speed matters, because the average time to sell a car does not exceed half a minute.
Completion of the transaction
If the auction was successful, then after the win you have a few days to make the payment for the car. Of course, the pre-paid entry fee counts towards the transaction, so you only deposit the difference. Upon receipt of the transfer, the auction house issues the documents of the car and prepares them for transportation.
Top Auctions — Japan
There are many auction houses in Japan. We will try to bring you closer to the most popular ones.
USS Tokyo
USS stands for Used Car System Solutions. It is the largest auction house in Japan and the most frequently chosen by car importers. Its services are used by more than 50,000 companies. The platform was created in the 80s of the last century. It currently has 19 branches, and auctions are held once a week. You can buy literally everything here - from small kei cars to luxury limousines with powerful engines. Each car is provided with a rating card with detailed information about the condition of the vehicle.
Toyota Car Auction
As the name suggests, this is an auction house that offers exclusively Toyota cars. It has existed since 1983 and offers from 2.5 to 3 thousand cars at each auction. It organizes auctions for professionals, public auctions, as well as online sales. There are also auctions conducted by order of the government, where cars that are subject to confiscation are exhibited.
Honda Kansai Auto Auction
This is another auction house associated with a specific brand of vehicles. If you are looking for a genuine Honda JDM, you will find it right here. Each offered car has a rating card, which allows you to easily get acquainted with its technical condition. The cars are mainly from authorized dealers of the Honda brand.
Japanese Used Car Dealers Association (JU)
JU auctions are a collection of semi-independent car auctions, which are organized under the aegis of the Japanese Association of Used Car Dealers. This is one of the oldest organizations conducting car auctions. The multitude of locations means that with a little patience you can find an interesting car at a good price.
Chubu Auto Auction (CAA)
This auction house was established in 1988 and serves both Japanese and foreign customers. In its philosophy of operation, it focuses on the security and transparency of transactions. Bidding is held at 4 locations and the number of cars available varies by venue. According to various sources, CAA offers about 450 thousand cars a year. The turnover is quite large and at each auction 80% of the cars are new offers. Participation in the bidding is possible live or online.
AUCnet
It is an online auction platform that allows you to bid in real time. The company was founded in 1985 and offers more than just cars. It works completely virtually, which means that it does not have its own square, for example, where potential buyers can watch the cars live. At the same time, AUCnet has developed a rating system that is good enough that it is a trustworthy company. As part of AUCnet, several thousand entities professionally engaged in the sale of cars in Japan submit their offers.
Car auctions in Japan - bet on a proven broker
How to buy a car from Japan, when participation in auctions is possible only for professionals? The answer is simple — find a good broker. How do you get to know him? First of all, verify how long the company has been in the market. Look for reviews on the internet. Write down all your questions and concerns and see how the customer service staff of your chosen broker will deal with them.
At Sakura Motors you can count on comprehensive service:
- finding a car and verification;
- participation in bidding;
- transport of the car to the port of Japan, freight to Europe with optional insurance and delivery to the indicated address;
- selection of the most favorable reception port;
- assistance with import formalities and customs and excise duties;
- assistance in preparing the car for registration in Poland.
