Buying at Japanese Car Auctions

How it works

1. Tell us what you want. Maker, model, year, optional chassis code, condition and your destination port.
2. We research the market. We check recent winning prices at Japanese auctions so you know a realistic budget before you commit.
3. We source candidate vehicles. We find matching cars coming up for auction and present them to you with photos, our condition assessment, and the location.
4. You set your budget. You authorise a total all-in budget and a maximum price per car. You're never charged above what you approve.
5. Please pay from an account in your own name. The deposit and the balance must be paid from a bank account in the buyer's name shown on our invoice. If any payment comes from another person or company, 10% Japanese consumption tax is added to the vehicle price, because the export tax exemption then also requires the import permit from your country. (If you send us a copy of your country's import permit for the vehicle, we will refund this amount.)
6. We bid for you. We bid in your priority order before each auction's deadline. A winning bid is final — but if the price goes above your maximum, we simply move to the next car.
7. We ship to your port. Once a car is won, we handle export and shipping to the port you chose.

Why buy through JAPACAR

• Access to auction-only stock — thousands of cars you can't reach as an overseas buyer.
• Transparent pricing — a single settlement commission, no hidden vehicle mark-up. Any surplus after the auction is refunded to you.
• Condition you can trust — every candidate comes with our plain-language condition assessment, not just a grade.
• You stay in control — you approve the budget and the maximum bid for each car.