Frequently asked questions

No — bidding is limited to licensed Japanese members. You buy through an auction agent like us, who holds the membership and bids on your behalf.

Register a free account, place a refundable deposit through the portal, then browse live auctions and place your first bid with our team's help. See How It Works →

No. We work with both individual buyers and dealers. You don't need a company or an import license to start.

Worldwide, with dedicated guides for markets across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. Find your country's import guide →

A refundable deposit of at least ¥150,000 is placed through the portal before you bid. It's applied to your purchase — or refunded if you don't buy. For expensive or unusual items the amount is agreed with you in advance.

Yes. You choose from live listings with a translated auction sheet, and after you win we send real yard-in photos of the actual car — you only pay the balance once you've seen them.

Nothing is lost — your deposit is refunded or kept for your next bid. You only commit to a car once you've won it.

Yes. We translate the full auction sheet for every car you're serious about, and can arrange an extra inspection (for example for underbody rust) on request.

Only by up to ¥20,000, and only if it's needed to win the car. It's a small buffer so you don't lose a lot by a tiny margin — your maximum otherwise stands.

A flat ¥35,000 on cars up to ¥1,000,000, then 3.5% of the hammer price above that. See how fees work →

The auction-house buyer's fee, inland transport to our yard / the port, and export handling and paperwork — bundled into one flat price.

A refundable deposit before you bid, then the balance after you've seen the yard-in photos — due within 48 hours of the invoice. Payment is by bank transfer, Wise or PayPal to our official Japan account.

No. A JapanAuc quote stops at CIF — the car at your port. Import duty, VAT/GST and local taxes are charged by your country's authorities on arrival and vary by market. See total landed cost →

Yes — our landed-cost calculator gives FOB and CIF for any hammer price, country and vehicle size, with an indicative US-dollar figure at CIF.

Grade 4 is a good, honest, average used car — the sweet spot for many buyers. Grades run from S/6 (as-new) down through 4, 3.5, 3 to R (repaired accident history). See grading explained →

An independent inspection record for the car — its overall and interior grades, plus a diagram marking any scratches, dents and repairs with codes. We translate it for you. See how to read the codes →

R (or RA / R1) marks a car with repaired accident history. It isn't automatically a problem — read the sheet's damage map to see what was repaired, and we'll advise.

It depends on distance — roughly 7–11 days to Hong Kong, 2–3 weeks to the US/Canada West Coast, 4–6 weeks to East Africa, and 5–8 weeks to Europe. See transit times →

RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) is the usual, cheaper choice for a single car and runs on fixed schedules. A container gives extra protection and suits high-value or multiple vehicles.

The core pack is the Export Certificate, its English translation (where needed), the Bill of Lading and a commercial invoice — plus any destination-specific papers such as an inspection certificate. See export documents →

With an original B/L, physical documents are couriered to you and your broker presents one to collect the car. With a Surrendered B/L (also called a Telex B/L), we surrender the originals in Japan and the car is released at your port with no paper original — faster, no courier risk. Since your balance is paid before shipping, a Surrendered B/L is usually the convenient choice; we can issue an original if you prefer.

It varies by country — some allow only newer cars (e.g. Kenya under 8 years), others only older classics (USA 25 years, Canada 15 years), and some have no limit. We check each car's age against your market's rule before you bid. See import regulations →

Often, yes. Norway allows RHD registration, and the USA and Canada admit RHD cars once they meet the 25- or 15-year classic exemption — though state/province rules vary, so check locally.

Where your market needs a pre-export inspection (KEBS, JEVIC, QISJ and similar), we arrange it in Japan before shipping and include the certificate in your document pack.

JapanAuc is operated by TRH International Trading Co., Ltd, a licensed Japanese auction agent based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. We hold the auction memberships and handle bidding, export and shipping for buyers worldwide.

Payments go only to our official company bank account in Japan, published on our Payment & Bank Safety page, and our full company details are on the site. Never pay into a personal account. See how to avoid fraud →

We answer in English and 中文, and reply within one business day. You can reach us by email, phone or WhatsApp.