tomiyutrading

“Tomiyu Trading has been very cooperative with me and made sure that I was satisfied with my purchase. They’re very informative and kept me updated. If you’re looking to import a car from Japan, this company won’t disappoint” - @smilewithaloha_

" I was looking for a Toyota Chaser in a certain budget and Tomiyu Trading was able to help me source and inspect many cars for me, they sent me pictures and videos of the car as well as history reports. I was really satisfied with my purchase and can't wait to get a second car from them!" -@jaysonsteezy

"Tomiyu Trading made the process of importing a car super easy! I purchased a car last year that had to be in storage for 1 year and they took great care of it. I also wanted a freshen up on the cars engine and they were able to do that to the car before shipping it to me. The car arrived exactly as pictured and I would reccomend them to anyone who is interested in buying a car from Japan!" - @aprilte0

How long is shipping?

This depends on your country and the number of vessels that go to your country per month. A typical purchase will leave Japan within 3-5 weeks of purchase. Ocean freight typically takes 2-5 weeks. 

We book your shipment on the day we receive your registration papers from the auction or the dealer. It is a simple process to book shipments so we don't cause any delays. 

Vessel schedules are not set. Sometimes extra vessels are scheduled and sometimes vessels are dropped. We will confirm with you as soon as we have confirmation from the vessel company, however we aren’t in control of the shipping company when it comes to any changes. 

Do you ship via container or RORO?

We can ship either method, but typically RORO (Roll on Roll off) is the better option. RORO is a giant car-ferry that crosses the ocean. These vessels are often shared with new cars. RORO is generally less expensive and safer for your cars. If you think container might be better for you, we can discuss your individual situation and get you appropriate quotes. 

What if the car is broken?

Auction cars are inspected by the auction staff before sale and any mechanical problems should be noted on the auction sheet. That being said, some cars (especially older cars) may have missed problems, or new problems between the auction inspection and arriving at our lot. In this case, we will make a claim to the auction for compensation. In some cases, the seller will be asked to pay for repairs. However, cars over 15 years old are rarely possible to claim and the final decision is up to the auction. 

Transferring Funds

We need to receive your payment in full within 7 calendar days. Money transfers sometimes take several days to be received, not to mention that holidays in either country will delay payment. For this reason, we recommend that people pay as early as possible. 

Car prices cheap?

Auctions in Japan are very competitive and most cars that have a high demand will not have good low prices. You may find that some cars tend to have good low prices because the popularity and demand difference.

Be warned though. If you go with a low priced vehicles, this greatly increases your chances of buying a lemon because any popular car that sells for a low price will have been passed on by other buyers.

Auto auctions similar to my own country?

It is easy to assume that auto auction in Japan are similar to auto auction in your country. In most countries auctions are where you will find lower end vehicles because most dealers will keep the gems and discard the junk. This is not how Japanese auctions work. Most dealers in Japan will specialize in certain types of cars, and will send all other cars back to auction instead of into their lot. Because of this, the Japanese auctions have all levels of vehicles from project cars to amazing condition cars. When buying from auction, it will be up to you to pick the grade of vehicle you want to buy. 

Rolled back meters or changed meters 

Maybe you have heard stories of mileage roll-back in Japanese cars. Yes, this is a problem, but it's an easy one to avoid. 99% of the odometer rolling happens by the companies that are exporting the cars, or the importers in other countries. It's quite easy for companies to do this without getting caught. 

 When buying from auction directly, the auction sheet will mention if the mileage is authentic or if the gauges have been tampered with.

Financing

We do not offer financing. You should speak with your bank or credit union in your country. In most cases, lenders want to have documents showing the price of the vehicle. We can prepare you a quote to show to your financier. 

You can pay via bank transfer direct to our Japanese account in yen. Your bank can set that up. When someone sends us money, we have to pay 2,500 yen to receive it. This is on top of the $30 or $40 that you pay to transfer. 

Refunding 

Yes, we can! We send transfers back without question.

R Grade Cars

R-grade cars are are cars that have been in an accident that hav been repaired. The R stands for "repaired".  Note that this is not the same as a "salvage title" vehicle. Repaired vehicles can be large accidents or they can be minor accidents. R-grade does not mean anything about the condition other than the accident so R-grade cars can be great vehicles sometimes. 

Some older sports cars like the R32 and S13 are often in R-grade so considering the purchase of an R-grade would make these vehicles easier to buy. 

We don't offer a service to see the vehicles before purchase. This is because we purchased from over 100 auctions across Japan and would not be able to have staff at all auctions. In general, the cost would have to be much higher if we were to pre-inspect the vehicles before bidding. Therefore, those that prefer more information on the vehicle before purchasing we can hire an auction inspector for additional cost to check the main points of the vehicle. 

Private party purchase

We can also purchase from an individual in Japan. However, vehicle registrations are complex in Japan and we will likely have to guide the seller how to hand off the registration. Because of this, we have a higher fee for cars bought from an individual. 

We buy from any auction and private parties across Japan. Which means that transport costs will vary.

We can ship to any country that allows importing of vehicles. We can ship roll on roll off (RORO) or container. Costs depend from country to country and by the size of the vehicle. Please email us if you would like a shipping quote. 

Every country has it’s own import regulations and import costs. These are in the form of customs duty, tax, excise fees, and terminal fees. Costs may change from port to port. Contact a customs broker in your country for a quote on import costs. 

Some countries require you to pre-inspect the vehicle before shipping it out of Japan. These countries usually have strict import regulations and so be sure to check what they are before buying. Costs change from country to country so email us if you have any quesitons. 

As far as documents and paperwork for legality, we here at Tomiyu Trading will provide all the necessary documents without any additional fees. We will email you a PDF File of everything and will also send you the original copy by postal mail through DHL mailing. Please be assured that we will handle all the required documents for your country’s registration and DMV rules. However, it is your responsibility to check any additional costs and requirements in your country or district. That being said, please confirm everything before you produced to buy or import a vehicle. 

Additional: Vehicle shipping prices change depending on the exchange rates and vehicle size.