There’s nothing quite like the car auctions in Japan. It’s common knowledge that Japan is a top exporter of cars throughout the world. Despite the economic downturn, they are still one of the top car manufacturing countries in the world.

What people outside of Japan may not realize is that thousands of cars are sold every day at Japanese car auctions everywhere in the country. In one auction house alone, there can be as many as ten thousand cars available on the day of the auction. Every make and model you can think of goes through the auction system every single week.

How are the cars supplied to the auction? By far, most cars belong to average people who just want to make sure they get a good price on their car before they buy a new one. The biannual inspection, called Shaken, creates a lot of motivation for people in Japan to offload their cars before the inspections get too expensive. In Japan, as a car gets older it become more expensive to maintain and people have less desire to buy something used.

Are the cars worth buying? Another aspect of Japanese culture is that people take a lot of pride in keeping their cars clean. The cars are usually in very good condition. Furthermore, the roads in Japan tend to be narrow and crowded, so the mileage is relatively low compared to other countries. The auctions are a good way for the Japanese to sell their used cars, and many people overseas in countries such as Australia, UK, and New Zealand often import them and resell the cars at a profit.

How do you know the cars are reliable? Every aspect of the car is examined by an independent inspector, so buyers can see every detail about the car before they bid. The inspections are incredibly strict and the inspectors pride themselves on accuracy. Diagrams and charts on the inspection sheet let the buyer know everything about the car in great detail, including even the tiniest scratch or mark.

What is bidding like? Bidding is fast paced and exciting, with most auctions taking place in less than a minute. All the participants have an individual station that lets them bid via a handheld clicker. In fact, these days it’s possible to bid from home via the internet if you have the right equipment. When the auction starts, each bidder clicks the button and the price goes up. Many times sellers will impose a price that the highest bid must reach or the car will not sell. This is called a reserve price. When no one is clicking the button anymore, the auction is over.

What do you do if you have the highest bid? Well, you have to pay for it! After that it depends on if you are exporting or not. When exporting, transportation from the auction house to the ship needs to be arranged. If not, the car is yours when you pay, and you can drive it after the paperwork is done.

JDM enthusiast everywhere import cars fresh from Japan all the time. You can learn more about buying and importing, as well as seeing actual auction listings here: Learn More about Japanese Car Auctions

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