Importing

If you're interested in importing a car, truck, van, or motorcycle from Japan but don't want to go through the hassle of learning how to do it all yourself, we've got you covered! Nezumi Racing is now a licensed Washington state used car and motorcycle dealer. Below, we've provided a breakdown of our services and costs from start to finish.

tl;dr If you just want to see our fees scroll down to the bullet points below.

If we don't have a vehicle you're interested in purchasing we can act as an import broker and take care of all the details.

To start importing, you'll need to provide us a $2000 deposit which goes towards your total purchase price. We do require proof of funds (ex. bank balance slip) prior to purchase to make the export process as smooth as possible. Your deposit is 100% refundable up until the point your chosen vehicle has been purchased at auction or a dealer. If you decide to back out of the transaction after the vehicle is purchased, the deposit is no longer refundable. Once we have the deposit, we'll begin the search at either Japanese auction houses (weekly vehicle turn around and slightly cheaper prices) or from a dealership in Japan, using sites like goo-net.

After our search, if we've found a car that you're interested in at auction or at a dealer, we can reach out to our exporter and get photos, videos, and a walk around of the car. We will also provide a translated auction sheet or dealer description, as well as a comprehensive list of any damage, rust, repairs, and/or modifications made.

If you've decided that this is the car for you, we will move forward and purchase it at auction, and have it be delivered to our exporters’ warehouse. Unless otherwise agreed upon, all vehicles will be shipped on the first available vessel when possible (usually within 14-21 days of purchase). Note that this is dependent on inland transport time, vessel schedules, and the purchased vehicle's documents being available. We have the option to either ship it using RoRo (a roll-on roll-off cargo ship service) or in a shipping container. All shipments will be to the port of Tacoma, WA. Once the vehicle arrives, import fees are paid and the vehicle is released in the US, we will take care of all the tedious import and titling paperwork, and the car will arrive to you with a Washington title. Once the title has arrived and transferred to your name, we can arrange for delivery of the vehicle to you. The only difference with buying from a dealer are any additional inland transportation fees depending on the location of the dealer. Regardless of where you purchase the vehicle from, it takes an average of 2-3 months (starting at the date of shipment) for it to arrive at the port of Tacoma.

Now that you’re familiar with the process, here’s a breakdown of fees you can expect when importing:

Below is a rough outline of how the purchase process goes, and when we will collect any required information and payments:

1. First contact: We'll collect your information and discuss what kind of import you're looking for. At this time, we'll answer any questions you have and give you an estimate of the total costs.
2. Deposit made: Once you've provided us with the deposit and we have an idea what you're looking for, we'll begin our search and send you potential import candidates.
3. Found a vehicle you'd like to buy: This process can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks depending on how specific your requirements are. Once we've found a vehicle you like it will typically be up for auction within 2-5 days. An in-person inspection can be completed within that time to help with your decision.
4. Confirmation of auction hammer price: If the inspection comes back positive and you've decided this is the vehicle you want, we'll figure out an auction hammer price (maximum price you are willing to pay at auction).
5. Auction: Once we have the hammer price, we will contact the exporter, who will attend the auction and bid on your vehicle. As soon as the results are in, you'll be notified if you've won or not. In the event the vehicle sold for less than your hammer price you will only pay the price the vehicle sold for, not your hammer price (ex. If the hammer price you've set is $2000 USD and the vehicle sells at auction for $1500 USD, you would only pay $1500 USD).
6. Payment for vehicle and transport: Within 24-48 hours after the auction closes, the exporter will send an invoice for the vehicle which will include all of the fees which were outlined above in the "FOB charge", along with international shipping. Payment can be made using wire transfer or our Chase payment portal (debit or credit card payments). We expect this payment within 3 business days of when we provide you with the invoice.
7. Shipment of vehicle: Once payment has been made, the vehicle will be sent out on the soonest available vessel according to your shipping preferences, as described above. This typically takes between 14-21 days after the auction but can take longer if your vehicle needs to be transported from an auction house or dealer outside the Tokyo area.
8. Shipment travel between Japan and port of Tacoma: The average time for a vehicle to go from Japan to Tacoma by cargo ship is 2-3 months. This can vary depending on what ports they may visit first(ex. going to California before Washington) as well as weather and other factors. Within the 3 month period the exporter will send us the Export certificate and de-registration documents which will need to be translated to English before the vehicle is eligible to get a Washington state title. An invoice will be sent for that fee.
9. Arrival at the port of Tacoma: Once the vehicle lands in Washington, the port broker will send an invoice for their services, which will need to be paid before the vehicle is released. When the invoice has been paid, the vehicle will be picked up and stored at our dealership until it has a Washington state title.
10. Title and registration: As a Washington state dealer, we will register the vehicle and wait for the title to come in. Unfortunately, the state of Washington does not allow import vehicles to receive a quick-title, so this process will take 2-4 weeks. As soon as the state confirms that a title has been created, we can proceed with transferring it to your name and delivering your import. Like any dealership sale in the state of Washington, we are required to collect all registration fees and 10% tax on your vehicle purchase. As soon as the title has been transferred to your name, we'll deliver or ship your vehicle's plates to you along with the registration. As stated above, the title will take a little longer to arrive in the mail, approximately 2-4 weeks.
11. Import and sale completed.

Email: imports@nezumiracing.com
Telegram: @NezumiRacing
Instagram: @nezumiracing